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
$30.00 $22.00
The 2018 vintage in Bordeaux is 2022’s belle of the ball. Last year, much was to be done about the 2016 vintage, with the wines hitting the market during tough financial times, and with excellent press. It was the chance to snag some of the best red wine values in the world for prices that haven’t been so approachable in many years. The good news for buyers is that conditions haven’t budged.
And with 2016s all but gone combined with the awful frost in the 2017 vintage which tarnished the reputation of Bordeaux’s 2017 reds, and all the sudden, a major onus will be on the 2018s that are just hitting the market. Luckily for Bordeaux lovers, they’re fantastic.
James Suckling called 2018, “a vintage of superlatives” and then didn’t hold back unleashing a few of his own. He called the vintage surprisingly exceptional with “beautiful wines produced”. Some in Bordeaux are calling it a miracle.
With one of the coolest, wettest springs in years, many winemakers on both the Right and Left Banks had to grapple with mildew and lost fruit. That’s when the miracle came. Sunshine. Lots of it. Buckets of it. Sunshine all summer long, which gave winemakers the luxury of picking when they wanted and watching their fruit mature without rushing anything in. As Suckling said in his review, “most of the winemakers knew they had an excellent quality vintage by the end of the summer.”
One of those winemakers is the Right Bank dark horse, Stephane Donze, whose big, silky Bordeaux blends I’ve been dialing up for years, as it’s hard to match the brilliance in the bottle for anywhere near the price. In good vintages, his wines shine. But when conditions are excellent, Donze’s Martinat simply cannot be ignored.
Out of stock
The 2019 Fiancetto Howell Mt. Cabernet is restrained at first, needing air to develop its full signature of cedar laced cassis nose and mid palate of chocolate-covered cherries and savory spices. Full and plush it finishes long and fresh. This is a serious Cabernet for serious Cabernet fans. The price is crazy for Howell Mountain Cabernet at just $54 per bottle but that’s what Ry Richards and Fiancetto is all about.
The Tonelli family are royalty in this region, with four generations of grape growers leading the way and even establishing the local D.O.C. Their 2020 Ponente is 100% Sangiovese and is an absolutely incredible wine for the price. Less than $20/bottle for fleshed out, high-toned, zipped up Sangiovese? Count me in. It screams for pizza or summer salads, squash or a charcuterie plate. It’s about to be one of your new favorites.
From two New Jersey natives comes something special from Napa Valley. First the Faustini’s bought grapes from the historic Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard for their first test batch. Next they brought in Opus One & Clos du Val alum Kian Tavakoli to head up the winemaking. Throw in an outrageously good 2016 vintage in Napa and what you have is the recipe for a knockout wine that is starting to come into its own and will be great for the next 10-20 years!
99 Pts, Vinous – 97 Pts (Cellar Selection), Wine Enthusiast– 97 Pts, Spectator – 97 Pts, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni called it, “hands down one of the wines of the vintage.” The Wine Advocate chipped in with “a refreshing, beautifully perfumed and skillfully crafted expression of the vintage.” Here’s what I’ll say: How could you do any better than securing a few bottles of a wine with 30-40 years of life left that is already showing better than giants such as Lafite, Margaux and Le Pin. There aren’t many years in Bordeaux’s history where one of the top 3-5 wines of the vintage was a $105 bottling and not one available at four figures.
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