Tart black raspberry, tree bark, blood orange. Young cranberry, fresh lavender, dirty strawberry. Crisp Bing cherry, boysenberry, and currants form a delicate and restrained fruit core that is immediately challenged by natural tones of pine needle, truffle, and forest floor. Moss, game, and broken twigs continue the streak of clean organic delight while jasmine and pungent rose impart wonderfully aromatic floral charm. Coriander, cardamom, and clove leave a dainty dusting of spice that wafts above soil tones of chunky loam and calcareous rock. Complex, restrained, and extremely Burgundian; driven by terroir over ripeness and balance over brawn. Medium in body with soft elevated tannin and beautifully driving acidity. This 2017 Grand Mère Pinot Noir by Domaine Nico is an elegant new world red with tremendous old world sensibility from Argentina's Uco Valley.

Although Argentina is mostly known as a source for high quality Malbec this unique South American country has the potential produce much more than just big unctuous reds. In fact, some its the higher elevation vineyards are actually quite cold and are perfectly suited to cooler climate varieties. This bottling, crafted by Domaine Nico using Pinot Noir sourced from the Grand Mère Vineyard, is an eye-opening revelation into what Argentina is truly capable of. Coming from a site that sits 3675ft from sea level in the Uco Valley of Mendoza, this wine manages to come across as astoundingly delicate while remaining expressive and fresh. It is thoroughly contemplative and intellectual in nature - not dissimilar from the best wines of the Côte d'Or - and it possesses a sense of palpable authenticity of terroir that cannot be faked. This is an outstanding achievement by Mendoza's well-known Catena family.