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
$26.00 $17.00
When you talk about sheer dominance in a region, there’s probably nothing quite like Catena Zapata’s stronghold in Argentina. Led by their legendary winemaker and visionary, Nicolas Catena Zapata, the winery has reached unbelievable heights of late bolstering an already impressive hallway of trophies with a bevy of 100-point scores.
They’re used to getting some, but lately, it’s been like an onslaught of enormous scores. That’s to pair with the lifetime achievement award that Nicolas Catena Zapata was given by Wine Enthusiast in 2021, along with Decanter’s Man of the Year Award and Wine Spectator’s Distinguished Service Award.
His legacy is unmatched; his winemaking prowess has helped launch Argentine wines into a new echelon that most resembles the ascent of Napa Valley wines 20 years ago. That’s the power of Catena Zapata.
Their Estate ‘High Mountain Vines’ Malbec is a master class in Malbec. It’s a special blend that comes from Laura Catena and superstar winemaker Alejandro Vigi. Part of what makes it so special is all the fruit comes from the winery’s three highest elevation sites. We’re talking 4,750, 3,020 ft and 3,600 ft above sea level respectively. Insane.
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91 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The juicy and young 2021 Catena Malbec has a nice combination of spice, berry and herbs to make it balanced, expressive and attractive. It’s round, velvety and nicely crafted in an easy to understand and highly drinkable style and a commercial profile. A champion in drinkability.
91 Points, James Suckling
Aromas of plums, dark cherries, blueberries, tar and crushed stones. It’s medium bodied with round, velvety tannins. Dark-fruited and smooth.
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.
The secret to Philippe’s tightly wound, complex Pinot Noir is a combo of ancient vines, natural farming techniques, and low yields. The wines are built to age, with incredible tension and length. And the secret to me securing his other-wordly 2017 old-vine Gevry-Chambertin can be chalked up to a great relationship and over a decade supporting superior Burgundian winemaking. The wine is scary good. The nose is wild, filled with spiced dark raspberries, red flowers, and baking spices. The palate is elegant and racy, with a dynamic tension that runs right through its minute-long finish. This is a high-toned, wound-up Pinot, that is starting to hit its prime and is really turning out to be a ‘must-have’ for true Burgundy lovers.
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.
90 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Xavier Vignon’s brand spanking new CDR 100% is a thing of beauty. It’s already got a blessing from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate who described this wine as, “Full-bodied, concentrated and supple”. This is a gorgeous and intricate blend that features all of the Southern Rhone appellations. This year, the blend was 40% Grenache, 25% Mourvedre, 15% Syrah, 7% Cinsault, 7% Marselan, 6% Terret Noir. Nobody can do it like the mad scientist, Xavier Vignon.