Histoire D'A 2020

DOMAINE NICO

Histoire D'A
2020

Country
Argentina
Regulated designation
Dénomination origine (DOC)
Region
Mendoza
Varietal(s)
Pinot Noir 100 %
Colour
Red
Producer's website
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About this winery

Armed with the vision of elevating Catena and Argentine wines to stand with the best in the world, Catena’s high standard of excellence has brought them much acclaim over the years, for their wines and for their work. Most recently, Nicolás Catena Zapata was the recipient of Wine Enthusiast’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021, while his daughter Laura Catena, fourth generation vintner, as well as physician and author, has been called “the face of Argentine wine” and was awarded 2022...

See the DOMAINE NICO detail page for more information on this brand

Product notes

A play on the famous pornographic novel Histoire d’O by Pauline Réage - this parcel makes a very “sexy” wine and the name seemed appropriate. In both La Savante and Histoire d’A we use whole clusters during fermentantion to highlight the texture and graininess of the wines. La Savante is more mineral, vertical, with spicy red fruits. Histoire d’A is more generous due to the greater sun exposure, with cinnamon, clove and a perceived sweetness to the tannins.

Tasting notes

Red fruit and presence of herbs such as thyme, spices and clove. Medium-high acidity. Low alcohol. Slightly mineral and vertical mouth. Integrated oak. Grainy tannins.

Press reviews

Wine Advocate

- 95 points -

November 2022 (Vintage 2021)

The 2021 Histoire d’A Pinot Noir comes from the Monasterio subzone of Gualtallary (still not officially approved) at 1,350 meters in altitude. It fermented with 50% full clusters and aged exclusively in used oak. The wine has a pale and delicate color and a delicate, floral and perfumed nose, with less oak than previous years. It has moderate 12.5% alcohol and a very fine thread in the palate with very fine tannins. It's an improvement over previous years. 5,400 bottles were filled in August 2022.

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Tim Atkin MW

- 95 points -

2024 (Vintage 2022)

Histoire d’A showcases the quality of the Adrianna Vineyard, using grapes planted at 1,350 metres, next to the Huentela River. Fermented with 40% whole bunches, it’s a bright, detailed, limestone-influenced style with flavours of redcurrant, pomegranate and goji berry, and savoury, fine-grained tannins.

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James Suckling

- 95 points -

James Suckling, May 2024 (Vintage 2022)

A very expressive pinot with aromas ranging from bramble berry fruit to ash, mocha and roasted herbs. Orange rind, cardamom and tea leaves, too. It’s medium-bodied but packs plenty of flavor and energy on a firm, chalky tannin frame. Delicious already, but better after 2025.

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James Suckling

- 94 points -

May 2022 (Vintage 2020)

This has aromas of strawberries, raspberries, crushed stones, vanilla pods, dried flowers, spice box and sweet licorice. Medium-bodied with silky tannins and a juicy, succulent palate, filled with sweet berries and spices. So much joy. Drink or hold.

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Descorchados

- 94 points -

2024 (Vintage 2022)

Histoire D'A was fermentated with 40% whole clusters and spent 12 months aging in barrels—now 10% first-use oak, although at some point it was 35% and aged up to 18 months. These changes have impacted all the wines from Domaine Nico's 2022 vintage, and in this one in particular. It has very low alcohol (11.8º), firm tannins, a rather vertical structure, and a pleasing crunchy sensation. Lots of ripe red and juicy fruit in a wine that's delicate and sharp at the same time. For Histoire, the selection was made from pinot noir vineyards planted in 1998 toward the lowest part of the Adrianna vineyard, right next to the Lomas del Jaboncillo, at the beginning of what is known as Monasterio, one of the areas that's now producing some of the Uco Valley's reds.

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Gismondi on Wine

- 93 points -

October 2023 (Vintage 2021)

Laura Catena says this parcel makes a very “sexy” wine, hence the name Histoire d’A, a play on the famous pornographic novel Histoire d’O by Pauline Réage. This wine gets a lot of whole cluster treatment, giving the wine a pronounced texture, adding graininess and a richer, spicier character. Histoire also gets greater sun exposure, pitching cinnamon, clove, and a perceived sweetness to the tannins. This is a Gualtallary clone 115 pinot noir full of dried herbs, red fruits, and relatively low alcohol, as you might expect at 1350 metres above sea level.

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Wine Advocate

- 93 points -

November 2022 (Vintage 2020)

I still noticed the influence from the élevage in the 2020 Histoire d’A Pinot Noir. The wine comes from a warmer year and is riper and has slightly higher but still moderate alcohol at 13.5%. Pinot Noir is quite sensitive to heat and shows quite differently in cooler and warmer years. The palate also shows abundant, grainy-textured tannins that give it a faint rusticity. 5,160 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2021.

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