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 $48.00
Two years ago 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. We’re the first in the country to have a shot at this wine. I guess I made a good impression!
90 Points, Wine Spectator
Fresh off its feature as one of Wine Spectator’s ‘Exciting California Values Under $25’, winemaker Matt Cline’s 2018 Contra Costa Zinfandel is a gem crafted off old-vines between 110-140 years in age. This is a bowl of blackberry fruit with a dusting of baking spice. The fruit is pure, fresh and long making it both delicious on its own or terrific with a burger, BBQ ribs, or grilled leg of lamb. Crazy cheap for what is in the bottle, load up!
95 Points, James Suckling – 93 Points, Robert Parker
Drawn from some the finest parcels on the storied hill of Montosoli, James Suckling says of the tiny Cerbaia estate’s newest release: “Elena Pellegrini’s 2015 Brunello is fragrant, redolent of purple flowers, sage and wild berries. The wine is dark and powerfully concentrated yet finishes fresh and kind stony, making it both fantastic at the table now and a great candidate for long aging”
The Mascot is a blend of Harlan, Bond and Promontory barrels, Cabernet Sauvignon from some of the most spectacular vineyards in the Napa Valley. It’s a bit steep, a Saturday nighter for sure. But when you consider Harlan Estate goes for about $1000 a bottle and Bond and Promontory come in around $500, the Mascot almost looks like a Tuesday nighter. Almost..
Last year’s wine was our 96pt Super Tuscan of the Year. This year? Oh boy. It’s hard to believe but the 2019 Grattamacco is even better than last year’s. It’s always a powerhouse with a youthful charm you can enjoy now but with the structure to age for a very long time. But, the 2019 takes it up a notch as the vines struggled, pulling water from deep within the earth and adding yet another level of complexity. When this one gets scored, it’ll be game over.
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