Orders are available for pick-up at Restaurant Nicholas at 160 Route 35 South Red Bank, NJ 07701 during the following times:
Monday: 9:30-3:30; Tuesday – Friday: 9:15am – 9:00pm; Saturday: 11:00am – 9:00pm; Sunday: Closed
$24.00 $19.75
When your dad is Nicolas Catena, the grandfather of Argentinian wine and the most respected man in the industry, it’s easy to get a leg up and easily establish your own brand. Just slap the family name on the label.
But Ernesto Catena didn’t want people to buy his wine just because his last name was Catena– he wanted them to buy a wine they thought was truly great – even beautiful. So he started his winery as a clandestine project and kept almost every detail secret from prying eyes.
Sure, he was still trained by the best winemaker in the country, with all the family secrets passed down and with extra care and love given to his sons in their tours of the vineyards. But Ernesto is an artist– so it was important that he do his own thing, and above all else to do it for its own sake, its own inherent beauty.
Alma Negra or “black soul” was started like all great artistic endeavors – by throwing out all the rules. Ernesto found inspiration in the farming traditions of the Mayans and Incas with pre-Colombian structures, and leveraged organic and biodynamic practices. He wouldn’t give the usual metrics not required by law. No wood treatment. No brix at harvest. No varietal breakdown.
He simply labeled the wines Misterioso and each vintage he created one cuvee of each color of his wines: red, white, brut rose, and, of course, orange. Each was blended the old fashion way– without measurements or numbers but rather with all the senses.
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94 Points, James Suckling
This shows a compressed palate of blackberries and licorice with
hints of currants. Full-bodied. Svelte. So delicious to drink now,
but will improve with age. Cabernet franc, bonarda and malbec.
Enjoy now or hold in your cellar.
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95 Points, Parker’s Wine Advocate – 94 Points,Wine Spectator
Robert Parker, Jr. gave it 95 points and called it “one of the finest Warre’s I’ve ever tasted” and “a profound example of Warre vintage port.” Additionally, “Tasters should take note of the wealth of peppery, licorice-scented and flavored raspberry and blackcurrant fruit. Look for it to be ready to drink in 10-12 years, and keep for 30+.”
#3 Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2021
96 Points, Parker’s Wine Advocate – 95 Points, Wine Spectator
We are one of the very few folks who have Wine Spectator’s #3 Wine of the Year. This is definitely not one to miss. The 2016 vintage showcases this prized vineyard in all its glory; notes of wild black fruit, thyme, mint, eucalyptus, and bay are lifted and enjoyed with the polished tannin and mouthwatering freshness of this wine. Regarded as one of the best vintages in the last few decades, the 2016 Martha’s Vineyard has been aged to perfection for immediate enjoyment at release and will continue to reward for the next 20+ years.
In the 2020 vintage in Gevrey-Chambertin, yields were super low and temperatures were hotter than most Burgundian winemakers are accustomed. Many picked too late when the sugars were high and the fruit really ripe, but that was not the play. Still, Ann remained as cool in those hot temps as she did so many years ago in Napa, concentrating more on acid levels than sugars and picking at just the right time. This wine is absolutely singing – it’s an age-worthy beauty that should be even better in 4-7 years.
Gold Medal (Best in Show), 2023 Mundus Vini International Tasting
The area has also been isolated from the rest of Spain for generations, which has kept the wine prices far lower than wines of this quality would be anywhere else in the world. That’s why, despite having the Torres family name on the bottle and the consistent huge press (including the Gold Medal & Best in Show at the 2023 Mundus Vini International Wine Awards in Germany), these wines can still be scooped up for under $20/bottle. It’s like the Sancerre pricing of yesteryear.
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