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
$90.00 $75.00
This Right Bank beauty is truly hitting its stride. Jeb Dunnuck agreed a few weeks ago when he revisited the epic vintage. This was his #1 top value of the entire report. He gave it a rave 95-point review, writing “Medium to full-bodied richness, it has terrific mid-palate depth, a focused, elegant mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish.”
The 2005 vintage received 99 points right off the bat at En Primeur, making it the Right Bank’s most highly rated vintage ever. It was a game-changing vintage, but that doesn’t mean the wines are still drinking spectacularly. But judging by the wines I’ve tried from 2005, and from Dunnuck’s report from last week, THIS is the vintage you want to be drinking right now!
Dunnuck said, “Now close to 20 years after the vintage, it’s clear this is truly an exceptional, singular year of blockbuster, powerful wines. Coming from an incredibly dry growing season, the wines are dense and powerful, with compact, at times, brooding profiles.”
The 2005 Château Barde-Haut Saint-Emilion is the one you want. They totally outdid themselves in this vintage, and I’d say that even without the 95 and 94-point reviews. It’s just a gorgeous wine at an incredible price that over-delivers every step of the way.
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95 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
Another 2005 that’s drinking on point yet has plenty of life ahead of it, the 2005 Chateau Barde-Haut reveals a dense plum/purple hue as well as a mineral-laced bouquet of red and black fruits, dried flowers, truffly earth, and graphite. With medium to full-bodied richness, it has terrific mid-palate depth, a focused, elegant mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. I’d certainly be thrilled to have bottles in the cellar, and it will evolve gracefully for another 10-15 years, although there’s no need to delay gratification at this point.
94 Points, Vinous
The 2005 Barde-Haut is wonderfully silky and polished. Usually much more of a powerhouse, the 2005 is defined by energy, delineation and persistence. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, new leather, licorice, spice and lavender all build with time in the glass.
90 Points, Wine Spectator
Domaine Jaume Vinsobres Altitude 420 is an old-vine Grenache-Syrah blend from vineyards planted in Les Collines at some of the highest points in the Rhône. The Jaumes have farmed these dizzying elevations at their estate in Vinsobres for 100+ years. The 2020 is one of his best yet, pristine and fresh, a bowl full of berried-up fruit yet with the tension and length that belies its humble price. Incredible bang for the buck, tailor-made for anyone’s house red, and a slam dunk for any kind of meat on the bone.
100 Pts, International Wine Report – 98 Pts, Parker’s Wine Advocate – 98 Pts, James Suckling
“The 2020 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is truly sensational. It begins with striking aromas of fresh blackberries, blueberries and dark plums that are laced with fresh spring florals, mocha, sweet exotic spices, graphite and gravel nuances all taking shape. The palate is full-bodied and displays a remarkable combination of power and elegance throughout. This is beautifully structured and extremely expressive, as it possesses outstanding depth and concentration all they way through the long, finessed finish. Year after year, the Columbia Valley Cabernet is one of the most impressive wines, and there is no exception here, as it combines all the wonderful qualities of the 2020 vintage from Quilceda Creek into one expression. This is fantastic already and readers will be in for a real treat, as this simply marvelous wine will continue to deliver the goods for years to come.”
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.
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.