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 $16.95
At the turn of the 20th century, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese immigrants, first drawn to California with the promise of the Gold Rush, had settled west of the gold fields, near the current city of Oakley, a few miles from the San Francisco Bay. As the reality set in that agriculture rather than gold mining was the key to their future, they travelled further west to the Sonoma Valley to collect the budwood that they would eventually plant in the sandy soils of their new home of Contra Costa County.
Little did they know that the phylloxera bug that would eventually wipe out most of the world’s vineyards, requiring any new vines to be grafted on bug resistant wild American grape root stock, couldn’t survive in the arid sands of Contra Costa. This has left these ancient vines of Carignane, Mataro, Zin and Alicante Bouschet as not only some of the oldest in the world but also some of the only ones with their own roots!
Winemaker Matt Cline has always been drawn to these American heirloom vines starting in the mid-80s when he and his brother Fred founded Cline Cellars on the ability of these ancient vines of Oakley to produce massive concentration yet with silken texture and snappy vibrancy. This allegiance carried through his time with Cline Cellars and now with Three Wine Company. His latest venture honors the pioneers of this valley whose budwood fostered vineyards that still produce incredible wine, 136 years later.
Out of stock
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 one of the easier no-brainer case buys we offer.
Marie Jacqueson’s best red is a 1er cru from the vineyard Préaux. The vines are old here, averaging almost 50 years in age. The soil is a classic mix of clay and limestone providing for soaring aromatics of strawberry, black cherry, cinnamon and roses. The fruit is almost crunchy; incredibly fresh, juicy, really flat-out delicious. Those limestone soils gives the wine great length, with a mineral finish that goes a mile. Great now, great in 10 years, and qualitatively worth double the price. There are only 78 bottles available this year. Then we wait again!
97 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
The flagship from Xavier is the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvee Anonyme, and in 2019 it’s 60% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, and the balance a mix of permitted varieties. Partially destemmed and brought up in a mix of demi-muids and tank, it offers a beautifully pure, vibrant bouquet of black raspberries, white and black pepper, candied orange, and violets. Complex, layered, and nuanced, this beauty is medium to full-bodied, has a seamless texture, and a great finish. It has both elegance and richness, and will keep for 15+ years.
Now some of the best Pinot Noir in the world comes from the Yamhill-Carlton District (this small neck of the woods has earned its own AVA) and specifically from Shea Vineyards. Big name wineries clamor for fruit: Antica Terra, Beaux Freres, Bergstrom, Penner-Ash, & Sine Qua Non, to name a few. This Pinot is lights out and even given the pedigree, drinks several echelons higher. Blueberry, Blackberry, Blue Cheese (?!?), chanterelle mushrooms, lavender, mint – I could go on. It’s literally got it all, but I won’t spoil it for you.
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