2022 Malbec Finca Canal Uco
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Tasting notes
100% Malbec. Vineyard at 1,100 m. Cool vintage. Harvest 24–30 March. Native-yeast fermentation and ageing in concrete. TA 6.3 g/l, pH 3.6. Extremely deep, glowing crimson. Still very much a work in progress on the nose, but intriguing – and cool! Mouth-filling spicy fruit with real tang and interest. Savoury and fairly tannic on the end. Youthful! But promising. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Canal Uco reaches 3,609-feet elevation and was the first vineyard planted by the Zuccardis in Valle De Uco's Paraje Altamira. The fourth vintage released to La Place de Bordeaux, the 2022 Malbec Finca Canal Uco is a 100% varietal wine. Full-bodied, it was fermented in concrete and aged again in concrete vessels, seeing no oak. The soils of the site are alluvial with gravel and calcareous littered throughout, adding noticeable minerality and energy to the wine, which is richly layered in dense, intense red fruit, earthy graphite, and undeniable texture. It's drinking well now in all its still developing glory, but will benefit from further aging of 15-20 years, with an ideal drinking window of 2032-2040.
The 2022 Finca Canal Uco opens with a deep, lush bouquet of black and blue fruits, purple flowers and crushed stones that gradually develops a high-toned, herbal energy with time in the glass. It is graceful and lively on the palate, balancing dense, refined concentration with remarkable levity, seamlessly moving into a complex, mineral-driven finish anchored by a contained core of opaque fruits and a distinctly floral character. This is a decidedly bold expression of Altamira that admirably maintains the region's signature poise and finesse, offering a more intense, darker counterpoint to the textural lift of the Piedra Infinita bottlings. As always with Zuccardi's Malbec bottlings, it fermented in concrete vessels of various sizes with a high proportion of whole clusters.
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About the producer
Based in the Uco Valley, Zuccardi is one of Argentina’s leading producers. Family owned and run – today by third-generation Sebastián Zuccardi – the property crafts pure-fruited wines that speak of their mountainous Mendoza terroir.