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
$600.00 $360.00
Three years ago now, I was lucky enough to be invited to Per Se to taste the 2015 release of Domaine de la Romanee Conti Wines. Thankfully I was an invited guest because drinking Romanee Conti at Per Se would probably have run me a cool $20k. The table had 13 people and I wanted to make sure I was near the owner of DRC, Aubert de Villaine. As soon as I sat down, I was asked to move over one seat so another guest could sit next to Aubert. I obliged but certainly was wondering who I got bumped for. Turns out it was the wine critic, James Suckling. Oh well– I guess I understood. I think I got a little lucky though because I ended up sitting next to Bertrand de Villaine. That’s Aubert’s nephew and his all around right-hand man.
Apparently he’s also the heir to the throne & has been learning at the side of the master for years. I asked him if he was working on anything else. He played a little coy but ultimately he told me that he’s been working on a project in Oregon. I asked him the name of it & he just put his finger over his lips (can’t do that now for sure). Apparently it’s a secret project…..Well it took me 2 years, but I figured it out. My friend who invited me to that special lunch brought me a new pinot that he wanted me to taste. The moment I smelled the wine I said “this is Bertrand’s isn’t it “? He just smirked and said “there is something seriously wrong with you”. Look, is it a dead ringer for Burgundy’s greatest Grand Crus? That’s a very tall order, but the similar characteristics and stunning quality are unmistakable & this wine has that magic touch I couldn’t miss.
The Willamette Valley has seen a fury of Burgundian winemakers pile into the state in the past decade, from Louis Jadot to Domaine Drouhin to Bertrand’s old colleague at DRC, Thomas Savre at Lingua Franca. The similarities in the region especially in the cooler Willamette sites are undeniable. Today’s wine, Bertrand de Villane’s new project, comes from atop Winter’s Hill in the Dundee Hills, adjacent from Domaine Serene. With breezy, cool nights akin to summer in Vosne-Romanee, Bertrand was able to create a Burgundian style gem with the same oak regiment and juicy Pommard clones that make this a wine you’ll want to drink and hold for the next ten years, easy.
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96 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 96 Points, Decanter
96 Points from Robert Parker himself along with extremely high praise. “The wine hits all cylinders in 2010.” This is one the great Margaux wines of the vintage. Probably the greatest Lascombes made to date…” Add in 10 years of aging with perfect provenance and you have our top Bordeaux offer of the year. A third of the price of Palmer and a mere tenth of Château Margaux – $139 per bottle & free shipping on 2. You’ll want two.
#24 Wine of the Year (2022), Wine Spectator
92 Points, Wine Spectator – 91 Points, James Suckling
“This supple red shows a core of cherry and plum fruit allied to olive, juniper and tobacco notes. Delivers well-integrated tannins and acidic structure, lingering nicely on the finish.”
91 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Always the one with the most personality of the bunch, this is what Wine Enthusiast had to say about the 2021 release: “This extremely ripe and bold style of Pinot Noir will please those seeking such lushness. Dark in the glass, it begins with black cherry, toasty caramel and cola milk shake aromas.” The cool, coastal days and abundance of sunshine lines up perfectly for a wine that has a good natural acidic backbone, with bold fruit-forward flavors. In an easy 2021 vintage, Joe Wagner had a field day with this single-vineyard beauty.
In the 2020 vintage in Gevrey-Chambertin, yields were super low and temperatures were hotter than most Burgundian winemakers are accustomed. Many picked too late when the sugars were high and the fruit really ripe, but that was not the play. Still, Ann remained as cool in those hot temps as she did so many years ago in Napa, concentrating more on acid levels than sugars and picking at just the right time. This wine is absolutely singing – it’s an age-worthy beauty that should be even better in 4-7 years.
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