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.
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91 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Always the one with the most personality of the bunch, this is what Wine Enthusiast had to say about the 2021 release: “This extremely ripe and bold style of Pinot Noir will please those seeking such lushness. Dark in the glass, it begins with black cherry, toasty caramel and cola milk shake aromas.” The cool, coastal days and abundance of sunshine lines up perfectly for a wine that has a good natural acidic backbone, with bold fruit-forward flavors. In an easy 2021 vintage, Joe Wagner had a field day with this single-vineyard beauty.
At J Vineyards, Nicole is nothing short of a magician, making 30 different skus or more each vintage between her Pinots, Chardonnays, and Sparkling wines. For the vineyard’s flagship Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, up to 100 individual small lots are combined to make this great wine. Somehow, the blend is effortless–a quintessential RRV Pinot that has those soaring aromatics, bright red fruits, clove, and nutmeg spice with perfect balance.
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.
#24 Wine of the Year (2022), Wine Spectator
92 Points, Wine Spectator – 91 Points, James Suckling
“This supple red shows a core of cherry and plum fruit allied to olive, juniper and tobacco notes. Delivers well-integrated tannins and acidic structure, lingering nicely on the finish.”
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