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
$28.00 $25.00
Starting in 1999, with some help of that same importer who is now in his 60s, Melissa and I have had the pleasure of the Bonhomme “experience” at both Taillevent and his amazing domaine. On our last trip, following an amazing lunch with the ‘85 version of this incredible white Burgundy, we took the TGV to Macon. 15 minutes later, we passed through the gate at Domaine André Bonhomme in the tiny hamlet of Viré. Young Aurelien Palthey led us to the cellar in which he’d grown up at his grandfather’s side. After a barrel tasting of the 2018s, he led us back into time, a tasting that lasted three hours, finishing with his grandad’s 1961, a textbook white Burgundy was bright golden in color, perfectly fresh and vibrant, despite its 59 YEARS of bottle age!
These 80 year old Chardonnay vines, rooted in the limestone of southern Burgundy, produce profound white Burgundy. There are very few producers in Meursault and Puligny that can claim their wines can age as long as Bonhomme’s and their wines cost 3-4 times what Aurelien’s do. That screams BUY to me.
Out of stock
Even extremely well-trained palates have difficulty differentiating Pabiot’s Sauvignon from premier cru Sancerre. But I’ll let you in on the secret. Pabiot’s soils for the Coteau des Girarmes feature some of the same clay & limestone mix as across the river contributing that familiar minerality combined with fresh citrus fruits – lemon, lime but the slight variation adds a touch of white flower to the nose. That tiny bit adds just a little something more complex and interesting then you’ll find in most Sancerre.
98 Points, Jeb Dunnuck – 96 Points, Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The wine’s prominent vineyard signature or “sense of place” is its core driving feature, and this character is both clearly defined and focused in the wine’s flavor and structure. It shows real authority and great authenticity. Aromatically layered and complex with fresh raspberry and red cherry fruits, then rose petal and thyme, and an underlying mossy, woodsy edge. The wine’s fruit is initially crunchy and crisp before turning darker to sleek and succulent cassis and black cherry. As the wine expands, it grows in volume and mineral focus then finishes long, persistent, and penetrating, with great clarity of flavor and spicy intensity.”
The newly released 2021 Domaine Laroche Chablis Saint Martin has some big shoes to fill as the last three vintages have earned 92-points or higher, but the early indications are that this is line with previous vintages if not even a little bit ahead at this stage. The problem is – there’s almost none to go around with much smaller yields. Still this is beautiful and crisp, with good focus, energy and depth. I get the signature green fruits on the nose, with some Asian pear, and a hint of jasmine blossom. There’s a beautiful mineral streak that highlights this one. It’s a fantastic White Burg for the price.
92 Points, James Suckling
Unsurprisingly, this one keeps getting better and with bigger scores to boot. Last year, Wine Enthusiast gave it a 91-point Editors’ Choice review saying, “Te Mata is a few bucks more than your average New Zealand SB. It’s worth every penny.” That pretty much sums up how I feel about this wine. But this year, a 92 feels even more appropriate. A lot of New Zealand SBs give you the gooseberry and tropical aromatics, but this is a serious Sauvignon Blanc with sophistication, and depth.
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