Domaine Nico is the world's first extreme high-altitude parcela Pinot Noir. It is an unusual location for the New World with limestone soil of alluvial origin and cool climate and a labor of love for the Catena family.
The vineyard is named after Laura's daughter, Nicola, whose name pays homage to Nicola Catena, Laura's great-grandfather and founder of the Catena winery in 1902.
Laura has been in love with Pinot Noir since her first travels to France as a teenager. A self-avowed francophile, Laura studied French throughout university. She has a lifelong obsession with authors Sartre and Camus, as well as with the Louvre and the Centre Georges Pompidou, where she has spent countless hours.
With Domaine Nico, Laura borrows from France in the names of the wine parcels and in the concept of individual terroirs, but also plays with the words to give the wines a modern twist that’s reflective of their style.
With 3,675 to 4,921 feet of elevation, Domaine Nico is the world's first extreme high-altitude parcela Pinot Noir. Parcels are extremely small and range within the Uco Valley from Villa Bastais to Gualtallary all within the Tupungato region. With Domain Nico, the Uco Valley proves itself to be a new terroir for the highest quality Pinot Noir.
Domine Nico grapes are sources from small parcels through 15 different microvinifications. All mincrovinifications were fermented with indigenous yeasts, some with whole cluster. The wine ages in French Oak barels with low production across each.
Domaine Nico le Paradis Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
The cool climate vineyard that belongs to Laura and her sister Adrianna Catena feels like paradise itself to Laura. It is lined by trees and fruit orchards, with majestic views of the Andes. Inside the 12 Hectare vineyard, there is a little house with two tiny bedrooms and a kitchen, where Laura dreams of spending a whole month reading books-Laura's version of paradise. The little house is affectionately named Chateau Laura. About the Vineyard The tiny parcel where Le Paradis is grown was planted in 2011 with Dijon 667 Clones over two acres. Wine Production The grapes from this small parcel were elaborated in 15 separate microvinifications.
All the microvinifications were fermented with indigenous yeast. 20% of the microvinifications were fermented with 100% whole clusters in oak roll-fermentor of 600L and low temp (22 Celcius degrees). 40% were fermented with 20% whole cluster in small vats of 800L and 40% fermented in small vats of 800L without sulfites until 4%V/V of alcohol.
Review:
From soils rich in calcium carbonate and sand, in a vineyard 1,600 meters above sea level, this wine comes from a selection of 2.7 hectares that produced very little fruit in 2016, just barely enough to fill 800 bottles. But watch out for this white, with its edge, its minerality, those saline notes that are so characteristic of chardonnay from the chalky Gualtallary soils. The wine was aged for a year in used barrels, and it has some of the toast, but here it’s the deep minerality that dominates.
Patricio Tapia - Descorchados 96 Points
Pulled from a Gentleman's cellar, all wines from this cellar have been purchased by the owner either from the importer or direct from winery. They stayed in his cellar until being moved to the Timeless Wines warehouse.
Fefinanes Albarino de Albarino is 100 percent Albarino
Fresh fruit aromas of apricot and peach slices with notes of lemon and green apple. Pretty notes of honey and wet nutmeg, and the mouth is round, clean, and pleasant with baked apple, honey, and lemon.
This is a classic Albariño which is good young, but actually improves over two to three years and remains quite drinkable for up to five years. Owner Juan Gil comments that the wine really starts to come into its own in June/July, and he actually prefers it 18 or more months after it's made. A Fefiñanes "vertical" of three or four vintages can provide some most interesting surprises.