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 $45.00
Two and a half 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. This is the last call on the incredible 2018 vintage and we’re the call that Bertrand made. Oh, and he told me we’re first in line when the 2019 comes out in a few months. Not too shabby.
Out of stock
In Burgundy’s outraegous 2019 vintage, this is one of the bottles I’m recommending people load up on. It’s gorgeous. Don’t just take my word for it, this is what The Wine Advocate had to say about the wine: “The 2019 Givry Rouge is already hard to resist, bursting with aromas of sweet berries and warm spices. Medium to full-bodied, lively and charming, with melting tannins and juicy acids, it has turned out beautifully.”
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.
This year, the Eastside Cuvee hails from a primo vineyard just off the Silverado Trail– perfectly positioned next to neighbors Caymus and Frog’s Leap and just down the road, Quintessa. Amongst the elite, Carl Roy’s team locked into some incredible fruit, with gorgeous blackberry jammy opulence, firm grippy tannins and that signature Rutherford earthiness to the finish that many try to emulate but can only be produced off the special soil from which this beauty was created.
Obviously, I can’t tell you all the details of the vineyard source but I can let you in on a few of the details. Crafted using fruit from 1000-1500 ft in elevation, Chad’s 2019 is cool climate Pinot at its best– especially given the price tag. While similar wines (very similar wines) will fetch a $45 price tag, you can snag it today just less than half off that price on bottle one. There’s no surprise this is the #1 wine of the year in 2020.
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