Familia Zuccardi’s 2022 Finca Canal Uco is a 100% Malbec from IG Paraje Altamira in the Uco Valley, Mendoza, sourced from the family’s Finca Canal Uco vineyard. The site matters here: this was “the first vineyard the family planted in the Uco Valley,” on alluvial ground “covered in limestone,” at about 1,100 meters, long irrigated by the Uco Canal fed by the Tunuyán River (Familia Zuccardi). In export markets (outside South America) the wine is distributed exclusively through La Place de Bordeaux, underlining its positioning as a flagship, place-driven Malbec.
Winemaking choices are geared toward clarity rather than overt sweetness or oak weight. Club Oenologique notes that “since 2017, all vinification and aging occur in concrete,” a shift intended to foreground “brightness, florality, and a distinct salinity.” Vinous reviewer Joaquín Hidalgo (as quoted by Bacchus Vinothek) adds a technical detail: the 2022 is made with “90% whole bunches,” a choice that often boosts aromatic lift and structural nuance.
In the glass, critics converge on an herbal-floral profile paired with firm, mineral texture. James Suckling (quoted by Bacchus Vinothek) calls it “ferric, with notes of dried herbs and subtle dark fruit,” describing a “medium- to full-bodied, precise and focused” palate and a “saline, persistent finish,” with guidance to “drink now or hold.” Hidalgo’s Vinous note (again via Bacchus Vinothek) is more expansive aromatically—“lavender, violet, field herbs, sage, Morello cherry and blackberry”—and frames the wine as “highly expressive and elegant,” with a palate that’s “compact, rich and chalky, with length and definition.”
The reviews are excellent. Suckling’s 97 points is a strong endorsement, and Hidalgo’s reported 98 points is a top-tier score that places this among the most compelling Malbecs of the vintage. Club Oenologique goes further on the year itself, calling 2022 “the finest vintage yet” in its multi-vintage look at the cuvée. At 14.5% alcohol (Decanter), it reads as substantial, but the published tasting notes emphasize precision, freshness, and site-marked salinity over sheer mass.
