Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
A section of the Adriana vineyard, at an altitude of 1400m with a sloping north exposure. This has very fresh, ripe cherry and violet aromas with attractive, earthy spice. The palate has a very smooth and succulent feel. The tannins really curve and draw in impressive style. Dark-cherry and spice flavors hold long. Seamless fluidity. Drink in the next eight years.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Histoire d’A Pinot Noir is from the Adrianna vineyard in Gualtallary, where the soils have more sand, but the wine feels very different from the La Savante from the same vineyard. This feels a little riper and has a little less complexity.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
With a winning combination of cool weather, high elevation and well-draining alluvial soils, it is no surprise that Mendoza’s Uco Valley is one of the most exciting up-and-coming wine regions in Argentina. Healthy, easy-to-manage vines produce low yields of high-quality fruit, which in turn create flavorful, full-bodied wines with generous acidity.
This is the source of some of the best Malbec in Mendoza, which can range from value-priced to ultra-premium. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay also perform well here.