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
$21.50
There are whispers of greatness coming out of Tuscany on the 2019 vintage. The Brunello Conzorzio have given the vintage 5 stars, ranking it up there with 2010, ’15 and ’16.
Further north, Chianti producers are just as happy, the ‘19s just coming to market are lush, juicy Sangiovese-based wines yet finish fresh and firm. I don’t know if it is the vines are just get used to a new normal of heat or the wine-growers are managing it better but there is no doubt, these warm vintages in Chianti over the last few years are nothing short of stunning.
Winemaker, Joschi Goldschmidt and his wife Toni actually run two businesses off of their 300 or so acres in Tuscan paradise. The first is a small fromagerie, making several different types of sheep cheeses (their cousin Tylo tends 700 Sardinian sheep on half the property). Sadly, the restaurants of Florence take 100% of the production. I’m working on figuring out a way to smuggle some here although the chance of it getting past the kitchen of our house is not likely.
The other business is wine, where Joschi makes terrifically food-friendly Chianti, with such pure fruit, almost like Pinot Noir with just a touch of earthy rusticity. They farm both sides organically, no chemicals for over 20 years. It’s an absolute oasis in the rolling hills of Chianti, a must visit if you go to Tuscany.
The 2019 is a stunner, fully representing a classic, great vintage. The wine is concentrated but fresh and long on the palate, it’s a delicious bottle of wine. It’s the perfect companion to pizza, pasta with mushrooms, grilled meat, or sheep cheeses.
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#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.”
95 Points, Jeb Dunnuck – 95 Points, Lisa Perotti-Brown
The oft 100-point winemaker, Jayson Woodbridge had this to say when tasting his 2021 ‘Stargazing’ Sonoma Pinot: “The wine is vibrant and complex with subtle dark fruits and berries, grandmother’s cherry pie, minerals, and a slight touch of rain-soaked earth, intertwined with a balance and very pleasing easy-going luxury. Should have been priced higher but what the hell.” I have no doubt this clerical error will be addressed in the vintages moving forward. But for now, this is a cult Pinot for under $100/bottle.
The newly released Fiancetto Howell Mt. Cabernet is a dream – a gorgeous, elegant dark-fruited Cabernet Sauvignon that is it picks up time in the glass, unfurls its full signature of cedar laced cassis nose and mid palate of chocolate-covered cherries and savory spices. Only four palates of this (224 cases) were made off a gorgeous, sprawling high elevation spot 1500 feet above sea level. It’s full and plush and finishes fresh and oh so long. The price is crazy for Howell Mountain Cabernet but that’s what Ry Richards and Fiancetto is all about.
100 Pts, International Wine Report – 98 Pts, Parker’s Wine Advocate – 98 Pts, James Suckling
“The 2020 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is truly sensational. It begins with striking aromas of fresh blackberries, blueberries and dark plums that are laced with fresh spring florals, mocha, sweet exotic spices, graphite and gravel nuances all taking shape. The palate is full-bodied and displays a remarkable combination of power and elegance throughout. This is beautifully structured and extremely expressive, as it possesses outstanding depth and concentration all they way through the long, finessed finish. Year after year, the Columbia Valley Cabernet is one of the most impressive wines, and there is no exception here, as it combines all the wonderful qualities of the 2020 vintage from Quilceda Creek into one expression. This is fantastic already and readers will be in for a real treat, as this simply marvelous wine will continue to deliver the goods for years to come.”
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