Brilliant debut from Nick Elliott at Nicora

When I was returning home from World of Pinot Noir in March, I stopped off in Paso Robles to taste at Epoch, Terry Hoage and Herman Story. As the wine business anywhere is somewhat of a small community, I always ask about new producers that may be emerging. I heard the name Nicora at my first stop (uttered in what I took to be ‘real insider skinny’. The next stop allowed me to learn a little more about the credentials of the maker and look at the website. After that, the brand went on my short list of producers to follow up with the next time i was in the area, which was Hospice du Rhone, where I finally met the winemaker, Nick Elliott. As I was moving through the tasting at a pretty fast pace, I asked if we could meet up a week later when I returned from my tasting trip to Santa Ynez. We got that chance yesterday and the results were very impressive… To read the complete reviews on the debut vintage, please register and subscribe at www.pdwr.co