ZUCCARDI VALLE DE UCO
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA
WHY BUY:
Start with the value, because at $120 a bottle these are among the most enduring bargains in all of premium wine. Now look at what that $120 gets you: a 99-point Chardonnay, a 99-point Sémillon, a 97-point Chardonnay, and (lest anyone forget the varietal that made Zuccardi's name) a 99-point Malbec. Beyond the points, though, what you are buying, and supporting, is an estate that leads with passion and a rule-breaking verve, and where the purist pursuit of excellence comes first and last, above the needs (and vagaries) of the market. These are high-altitude, terroir-driven wines of extraordinary definition, clarity, vivacity, and depth, the kind that will give lift to any meal, but that can also command your full attention without accompaniment at all.
THE PEDIGREE:
It's no wonder that Wine Enthusiast named Zuccardi the New World Winery of the Year, and The World's Best Vineyards selected them Best Vineyard in the World three years running. Their fanatical exactitude plus their extraordinary high-altitude terroir makes for simply extraordinary wines that redefine what are changing the perception of Argentina as a wine-producing nation.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:
Vinous was rapturous across the range. It awarded 99 points to the Sémillon Finca Los Membrillos 2022, singling out its "delicate" and "creamy" character and a "chalky texture [that] creat[es] tension between width and structure” — a wine, it wrote, "rewarding both aging and attention." The Las Cuchillas Chardonnay 2024 likewise earned 99 points, thanks to its "creamy, chalky and energetic” profile and the way it "combines generous concentration with a subtle lightness." The Botanico Chardonnay 2024 was just behind it, a "broad and creamy” wine with "tension and chalky undertones [and] vibrant energy." Decanter swooned over the Canal Uco Malbec 2022; it lavished 99 points upon it, calling it "compact, rich and chalky, with length and definition” — "a great wine from an excellent vintage."
OUR TASTING NOTES:
Start with the Sémillon, the wine that is certain to persuade any skeptic or cynic. It steps away from the house's usual unoaked creed, spending time in large foudres, and the wood does something magical, bringing out that chalky Paraje Altamira texture. There’s real width here on the palate, and a finish that keeps unspooling long after you'd expect it to quit. The Las Cuchillas Chardonnay comes from the calcareous soils of San Pablo, and you can taste the presence of that limestone; it’s got a wonderful energy and concentration, and the hints of chalk and minerality give it real character, besides lending beautiful definition. The Botanico Chardonnay has a vibrance that nods to Gualtallary, and we also loved its wonderful saline snap on the close. As for the reds, they’re by no means an afterthought. The Cabernet is lean and classical, compact and juicy, a wine with an Old World bearing. And the Canal Uco Malbec is as layered and complex as Malbec gets, dense and chalky and defined, with a confoundingly long finish.
THE STORY:
Zuccardi's tale is, in miniature, the entire story of modern Argentine wine. Sebastián Zuccardi looked up at the cooler, higher ground of the Uco Valley and saw what almost nobody else did, and in 2016 he built Bodega Piedra Infinita in Paraje Altamira to turn his hunch into something concrete and real. What followed reordered the map. He pioneered new geographical indications, championed a terroir-obsessed, parcel-by-parcel approach, and made wines of such pure, unoaked clarity that the wine world did not just take note; it came calling. His vineyards sit almost perilously high in the Mendoza hills, and to catch every nuance of that ground he ferments whole clusters in concrete vessels built from stones dug out of his own soil. Then he makes his blends, which are built from dozens of micro-plots. It's a maddening, painstaking process whose results have transformed his life and that of an entire industry in Argentina.
WHAT TO PAIR THEM WITH:
The whites are versatile enough and good enough to carry a whole meal, from fresh oysters and shellfish to a whole roasted fish with lemon and herbs, roast chicken with nothing more than its own juices, or something with aromatic heat, like a Thai green curry. The Sémillon, with its foudre-given weight, can even handle pork loin or a creamy risotto. For the two reds, reach for the grill or cast-iron skillet: a rare and juicy porterhouse, a rack of lamb with rosemary and garlic, or a peppercorn-crusted NY strip.
FUN FACT:
Zuccardi's postcard-perfect home, in the Uco Valley, is deserving of a getaway trip. The stone winery was built as an homage to the Andes that rise majestically behind it, with a restaurant, Piedra Infinita Cocina, that earned Michelin recognition in 2024 and that pours the estate's wines. Just be sure to plan ahead, because reservations book months in advance.
OUR GUARANTEE:
As always, we only buy and source directly from the estate to ensure pristine provenance. Secure your bottles and cases today!
*Offer NOT valid in-store. This offer is made pre-arrival, with wines estimated to be delivered to your preferred store in Winter 2026 (Dec. 21st - Mar. 20th, 2027). With the supply chain issues that we are seeing globally, there may be some unforeseen delays which could affect the ETA. All sale prices are the lowest available at Total Wine & More and ONLY valid through Concierge Sales. No further discounts or coupons may be applied. Offer not valid in DC, KS, MI, NY, OK, or TN. This offer will expire on Friday, August 28th, 2026.