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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
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
$24.00 $21.00
If you’re looking for one of the biggest and best names in Spain, there is one producer that has been at the top of the list for over a century. That would be the folks over at CVNE.
As Vinous definitely put it, “[CVNE] is amongst the region’s top producers up and down the range. Their entry level bottlings offer insane values and unrivaled class and precision in Spanish winemaking.”
The Compañía Vinícola del Norte del España (Northern Spain Wine Company, in English) has been nothing short of a force since forever, and they’re showing no signs of slowing down.
Recently, they expanded their already treasured holdings in a big way when they purchased Antonio Banderas’ Villalba winery from Ribera del Duero. With the acquisition, they started a new project they called ‘Bela’ to separate it from their Rioja projects. The name is an homage to the great-grandmother of the current CVNE generation, Sofia Real de Asua.
Out of stock
92 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The bread-and-butter wine here is the 2021 Bela, produced with Tempranillo from the village of Villalba de Duero (mentioned on the label), from sandy and clay rich soils on limestone mother rock that delivers powerful but not overripe wines with a short-ish élevage to achieve a fine-boned and fresh wine. The grapes were picked between October 1st and 25th, mostly Tempranillo but some 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot too, and it matured in French oak barrels for nine months. The wine has 14.3% alcohol, a pH of 3.57 and close to five grams of acidity, textbook parameters from the zone and textbook profile of classical Ribera; it’s ripe without excess, with very integrated oak and a velvety palate with silky tannins. It reminds me of the historical wines from the early 1990s, Valribeño and so on, with some rusticity but very honest and characterful. With time in the glass, it develops a precise note of licorice intermixed with berry fruit and some spices and herbs. They feel this is the wine they wanted to produce from the beginning; they consider it their best vintage to date irrespective of the style of the year, with 2019 more powerful, 2020 more elegant and this 2021 something in between.
For the first time, we have the 2021 Abbona Dolcetto Langhe in house. This is a fantastic and fun bottle to enjoy on it’s own, but it is also a showstopper with pizza. Made for those who love their wines with inky dark fruit, this boasts a jet black color with aromas of black cherry, blackberries and baked cake spice. The Langhe Dolcetto is the product of extremely low-yielding but highly concentrated juice that comes from the younger vines of her Estate. Incredibly fun to drink and to smell — it’s also what some would argue is the best compliment to a good pizza pie with some meat on it!
95 Points, Decanter
On the nose, herbs and lavender dominate, as notes of meat stew swish in the background. As it continues to open up, various black fruits continue to emerge. The palate is marked by bright acids (perfect for fatty cuisine), black cherry and touch of leather. This is a perfect candidate for the cellar and will be a stellar pull over the next decade.
95 Points, Wine Spectator – 94 Points, Robert Parker
Chateau Lafite Rothschild is one of only four First Growth Bordeaux and one of the rarest bottles in the world to get your hands on. In the 2002 vintage, Chateau Lafite Rothschild is one of only a handful of bottles you absolutely need in your cellar. Bordeaux’s most famous critic, American journalist Robert Parker, Jr. called the wine, “A brilliant offering and a candidate for wine of the vintage, this is classic Lafite.” This one is an all-timer, and a Bordeaux collector’s dream.
Winemaker Kian Tavakoli (Opus One, Clos du Val) continues to excel even while others struggle. In 2017, he still managed to deliver a beautiful and opulent Napa Valley Cabernet that’s both dark and juicy. The wine hails from both Coombsville and Rutherford, giving it distinct characteristics and a lot of drive. Deep ruby to the rim with excellent concentration, notes of Bing cherries, raspberry pie and hints of vanilla. On the palate, big wonderfully jammy fruit with young but impressive tannins and great length. The finish leaves notes of black cherry, and baked blueberry pie. Fantastic Napa value.
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