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
$50.00 $37.50
Many of you are familiar with Chateau Climens, the First Class Growth Sauternes producer in Barsac. Their work with Semillon is probably second to none – with some of the most memorable sweet white wines ever recorded in vintages such as 1929, 1949, 1961 and 1986.
But what you may not know is that The Wine Advocate’s Editor-in-Chief, Lisa Perotti-Brown named her favorite discovery of last year, and it was a white wine in only its second year of existence that blew her away. “I loved, loved, loved tasting Berenice Lurton’s new take on a dry white wine coming from her Sauternes plantings at Château Climens, called Château Asphodele, made in collaboration with Pascal Jolivet from Sancerre.”
I too was blown away when I tasted this a few weeks ago– probably because I haven’t tasted anything like it. The closest thing I’ve had in years was last year’s Clos de Lunes L’Argent from Domaine Chevalier’s Oliver Bernard, but this is in another class all together.
Though few dry white Bordeaux ever command big scores– this one absolutely does. It’s exceptional. A wild floral bouquet with underlying tropical and citrus aromas and a mid-palate that sings like a single-vineyard Sancerre, this wine is just a delight to drink. Unsurprisingly, it comes with a 92+ from Lisa-Perrotti Brown who concluded her review by saying, “I’m seriously smitten by this uniquely fragrant, uncontrived style of dry white coming from Sauternes—bravo!”
But it was Decanter that came in with a thunderous 94, cementing this wine as one of the highest scoring dry-white Bordeauxs ever, and further validating this incredibly rare project. As Decanter pointed out, “the purity of fruit has been allowed to express itself without the hindrance of oak.” Like the best Sancerres, this one sings like a song bird.
Out of stock
94 Points, Decanter
An enchanting second vintage of the dry white from Château Climens. Apricots and peaches invite you in, bestowing you with gifts of Sicilian lemons and ripe tropical fruit. Pineapples and kiwis overlay a rich honeyed and ginger complexity. There is equal richness in the mouth, balanced by acidity and a grippy texture. The purity of fruit has been allowed to express itself without the hindrance of oak.
92+ Points (Top Discovery), Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“This is only the second vintage of this dry white wine made from the Chateau Climens’s vineyard in Sauternes, in collaboration with Pascal Jolivet from Sancerre. It is 100% Sémillon, fermented and aged in stainless steel.The nose has a lovely, soft-spoken restraint, offering notes of lemon peel, fresh hay, Bosc pears and paraffin wax with touches of coriander seed, honeysuckle and toasted almonds. The medium-bodied palate has beautifully understated savory and mineral nuances accenting the citrus and spiced pears flavors with a lively line of freshness and a satiny texture, finishing long and perfumed. I’m seriously smitten by this uniquely fragrant, uncontrived style of dry white coming from Sauternes—bravo! It is delicious right now, but I’d like to see what this does with 5+ years of cellaring.”
Leflaive cultivates 2.16 hectares in the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation. Pouilly-Fuissé, the flagship region of the Mâconnais, is cordoned to the west by a flotilla of prow-shaped rocks, of which the Rock of Solutré is the most famous. A lot of people make a Pouilly-Fuissé, but in my opinion, no body comes close to Domaine Leflaive’s release. Composed of fossiliferous marl and marly limestone, the area was under the shallow Jurassic sea millions of years ago and it gives this a wonderful mineral, chalkiness that is unmistakably present here. Such an age-worthy beauty.
Just in time, we got back Vincent Ricard’s all-time great white wine bargain. This is a crisp, clean and flat out delicious Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc. The protege to the Silex-style of Dagueneau – who over the last 15 years has produced flawless and beloved white wines that at last count were on the wine lists of over 36 Michelin-starred restaurants. This is a great house white and one that can surely hold its own with just about everything on the table.
The 2022 Hess Shirtail Ranches Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and clean, a vibrant SB that was fermented in 100% stainless steel to preserve its freshness and super-inviting aromatics. It combines fruit from a few of the best counties in California for growing Sauvignon Blanc. Utilizing fruit from the coastal Mendocino site with blocks more inland combines both grass and tropical notes, with ripe fruit but also a little salinity and more natural acidity. It’s a yin/yang combination that really meshes well.
Sonoma Coast is well-known as a cool-climate region, perfect for growing Chardonnay. That’s why it’s such a big deal for Route Stock to transition over for the first time from Carnernos over to here. The newly released 2021 version has a delightful energy in its youth, with a pale straw color with lime hues. The aromas are of honeysuckle, orange blossom and creme brulee with layers of vanilla and a hint of toffee. The palate is lively yet soft with flavors of lemon cream pie and merange.
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