Just in the “Nick” of Time…
One of the beauties of wine is that the landscape is ever-changing. While great wineries are like the old standards of music, there are new iterations and ideas always finding their way into the refrain. New winemakers and new views are a part of the evolution of the wine scene. Being able to discover an “up and coming” winery and watch it grow into the market is part of the fun of the journey of wine.
One such winery that is on the rise is Nicora in Paso Robles. The winemaker and principal is Nick Elliott. Upon our last visit to Paso Robles, we were able to taste with Nick and learn about him, the winery and his wines. This is an appointment-only setting. The location for the tasting room is industrial, yet the setting inside is pleasant with comfortable seating around a large table. This is a great experience to sit, chat and taste through the wines with the gentleman who handcrafted each bottle. This was truly a pleasurable and refreshing journey.
Nicora is the blend of two names. The first, Nick, is the owner and winemaker; and the second, Ora, is that of his great-grandfather. His great-grandfather was an inspiration to him and provided a vision for his own entrepreneurial spirit. That spirit lives on in the namesake of the winery.
The wines of Nicora are Rhone varietals, and the first release was the 2009 vintage. Initially, Nick made two wines — Euphoric and Buxom. Both are Syrah-Grenache blends, with Euphoric predominantly Grenache and Buxom primarily Syrah. These two wines were met in the marketplace with great reviews from the Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator. I found the winery from an article in the Wine Spectator, where Nick was highlighted as someone to watch.
Our tasting started with his first white titled “The Undisclosed.” It is a 50/50 blend of Viognier and Roussanne. It’s a refreshing combination that yielded tropical and stone fruit flavors – a white with layers of flavor. The fruit aromas and flavors range from tropical fruit to stone fruit. We then tried the Rhone varietals (“Euphoric,” “GSM,” “Buxom,” and “Law Vineyard”), which were all deep, rich and full bodied.
The only wine still available to purchase and bring home was the “Law Vineyard,” a blend of 53% Grenache and 47% Syrah. This will drink well for several years to come, yet we could not wait! The wine is juicy, with mouth-coating fruit and a great nose. It was an excellent wine. The only regret is the limited availability based on high demand and small production.
The wine sells out quickly, and I just recently received an email stating that the tasting room was closed until the next release which will be the 2012. There are a couple of ways to secure the wine. One way is to join the mailing list by going to the website. Another option is to visit. Next time you head to Paso Robles, I wholeheartedly recommend this option. Call in advance, tastings again are by appointment. You will get Nick himself and there are very few opportunities to sit with the winemakers themselves and taste their wines.
For more information, check out the Nicora website.
Enjoy!
