Domaine Nico Grand Père

Grand Père bottle image

Wine Description

Elegant and classic Pinot Noir that fits the name "Grandfather".  Laura has a profound respect for what grandparents do for children, and she wanted to honor their love and wisdom with this wine. 
 

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Acclaim
“Bright medium red. Slightly liqueur-like aromas of raspberry, strawberry, loamy spices and coffee, lifted by a topnote of rose petal. Lovely supple, pliant Pinot Noir with sweet red fruit and spice flavors nicely buffered by integrated acidity. Combines noteworthy silky depth with serious inner-mouth lift to project a sensation of weightlessness. Finishes juicy, firm, saline and long. Very suave Pinot with mid-term aging potential. My second bottle of this wine was even better, as it began very tight and minerally, then opened slowly with air to show increasing richness and tangy red fruit character. Domaine Nico is a project of Laura Catena, whose family originally planted this Tupungato vineyard on stony soil at about 4,200 feet in 1994 with Dijon clones; she also has Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon on this site but not Malbec). The Domaine Nico wines are made without any new oak by 30-year-old winemaker Roy Urvieto, who previously spent 10 years as assistant to Alejandro Vigil, head winemaker at Catena Zapata (vinified with 30% whole clusters; from a north-facing part of the Villa Bastías vineyard in Tupungato).”
— Vinous, Sep 2019
“The difference between the 2017 Grand Père Pinot Noir and the Grand Mère comes from the soils; they come from the same vineyard but selected from different parts, and this is very stony and full of limestone. There is more austerity, and it feels less juicy, with very fine tannins, with an ethereal texture, it feels light but there is inner strength. It's a very Burgundian Pinot Noir.”
— Wine Advocate, Oct 2019
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Villa Bastias
Vineyard size
5 acres
Soil composition
Gravel and Clay-Loam
Elevation:
3,675 feet
Year vineyard planted:
1993
First vintage of this wine:
2017
Bottles produced of this wine:
8300
Average Vine Age:
7
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Winemaking & Aging
Maceration length:
7-14 Days
Varietal composition:
100% Pinot Noir
Fermentation temperature:
25 C °F
Maceration technique:
Punch Down by Hand
Type of aging container:
French Oak Barrels
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
15 Months
Age of Aging Container:
25% new and 75% second use
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.46
Acidity:
5.47 g/L
Alcohol:
13 %
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Wine Production

Fermented with 20% whole clusters and indigenous year in Oak roll-fermentor of 600L and 50% stainless-steel tanks.  Punch-down extraction was done by hand with max temperature reaching 25 Celsius for 7-14 days.  Malolactic fermentation took place in barrel.

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About the Vineyard

Villa Bastias is located in Tupungato within the Uco Valley.  The vineyard is old and planted with Dijon Clones in 1993.  The Grand Père parcel is more shaded than the sunnier Grand Mere section, with delicate red fruits and high acidity. Wine-making is traditional and gentle for these delicate wines.  Yields are extremely low in both sites due to the age of the vineyard.