Emma Zuccardi Bonarda
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
grilled lamb chops, roasted duck, mushroom empanadas
✨ Technical Specifications
Emma Zuccardi Bonarda is a heartfelt tribute to Sebastián Zuccardi’s grandmother, Emma, representing a landmark shift in how Argentina views the Bonarda grape. Historically utilized as a workhorse blending variety, Bonarda finds a noble, elegant expression under the Zuccardi family's care. Sourced from high-altitude vineyards in the Uco Valley, particularly from areas with cool climates and calcareous soils, this wine showcases a fresh, mineral-driven profile. Sebastián utilizes concrete vessels for fermentation and aging, avoiding heavy oak to preserve the grape's natural, vibrant acidity, floral aromas, and bright red fruit character. It stands as a testament to modern Argentine viticulture, proving that Bonarda can achieve world-class complexity and grace.
🍾 About the Producer
Familia Zuccardi was founded in 1963 by engineer Alberto 'Tito' Zuccardi, who planted experimental vines in Mendoza to demonstrate an innovative irrigation system. Under the stewardship of his son José Alberto and grandson Sebastián Zuccardi, the estate transformed into a vanguard of modern Argentine viticulture, shifting the focus decisively toward the high-altitude, cool-climate micro-terroirs of the Uco Valley. At elevations ranging from 1,000 to over 1,400 meters—most notably in Paraje Altamira, San Pablo, and Gualtallary—the estate farms on alluvial soils richly encrusted with calcium carbonate and marine limestone deposits. Farming avoids synthetic agrochemicals and embraces organic practices. Vinification prioritizes transparency and place, favoring spontaneous native-yeast fermentations in unlined concrete amphorae and minimal oak intervention. Renowned for parcel-specific Malbecs like Finca Piedra Infinita alongside taut, mineral white expressions such as Botanico Chardonnay and Polígonos Semillón, Zuccardi crafts wines marked by chiseled acidity, chalky tannins, and pristine Andean tension.
🍇 Grapes
Bonarda
🍷 ABV
13-13.5%