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
$20.00 $16.00
High up in the foothills of the Pyrenées, they made a remarkable find: at 350 meters in elevation in the Haute Vallée de l’Aude (“Vallée d’Atacis”), with a direct southern sun exposure was a perfect plot of 30 to 50 year old Pinot Noir vines.
And then to take it completely over the edge, the high slope, perfect drainage soils forced vines to dig deep into the clay-limestone slopes to gain precious water. The only downside – if there was one – was that harvesting would have to be almost completely done by hand.
Nonetheless, if that’s what it would take, the foursome got to work – farming organically and mostly by hand over the last 20 odd years. Wines of this pedigree back home near Davayé would easily fetch in high double digits.
Here they had the opportunity to craft compelling Pinot Noir at a fraction of the price. The 2020 Altugnac Pinot Noir bounces out of the glass with an abundance of bing cherry which slowly give way to a touch of cinnamon spice. Tannins are light and balanced by a kiss of acidity but the overall impression is a light, delicious and super-easy drinking wine featuring black berries, raspberry, clove, and baking spices.
Out of stock
2x Wine Spectator Wine of the Year Winner
Year in, year out the Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon from Caymus is one of the very best Cabernets produced in Napa Valley and everywhere else. There just never seems to be any bad vintages. Every year, Caymus sets aside the best barrels of our Cabernet Sauvignon to produce their ‘Special Selection’. It’s so incredibly smooth with fine, velvety tannins and no hard edges. It’s one of those wines that’s “good to go” almost immediately, but can also be aged up to two decades and enjoyed along the wine. It’s a sophisticated beauty, for sure.
93 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Combining the fruit from the northeast slope of Sonoma Mountain with their own famous estate vineyard, gives this wine a ton of expression, complexity and distinction. It’s unmistakably Sonoma Mountain, blessed with the iconic sweet, plush black fruit off the high elevation, cool-climate spot. Unsurprisingly, I’m also not the only one who really likes this wine – Virginia Boone from Wine Enthusiast agreed with my assessment, giving the wine a 93-point score and labeling it “classically structured” and “vibrantly approachable”. San Francisco’s International Wine Competition took it a few steps further, finding this wine as their 96-point Double Gold Medal winner.
The second year of this elegant, silky smooth Willamette Valley Pinot Noir crafted by Bertrand de Villane of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti fame. Again it comes from the gorgeous Winter’s Hill Estate about 700 feet above sea level in the Dundee Hills. All indications are that the 2019 is going to be one of the best for Pinot Noir since 1991. A flawless summer that benefited from very little rain mixed with cool, breezy summer nights. With a round, supple mouthfeel and a sturdy backbone this will age gracefully for a decade plus. Bertrand’s wines just have a signature stamp that is unmistakably his. This is phenomenal.
Winemaker Marjorie Gallet’s Effet Papillon Rouge is a terrific blend of Grenache, Syrah and Carignane, harvested from the iron rich soil just outside of Rivesaltes at the base of Pyrenees. This one is a vibrant wine, with aromas of wild black raspberries and sweet spices. The mid palate is rich and velvety, with a core of sweet black fruit that finishes fresh, long and silky. At the price, it’s a no-brainer case buy.
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