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
$30.00 $25.00
Recently we’ve been busy at work with Banshee in Sonoma. That winery is a leader in all of California in terms of value – make some great wines up and down Sonoma County.
But just like Chalk Hill who makes their Russian River Valley specifically for restaurants, Banshee releases a Santa Barbara Pinot Noir that is meant to be at least one step up from their regular Sonoma County Pinot Noir release. There’s a few reasons for that.
For one, the production is a fraction of what the Sonoma County production is each year. The SC is their workhorse Pinot, but the Santa Barbara PN is a more luxurious micro cuvee of which only a few barrels are made each vintage.
Then you also have to factor that the fruit for this one is almost exclusively from Santa Barbarba’s Santa Ynez Valley and Rancho Las Hermanas Vineyard – which is far better vineyard sources than the regular bottling.
Here each block is tasted meticulously to ensure optimal ripeness prior to picking, and the fruit is given the stainless steel treatment with minimal oak use to bring out the full expression. The result is quintessential Santa Barbara Pinot. Lush and balanced with a little bit of spice, this one is a crowd pleasure, no doubt about it.
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95 Points, Jeb Dunnuck – 95 Points, Lisa Perotti-Brown
The oft 100-point winemaker, Jayson Woodbridge had this to say when tasting his 2021 ‘Stargazing’ Sonoma Pinot: “The wine is vibrant and complex with subtle dark fruits and berries, grandmother’s cherry pie, minerals, and a slight touch of rain-soaked earth, intertwined with a balance and very pleasing easy-going luxury. Should have been priced higher but what the hell.” I have no doubt this clerical error will be addressed in the vintages moving forward. But for now, this is a cult Pinot for under $100/bottle.
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.
Anne Sery describes her Trousse Chemise Cabernets as an ode to the Left Bank and her winemaking roots. It’s a beautiful and fresh Cabernet with aromas that leap from the glass with of black raspberry, violets, and creme de liquor notes. The mouth gives generous amounts of juicy black fruits at the core with hints of baking spice and a smooth, savory finish. This is a terrific partner for just about anything from hard cheese, to poultry, summer salads, you name it!
93 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 93 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
“Vignon’s 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape delivers even more than I hoped for based on a previous sample. Hints of garrigue, roses, cherries and raspberries appear on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, silky and long, with an intense, almost briny finish. The assemblage is 50% Grenache, 10% each Mourvèdre and Syrah, plus smaller proportions of seven other permitted varieties, while the élevage includes foudres, demi-muids, concrete and wooden tanks, plus terracotta amphorae.”