2016 Finca Piedra Infinita
Buying options
Tasting notes
The Piedra Infinita vineyard surrounds Zuccardi’s striking winery and sits upon a rocky alluvial fan. These grapes were selected from parcels with 20–60 cm of sandy loam topsoil over stony, calcareous subsoils. 2016 was a relatively cool year and the wettest vintage in Mendoza in the last 30 years (though note this wine still clocks in at 14.5% abv). Fermented in concrete vats, then half the wine was aged in used 500-litre French oak barrels, the remainder in concrete tanks. TA 5.7 g/l, RS 1.7 g/l. Hefty bottle. Deep ruby with hints of garnet towards the rim. The fruit profile is just starting to enter its tertiary phase, with notes of prune and date alongside fresh black cherry and black plum. There are also savoury notes of chocolate, black pepper and a pronounced bloody quality. Fine, well-integrated tannins. It’s at a nice stage in its evolution, with a lovely balance of fruit, savour and structure. (JRL)
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
I was blown away by the 2016 Finca Piedra Infinita, a wine I have been anticipating because I’ve seen the progression of the wine over the last few years. They use almost 40 different components to make this wine from small plots within the vineyard, especially the soils they call "supercalcáreo" (super limestone). The other type of soil they use is what they call "gravas calcáreas" (limestone gravels), and they don’t use any of the grapes from the deeper soils that go into the Q range. The wine has reached a stratospheric level of precision, symmetry and elegance in 2016 that is really captivating. Everything seems to be in its place; there is great harmony, the aromatics are clean and pure and the texture is like liquid chalk. There is power and elegance, energy and finesse. This is a really outstanding wine that summarizes the hard work at Zuccardi in the last few years. Bravo! 6,400 bottles were filled in February 2017.
17.5++/20 - Slightly reductive on the nose at the moment. The palate is just electric and so alive – again that stony chalky texture (typical of Altamira) with splatterings of peppery spice and floral tinged blue fruits and a super-long finish. Very tight tannins still and has many years to open up into the beautiful wine that it surely will become. Delightful.
Slightly reductive on the nose at the moment. The palate is just electric and so alive – again that stony chalky texture (typical of Altamira) with splatterings of peppery spice and floral tinged blue fruits and a super-long finish. Very tight tannins still and has many years to open up into the beautiful wine that it surely will become. Delightful. (AC)