Tart Bing Cherry, forest floor, fresh strawberry. Santa Rosa plum, Chinese five spice, orange peel. Delicate yet vibrant wafts of fresh cranberry, rhubarb, and almost-ripe pomegranate erupt with ethereal and aromatic charm while gracefully intertwined with hints of evergreen, coriander, and brown mushroom. Pristine impressions of pine cone, fallen leaves, and undergrowth advance a thread of clean and fresh forest tones while lavender and rose reveal a dainty floral overlay. Notes of cinnamon, cola, nutmeg, and clove flamboyantly emerge to expose layers of exotic spice while flecks of crushed chalk and calcareous rock expose deeply expressive reflections of terroir. Expansive, captivating, and intellectually stimulating on the nose while still quite crunchy and youthful on the palate; exhibiting impressively Burgundian restraint and a distinctly old world feel expressed with outstanding purity and lift. Medium in body with soft silky tannin supported by wonderfully elevated acidity. This 2017 "Histoire d'A" Pinot Noir by Domaine Nico is an astoundingly elegant, complex, and well balanced high-elevation red from Argentina's Uco Valley. 

Although primarily known as the home of some of the world's greatest Malbec, Argentina contains a number of high-elevation growing zones that are perfectly suited to producing absolutely world class wine from other cool climate grape varieties. This bottling, crafted by Domaine Nico using Pinot Noir sourced from a vineyard at 4429 feet above sea level in the Uco Valley's Gualtallary sub-region, perfectly exemplifies the incredible yet largely unrealized potential Pinot has in this unique and rugged terroir. This wine contains a haunting bouquet of lifted fruit, floral, and forest tones that are wide-reaching and expansive without coming across the least bit heavy, and it remains tart and tremendously balanced while also thoroughly intriguing. This unexpectedly yet unquestionably showcases a perfect marriage of grape and place. Outstanding.