Zuccardi Valle de Uco

Zuccardi Valle de Uco brings together three generations of the Zuccardi family. It began in 1963 when Engineer Alberto 'Tito' Zuccardi planted the family's first vineyard in Maipú, Mendoza, to showcase a new irrigation system he had invented, ultimately discovering his passion for viticulture. José Alberto joined the family business in 1976 and assumed overall leadership in 1985, growing the winery into Argentina's largest family-owned producer and exporting to 70 countries. In 1999, Sebastián, José Alberto's son, embarked on a personal project with friends to craft sparkling wines in the Uco Valley, the project later known as Alma 4. In 2009, Sebastián revitalized the Research and Development department with the aim of deepening study of the Uco Valley's diverse soils and climatic variables, a project that reshaped the winery's entire identity.

• Founded 1963 as an irrigation demonstration project; first wine bearing the family name, Zuccardi Q (Tempranillo), launched in 1997
• José Alberto joined in 1976 and took leadership in 1985, transforming the winery into an international benchmark for Argentine wine
• Sebastián's R&D department, re-energized in 2009, explored parcel-level soil diversity across Paraje Altamira, Gualtallary, and San Pablo
• First Uco Valley vineyard, Finca Canal Uco in Paraje Altamira, planted in 2007, marking the beginning of the modern single-vineyard era

Zuccardi's Uco Valley properties span approximately 300 hectares across distinct sub-regions in San Carlos and Tupungato. The flagship Piedra Infinita vineyard (42 hectares, 1,100m) sits in the heart of Paraje Altamira, with shallow alluvial soils over large granite stones covered in calcium carbonate. Finca Canal Uco (57 hectares, 1,080m) occupies land historically irrigated by the Uco Canal, also in Paraje Altamira. Further north, Finca Las Cuchillas (40 hectares) in San Pablo offers one of the coldest climates in the Uco Valley, planted with white varieties and cool-climate reds. In Gualtallary, Las Cerrilladas (32 hectares, 1,360m) and Agua de la Jarilla (32 hectares, 1,385m) bring wind-swept, ultra-high-altitude desert conditions with heterogeneous calcareous and caliche soils.

• Paraje Altamira (IG established 2013) at 1,080-1,100m: alluvial soils over granite stones covered in calcium carbonate, temperate climate with large diurnal range
• Gualtallary at 1,360-1,385m: heterogeneous alluvial soils from Las Tunas River with caliche and gravel; arid, windy, extreme high-altitude desert conditions
• San Pablo at approximately 1,400m: cold, extreme climate with late bud break; calcareous alluvial soils; Zuccardi's focus site for white varieties including Chardonnay and Riesling
• Each vineyard divided into multiple parcels by soil type; harvest dates across the estate can differ by up to 15 days depending on soil profile and altitude

Zuccardi's range moves from village-level expressions to paraje wines to single-vineyard and sub-parcel icons. The Polígonos line represents village wines from specific Uco Valley sub-regions including Paraje Altamira, Gualtallary, and San Pablo, in both Malbec and Cabernet Franc. The Aluvional wines highlight lieu-dit terroirs, with separate bottlings from Gualtallary, Paraje Altamira, and San Pablo. At the apex sits the Finca range: Finca Piedra Infinita Malbec (the winery's icon, source of multiple 100-point scores), Finca Piedra Infinita Gravascal (from a 0.73-hectare sub-parcel), Finca Canal Uco, Finca Las Cerrilladas, and others. White wines, including a Chardonnay from San Pablo and a Sémillon from Los Membrillos, round out the range. All wines are fermented with native yeasts in concrete vessels; some are aged in large foudres of 2,500 to 5,000 liters.

• Polígonos (village wines): Malbec and Cabernet Franc from Paraje Altamira, Gualtallary, and San Pablo; entry point into Zuccardi's terroir hierarchy
• Aluvional (paraje wines): single-subregion Malbec; the Gualtallary bottling scored 97-98 points from Robert Parker, James Suckling, and Decanter
• Finca Piedra Infinita: the winery's flagship Malbec from 42 hectares in Paraje Altamira at 1,100m; first wine to score 100 points (2016 vintage, awarded 2019)
• Finca Piedra Infinita Gravascal: from a 0.73-hectare sub-parcel of granite and calcium carbonate soils; multiple 100-point scores including from Robert Parker (Luis Gutiérrez, 2018 vintage; Matthew Luczy, 2021 vintage)

Zuccardi farms its Uco Valley vineyards with a strong commitment to minimal chemical intervention. The estate works without herbicides or systemic treatments across its properties and focuses on building soil health through native plant cover and organic inputs; they continue to pursue full certification as they solve specific challenges such as controlling native ants. The winery structure itself was built as an extension of this philosophy: constructed solely from natural materials found in the area, stones, sand, and water, and entirely concrete inside and out, from walls to fermentation and aging vessels. Gravity-fed winemaking, solar energy, and water reuse reduce the estate's external inputs. The Research and Development team, led by Laura Principiano as head winemaker and Martín Di Stefano as viticulturist, studies each parcel with scientific precision, dividing vineyards by soil type and vinifying parcels separately before assembling final blends.

• No herbicides or systemic treatments across estate vineyards; organic approach without current formal certification at all sites
• Winery built entirely from local stone, sand, and water; gravity-fed processing eliminates pumping; solar energy and water reuse employed
• Concrete vessels (eggs, tanks, amphorae) used exclusively for fermentation and aging; no small new oak barrels; large foudres used for select wines
• Native yeast fermentation practiced across all wines; R&D team continuously studies soil profiles, microclimates, and phenology at parcel level

Zuccardi has assembled a record of critical recognition unmatched in Argentine wine history. The first 100-point score arrived in November 2019, when Luis Gutiérrez of Robert Parker Wine Advocate awarded a perfect score to Finca Piedra Infinita 2016. By 2022, three wines had earned 100 points from Wine Advocate, making Zuccardi the only Argentine winery to achieve this. That same year, Wine Enthusiast named Zuccardi Valle de Uco New World Winery of the Year, and the World's Best Vineyards inducted the estate into its inaugural Hall of Fame after three consecutive wins (2019, 2020, 2021). By 2025, a total of ten Zuccardi wines had received perfect 100-point scores from leading critics including Robert Parker Wine Advocate, Tim Atkin MW, and Guía Descorchados. José Alberto Zuccardi received the International Wine Challenge Lifetime Achievement Award and was named a Winemaking Legend by Tim Atkin MW.

• First Argentine winery with three 100-point Robert Parker Wine Advocate scores (achieved by 2022): Finca Piedra Infinita 2016, Finca Piedra Infinita Gravascal 2018, and Finca Piedra Infinita Supercal 2019
• World's Best Vineyards: Best Vineyard in the World 2019, 2020, and 2021; inaugural Hall of Fame member in 2022
• Wine Enthusiast New World Winery of the Year 2022; ten total 100-point wines from international critics by 2025
• José Alberto Zuccardi: IWC Lifetime Achievement Award; named Winemaking Legend by Tim Atkin MW

Construction on the winery began in 2013 and it opened in March 2016, designed by architects Tom Hughes, Fernando Raganato, and Eugenia Mora. Built from rocks sourced from the Piedra Infinita vineyard and sand and water from the Tunuyán River, the structure rises organically from the valley floor as a tribute to the surrounding mountains. The onsite restaurant, Piedra Infinita Cocina, offers a seasonal menu rooted in the Uco Valley's agricultural landscape, featuring farmed trout, Andean mushrooms, artisanal cheeses, mountain herbs, and grass-fed meats paired with Zuccardi wines, with floor-to-ceiling windows framing the Andean panorama. Tastings take place beside the concrete fermentation vessels or in a circular room beneath a shining metal dome, with guided tours exploring parcel-level soil diversity across the estate.

• Winery inaugurated March 2016 after three years of construction; designed by Tom Hughes, Fernando Raganato, and Eugenia Mora using only rocks, sand, and water from the estate and Tunuyán River
• Piedra Infinita Cocina restaurant serves a seasonal four-course menu of regional ingredients with floor-to-ceiling Andean views
• Concrete eggs and amphorae visible throughout the winery, crafted after ten years of concrete research; tastings in the circular dome room
• The Piedra Infinita vineyard name honors the seemingly infinite stones removed by hand before vines could be planted