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
$20.00 $17.99
One wine that I’m sure we will be serving along side the lobster rolls will be Domaine Saint Amant’s wildly expressive Côtes du Rhône-Viognier, La Borry. It’s a Nicholas Wines fan-favorite, one of the best wines for summer drinking and is among the most reordered wines each year. Its exotic bouquet, anise-tinged fruit and fresh acidity make this wine the perfect deck-side aperitif or any fish’s best friend. It’s a no-brainer on any summer day, but don’t delay because there are precious few bottles to go around.
This white wine is a treasure, a real rarity in that it is made from Viognier, an intensely aromatic grape variety best known in the tiny hamlet of Condrieu. Condrieu is frightfully expensive; its terrassed vineyards are hard to work and the vine yields a tiny amount of grapes. Most of Condrieu is north of $100 retail. I’m convinced there are like 7 Dutch guys in the world that buy 99% of the world’s supply. That being said, they can be some of the greatest white wines in the world. Which is what makes Saint Amant an amazing find. It is a 13 hectare estate, precariously planted at 500 meters in elevation, in the humble village of Beaumes de Venise. The high elevation and mineral soil provide ideal conditions for aromatic and elegant Viognier. For $100 Condrieu, this is what I would expect. For $18 Cotes du Rhone, forget it, as rare as you know what!
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2022 was an absolutely perfect vintage in this respect and unfortunately, I think it will be one of the last, if not THE last. As winegrower Jean-Marc Brocard reported to Decanter: “When we taste the wines, we feel that the balance between acidity and ripeness is very good. It’s a classic style of Chablis. In the end, even after such a heat during summertime, we stay in a cool year reference.” He also alluded to the ageability of the vintage, saying “Let’s give them time, we must let nature do its work.”
Gold Medal (Best in Show), 2023 Mundus Vini International Tasting
The area has also been isolated from the rest of Spain for generations, which has kept the wine prices far lower than wines of this quality would be anywhere else in the world. That’s why, despite having the Torres family name on the bottle and the consistent huge press (including the Gold Medal & Best in Show at the 2023 Mundus Vini International Wine Awards in Germany), these wines can still be scooped up for under $20/bottle. It’s like the Sancerre pricing of yesteryear.
It’s hard to beat a great value white wine and this one is a at least a cut above the rest. One prominant industry insider called the 2022 edition, “the best white wine by any within $20/cs of this price.” It’s super crisp with a great mineral streak, and was carefully picked by hand when the temperature is coolest and is kept cool all the way into the press. From there, the effect of the mineral soil takes over, providing great finesse and freshness in every bottle. This white blend has great backbone and a lot of juicy fruit coming through behind aromas of flowers and stone fruits. At this price, it’s a no brainer.
The newly released 2022 Domaine Laroche Chablis Saint Martin has some big shoes to fill as the last four 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.
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