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
$85.00 $60.00
In a world where everybody is looking to make a quick buck and follow the next guy, consider this quote from Antonio Galloni about Booker Vineyard: “Proprietor Eric Jensen is one of the most daring winemakers in Paso Robles. Jensen is willing to take more risks than many of his peers, an approach that will continue to pay off big time.”
It’s true: Booker Vineyard is a pioneer of a new wave of wine in California. The days of just Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are over, and Booker is leading the charge. The winery is on fire — I’m talking absolute critical darlings. As such, they’ve continued to do what they can to expand, buy up new vineyards, and try new things.
Not only do they make Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Tannat in addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, but they even make a Tempranillo that I’d argue is probably the best one made in the states.
Their ‘Oublie’ Cuvee is the California version of a Châteauneuf du Pape, and it’s such a big and interesting wine. It’s a deep, dark, alluring wine with tons of personality, a seamless blend that brings so much more than just intense fruit to the table. There’s some spice, some floral notes, a little bit of minerality, and even some bramble there. It’s got it all.
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97 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The 2019 Oublié is a blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre, Tannat and Petite Sirah with a medium ruby-purple color. The nose offers gregarious mixed berry preserves and accents of potpourri, mint and fragrant earth. The palate offers juicy appeal and powerful fruit with loads of spice and floral perfume, bursts of freshness and firm, pleasantly rustic tannins, finishing very long.
95 Points, Vinous
Shimmering ruby. Highly perfumed aromas of fresh dark berries, cherry cola, pungent flowers and sandalwood, along with a hint of smokiness. Intense, sharply detailed blueberry, bitter cherry, candied lavender and exotic spice flavors show noteworthy energy and back-end lift. Closes juicy, focused and very long, with repeating blue fruit character and well-knit tannins lending subtle grip.
94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
This cuvée used to be a kitchen sink-like catch-all, but today, it seems to always be a classic GSM-like blend. The 2019 boasts a deep purple hue to go with terrific blackberry and darker cherry fruits as well as notes of spice, chocolate, and ground pepper. Deep, rich, medium to full-bodied, and perfectly balanced, it has another 10-15 years of prime drinking.
The 2021 Napa Valley East side Cuvee is an instant classic. From the first whiff to the moment it hits the lips, its clear that this is a fabulously concentrated, serious wine: black in color, and featuring aromas of cassis, cedar and chocolate-tinged purple fruit. The mouthfeel is plush and voluptuous with a firm, solid finish that speaks to its potential for considerable aging.
Winemaker Kian Tavakoli (Opus One, Clos du Val) continues to excel even while others struggle. In 2017, he still managed to deliver a beautiful and opulent Napa Valley Cabernet that’s both dark and juicy. The wine hails from both Coombsville and Rutherford, giving it distinct characteristics and a lot of drive. Deep ruby to the rim with excellent concentration, notes of Bing cherries, raspberry pie and hints of vanilla. On the palate, big wonderfully jammy fruit with young but impressive tannins and great length. The finish leaves notes of black cherry, and baked blueberry pie. Fantastic Napa value.
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.
Winemaker Pascal Sirat consistently puts out some of the best value Bordeaux in the region but he may have outdone himself in what was a stellar 2019 vintage throughout the region. Just south of Pomerol, the vines at Panchille borrow deep in the soil. The resulting wines are ripe but fresh, with an aromatic complexity and stony finish usually reserved for wine twice the price. Daniel Boulud tells me it’s been the hottest bottle of wine at Bar Boulud for over a month, so I figured I’d better hurry up and secure my allocation! Don’t miss it.