2019 Santa Julia Reserva Mountain Blend Valle de Uco Mendoza 750 ml

Over the years, we’ve come to expect extraordinary quality and even better value from the Zuccardi family, but the 2019 Santa Julia Reserva delivers on another level entirely. This 92-point bottle is without a doubt one of the top value wines on the market today, with the integrity and class of a mountain-grown red three times the price.

There’s no catch. We’ll explain how this is possible, but first, we recommend locking in a case—or two—of this powerful and exhilarating red. It has a higher score than the 2018, which lasted mere minutes on our virtual shelves.

The Zuccardis are one of Mendoza’s first families of wine. Wine Access members know their vibrant, full-bodied, and overachieving reds very well. We’ve offered their 100-point Piedra Infinita, which goes for a third of the price of an equivalent Bordeaux, their 96-point Concreto, and now today’s 92-point Reserva. At every price tier, Zuccardi wines have one thing in common: extraordinary value.  

The 2019 Mountain Blend was grown almost 3,000 feet above sea level in the most acclaimed subregion of Mendoza, the Uco Valley. Here, in the foothills of the Andes, Malbec and Cabernet Franc truly thrive. Blanketed in abundant sunshine and tempered by a cool climate, the grapes achieve a trifecta of richness, ripeness, and freshness that ranks among the world’s best. 

For the Mountain Blend, 70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Franc were organically farmed and entirely handpicked, two cost-intensive practices that would be impossible to find in a bottle of this price elsewhere in the world. Fortunately for us, production costs are lower in Argentina. 

The Zuccardi family has been a pillar of Mendoza winemaking since the 1950s. Their state-of-the-art facilities and vineyard portfolio are unrivaled in the region, and it shows in their world-class wines. As Wine Advocate wrote of Zuccardi Vinos, Santa Julia’s sister estate, “Zuccardi is clearly among the top wineries of the country—and improving each year.”

Under Julia Zuccardi, granddaughter of the family patriarch, their Santa Julia estate continues to innovate. Her expert team includes Ruben Ruffo, a 25-year veteran winemaker, and Edgardo Cónsoli, who manages the vineyards like they belong to a Bordeaux classified growth. 

Their organic compost, cover crop, and irrigation practices promote a healthy soil microbiome and native flora and fauna surrounding the vineyards, giving rise to a singular richness and complexity in wines like this one. Its deep purple core exudes steeped lilac, violet, and black-fruit aromas, which enrich the palate’s generous fruit and silky tannins. 

Today, generations of experience, a well-built infrastructure, and a little help from the global economy have come together to yield what we believe to be one of the best value reds on the market. The craftsmanship, the pedigree of the sustainably farmed vineyards, and the commitment to quality that the Zuccardi name confers make this a must-buy and then some.