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
$25.00 $22.00
As the summer heat blasts on, I have continued to get requests for good, crisp and fruity New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc but I have refused to settle. I’m not in the habit of just rolling out a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc just to do it as you’ve probably noticed. It’s gonna take a lot to outperform our under $15/btl Frenzy Sauvignon Blanc which more than holds its weight.
But how about from a winery recently voted Wine Enthusiast ‘New World Winery of the Year’, and last year’s #11 ranked vineyard in the world according to 500 wine and travel experts? Not bad, right? At least it speaks volumes to the pedigree of the source. But the wine itself? Killer.
Five different expert reviewers have checked in on Craggy Range’s newest Sauvignon Blanc and awarded it a 91-point score or better. Five. And it’s pretty easy to see why.
While most New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs give you the killer tropical aromatics and flavors, they tend to be pretty one dimensional. But for New Zealand’s hottest winery of the last decade– the rich, complex, full-bodied expression of Sauvignon Blanc cut off Te Muna Road is elegant, crisp and refreshing – much more akin to village Sancerre than their Kiwi brethren.
Out of stock
92 Points (Smart Buy), Wine Spectator
Offers incredible depth and complexity, with fleshy notes of ripe Crenshaw melon, apricot and pineapple mingling with accents of candied ginger and lemon verbena on the finish, showing a touch of dried fennel. Drink now.
92 Points, James Suckling
Very vivid passion-fruit, lime, melon and herb aromas in a super fresh style. The palate has a bright, fleshy delivery of passion-fruit and lime flavors. Bold and succulent. Drink now. Screw cap.
92 Points, Vinous
This young Sauvignon is refined and suave in texture with a rich midpalate. It’s not a flamboyant Sauvignon; it offers subtle honeysuckle, a slice of green capsicum and integrated notes of passion fruit, but it’s certainly not an in-your-face style. Well balanced, long and precise with an almost salty finish. This early taste of the vintage promises much.
91 Points, Wine Advocate
The latest vintage of Craggy Range’s popular 2020 Te Muna Sauvignon Blanc offers grassy, lime-scented aromas backed by plenty of grapefruit, hints of nectarine and even the suggestion of fig or guava. It’s medium-bodied and subtly textural on the palate, finishing long, crisp and silky—probably the best vintage of this wine I can remember.
The 2022 Hess Shirtail Ranches Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and clean, a vibrant SB that was fermented in 100% stainless steel to preserve its freshness and super-inviting aromatics. It combines fruit from a few of the best counties in California for growing Sauvignon Blanc. Utilizing fruit from the coastal Mendocino site with blocks more inland combines both grass and tropical notes, with ripe fruit but also a little salinity and more natural acidity. It’s a yin/yang combination that really meshes well.
Of the 9ha owned by Gerard Boulay, 8 of the hectares are on the slopes of Chavignol on Kimmeridgian or “terre blanche” soils (similar to the soils in Chablis), which he works manually and has farmed organically since 1990. The youngest vines at the domaine were planted by Mr. Boulay in 1972 and the average vine age is approximately 45 years old.
We are super lucky to get a small shot at this one which is usually nearly an exclusive for the AltaMarea group. The newly released 2022 Sancerre “Le Mont” from Maison Foucher Lebrun is zipped up and juicy yet offers up complex aromas of gooseberry, citrus, fresh-cut grass, with a tropical zest. On the palate, the wine is very clean and crisp, full-bodied and laser focused, with a good core and a long, tasty finish that offers a dash of minerality and salinity.
Soon To Be Reviewed
If you’ve never heard of Bisci, let’s start here. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate called Giuseppe Bisci’s Verdicchio “one of the finest I’ve ever tasted,” and noted that “Verdicchio is one of the joys of Italian oenology that rarely gets the respect it deserves, and few producers do it better than Bisci.” A staple at $85/bottle for both French Laundry and Eleven Madison Park. “Verdicchio is one of the joys of Italian oenology that rarely gets the respect it deserves, and few producers do it better than Bisci.” – The Wine Advocate
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