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
$120.00 $95.00
Newly released, this bottling appears to be a juggernaut, easily one of the best made in CDP. The final results are not yet in on the 2020 vintage as a whole, but the news is very, very good. It already has four scores of 96+ and is outpacing last year’s release that was recently named Wine Spectator’s #7 best wine of 2022. I told you last year that this one was going to be special – this year I’m even more sure.
Typical of Beaucastel, the nose is rich and complex but very fresh, with an opulent aromatic bouquet dominated by notes of fresh fruit and spices. Full,-bodied, soft, eminently silky, this very elegant wine reveals a superb, dense structure on the palate, very fine tannins and gourmet aromas of fresh red fruit, currants and noble spices. The finish has great length, ample and harmonious. A fruity vintage with great aging potential.
Out of stock
97 Points, James Suckling
Very dense black-fruit aromas, but also licorice, an entire microcosm of spice and a whiff of smoked bacon. Very dense and meaty with an incredible tannin structure that enables this to be simultaneously very big and elegant. Super-long finish with enormous mineral freshness.
97 Points, Parker’s Wine Advocate
Beaucastel’s 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape is shaping up as a blend of 30% each Grenache and Mourvèdre, with 10% each Counoise and Syrah, plus 20% other permitted varieties, including a healthy proportion of white grapes. Complex and red-fruited, with hints of flowers and garrigue, it’s expansive and richly textured on the palate, finishing long and silky. Best after 2023. Barrel Sample: 95-97
96 Points, Decanter
Fresh and bright nose, then a palate with exceptionally smooth and fine tannins, lovely acidity and notes of blackberry and raspberry juice. Particularly fine, elegant and balanced this year. Grenache and Cinsault fermented in cement, Syrah and Mourvèdre fermented in foudre.
96 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape was scheduled to be bottled the week after this tasting, and it’s the usual blend of 35% Mourvedre, 25% Grenache, and the rest Syrah, Counoise, and other permitted varieties. While the estate compares this to their 2016, it reminds me slightly of their 1990 and has a wonderful perfume of red, blue, and black fruits, as well as sappy garrigue, saddle leather, and ground pepper. It’s beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, has a good sense of freshness, and fine tannins, as well as a tight, focused style on the palate that bodes well for longevity. It deserves 7-8 years of bottle age and should be long-lived.
91 Points, Wine Spectator (#64 Wine of the Year, 2022 Top 100)
A perfect Tuesday night wine that delivers an insane value every year, but thanks to a top 100 appearance in a great vintage, it becomes a must-have. It’s both juicy and fine loaded with aromas and flavors of red flowers, berries and anise. This is one of those incredibly food friendly wines coming out of the Rhone that seems like striking gold to stumble upon. An old vine Grenache-Syrah blend from vineyards planted at some of the highest points in the Rhône, this is a gift that gives every vintage but this year, it’s really a treat.
95 Points, Decanter
On the nose, herbs and lavender dominate, as notes of meat stew swish in the background. As it continues to open up, various black fruits continue to emerge. The palate is marked by bright acids (perfect for fatty cuisine), black cherry and touch of leather. This is a perfect candidate for the cellar and will be a stellar pull over the next decade.
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.
Once again dialing up fruit from 1000-1500ft in elevation in the Dundee Hills, Chad’s 2021 is juicy, laser focused and roaring out of the gates. Chad tells me that similar wines (very similar wines) off this vineyard are raising their prices up to $55/bottle from $45 this year due to 2020’s lost year. But where most people are raising prices to recoup last year’s losses, the CHAD Pinot Noir price is somehow lower. A true gift from our favorite winemaker.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.