This wine comes from grapes selected from a range of vineyards in the Uco Valley in Mendoza. Here vineyards are ranged on terraces in the Andes at altitudes of between 850 and 1500, with cold nights and warm days that lead to wines with fresh acidity.  The intense sunlight at these altitudes really concentrates flavours in the grape skins so that wines have the potential to display super ripe fruit but still retain great freshness and moderate levels of alcohol.

The wine is really dark purple colour with a blue glint across the surface.

Immediately on the nose; ripe black cherry and blue berry, some dried herbs and a touch of black pepper, smoke and coffee grounds.  The wine has spent some time in oak barriques unlike many of Familia Zuccardi’s wines which are matured in concrete eggs.

The wine is really dry with fresh acidity and lots of nice fine grained tannins the body is medium, the alcohol at 14% is well integrated and everything finely balanced. In the mouth it is at first a little closed but with some swirling begins to open up with those ripe but crunchy fruits, spices, black pepper, liquorice, tomato leaf and a touch of biltong dried meat. 

This is really quite elegant and has a long finish. Its quite tight but further complexity should develop with some more bottle age. A really good value wine which is widely available.

Look out for our planned Familia Zuccardi Wine Dinner early next year.