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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
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
$40.00
*PRE-ARRIVAL: ORDERS WILL BEGIN SHIPPING LATE APRIL*
The 2020 Franc Mayne Saint-Emilion Grand Cru is the highest ever rated for the winery, but could also be a foreshadowing of what’s to come. The Chateau which saw a renaissance starting with their 2005 sale, has had an influx of money poured in since the Savare family took over in 2018.
The founder of a large French digital security firm, Jean-Pierre Savare has poured a lot of time and money into the Chateau in his quest to see it ascend to the very top of the Grand Cru Classe. There was a huge vineyard renovation in an effort to bring out the richness of the different soil types, and to develop the wines’ style towards a greater expression of the terroir. Needless to say, the move has paid off.
For the last few vintages they’ve been on a complete tear, but nothing quite on the level of 2020 where they delivered Vinous’ top QPR value in all of Bordeaux with a perfectly balanced masterpiece that I would have to think is the very best under $50 bottle of the vintage. Antonio Galloni thought so, and he tasted over 800 from the vintage. I’ve probably worked my way through 100 or so of the 2020s so far, and I can tell you that apart from the big boys, nobody is touching this for the price.
In stock
96 Points, Antonio Galloni – Vinous
The 2020 Franc Mayne is dense, resonant and beautifully explosive in the glass. Sumptuous dark red/purplish fruit, rose petals, mint and lavender all saturate the palate. The heady Saint-Emilion really delivers the goods. There’s plenty of energy and tension to balance the more forward nature of the Merlot. Superb.
94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Château Franc Mayne is a dense, rich, powerful Saint-Emilion based mostly on Merlot, although it includes a splash of Cabernet Franc. Lots of ripe black fruits, iodine, iron, and leafy herb notes define the nose, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a rich, dense mid-palate, ripe tannins, and just a mouth-filling, satisfying style that should keep for two decades or more.
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.
Chad’s 2020 McKinley Springs Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is drop dead gorgeous. Those of you who were lucky to catch our sneak preview when we put it in our Gobbler Case can attest. Dark purple to the rim with aromas of black fruits, violets, creme de cassis and a hint of spice. On the palate, full-bodied, round and juicy with elegance and the gorgeous, pure fruit– red and black currants, blackberries and a touch of sweet tobacco.
100 Points, Decanter
“Finely textured, with a nuanced perfume that fills the glass and takes you to the intense underbrush of Tuscany. Succulent and yet savory, this has a lilting freshness that is overlaid with ripe berry fruits, sage and white pepper spice, and clear minerality in terms of its scraping texture that makes your mouth water on the finish. Feels light and sculpted and yet has an intensity that skewers you to the spot. This is a great wine, with scope and imagination that doesn’t want to let you go. Genuinely stands out among the wines of this tasting, and these are a fine array of wines. As with Colore, Bibi Graetz selects only old vines, the youngest 50 years old from five different vineyard sites across Tuscany, all farmed organically.”
Soon to be Rated
With Herve and Fabre Montmayou wracking up NYT features, huge scores, gold medals and lifetime achievement awards, I’m left with one choice: get in now or be left in the cold. Waiting for the scores to roll in is a luxury that we know longer have with Fabre Montmayou. Good for the winery, but not so good for us. Rest assured though, the 2020 Cabernet Franc Herve sent me is fantastic, and will surely be minted with the same kind of high-flying praise as the vintage before it. But by that time, you’ll only have a bottle or two left in the cellar.
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