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
$46.00 $33.00
Contino is referred to as “Rioja’s First Chateau” since it was the very first winery to be established under the single-vineyard concept in 1973.
Prior to that most ‘wineries’ bought grapes from the regions 10,000 small farmers. Since they had no control over the grape growing process, quality could vary wildly. The solution was extremely quick fermentations with extremely long treatment in French oak to mask the imperfections.
The vineyard that inspired this monumental shift in both business model and workload was a 26 hectare plot in Rioja Alta, located on a meander of the Ebro River. The vineyard is protected by the Cantabrian mountains which creates a unique microclimate. The varying soil types are a blessing and a curse. While they provide for an incredibly complex end product, they require that each parcel be managed and harvested by hand.
The Contino Reserva bottling is constructed of just the very best of these plots. And in exceptional and cooler years – like in 2016 – the Contino Reserva easily surpasses even the renown CVNE Imperial Reserva which was Wine Spectator’s #1 Wine of the Year just a few years ago.
But even beyond the microclimate, special soil types, select plots and hand harvesting – there’s one other secret weapon that sets Contino Reserva apart – the healthy dose of 80-year-old Graciano (often considered the best example of the grape in the world).
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97 Points, James Suckling
This is so powerful and tightly wound with so much intensity and power. Full body. Crushed berries and hints of walnuts and cedar. Purity in fruit. Very subtle character, but great tension and richness.
94+ Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The renewed classical red 2016 Reserva was produced as a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo. It fermented in small stainless steel and concrete vats and matured in 225-liter French (80%) and American (20%) oak barrels for 18 months. It has a very expressive nose, open, aromatic and showy, a little Rhône-ish. 2016 was a cooler year and they had a long harvest, and it seems like the fruit ripened thoroughly without excess. It’s a natural continuation of the 2015, when the wine already had more freshness and better integrated oak. It has a full body and some dusty tannins, finishing dry and tasty. It’s ready to drink.
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90 Points, Wine Spectator
Domaine Jaume Vinsobres Altitude 420 is an old-vine Grenache-Syrah blend from vineyards planted in Les Collines at some of the highest points in the Rhône. The Jaumes have farmed these dizzying elevations at their estate in Vinsobres for 100+ years. The 2020 is one of his best yet, pristine and fresh, a bowl full of berried-up fruit yet with the tension and length that belies its humble price. Incredible bang for the buck, tailor-made for anyone’s house red, and a slam dunk for any kind of meat on the bone.
As soon as you take the first sip on this one, you can easily see the Burgundian connection. Doglia’s Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato 2022 is medium bodied with scents of fresh cut lavender. On the palate, it’s an absolute delight, full of flavor but with an acid backbone that make it perfect to pair with almost any cuisine. Notes of wild fruits and a touch of pepper are just so good. This is a silky smooth, delicious bottle of wine.
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.
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.
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