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
$18.00 $13.99
One of my favorite discoveries over the past twelve months has been the wines of Donnachiara and superstar Italian winemaking consultant, Riccardo Cotarella. If you’re not familiar with Cotarella– he is the Italian equivalent of Luc Morlet or Michel Rolland — just as famous and well-respected in the wine industry and an absolute icon in his home country.
Robert Parker Jr. once famously called Cotarella “one of the most influential personalities in the world of wine in the last 20 years.” You can easily see why. Every. Single. Wine. that I’ve tasted from Donnachiara is under $20 and a complete knockout.
I think Cotarella’s work at Donnachiara is particularly impressive. If you’ve had his Aglianco or the Greco di Tufo (small quantities available today) you can attest. Firstly, he has access to a brand new, state-of-the-art winemaking facility paid for by a very wealthy family that will likely never see their return on investment during this generation.
Secondly, Cotarella gets to work with fifth generation winegrowers that are extremely passionate about their work on the estate. And finally, Cotarella gets to place his stamp on the most distinctive indigenous varieties in the country – not tainted by international trends in style. Aglianico, Greco di Tufo and today’s varietal… Falanghina.
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93 Points, James Suckling
Exotic-fruit aromas of mango and white peach with some stone. Full-bodied with layers of fruit and bright acidity. Stone and licorice undertones. Lovely finish. Really well done.
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This is truly of Sancerre’s greatest wines. It’s an incredible effort in a fantastic vintage for Sancerre in general, but even more so for my friend Dominique Roger. His single parcel ‘La Jouline’ is considered the Grand Cru vineyard of Bue. It’s crafted from 60-year old vines and given an extra year in bottle, adding incredible layers and complexity in the process. Tiny yields followed by partial barrel fermentation creates a wine with complex aromatics, explosive flavors, and a mineral-laced finish that makes it both incredible at the table with rich cuisine or a great candidate for short term aging.
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.”
The 2016 vintage in Napa was nearly perfect for winemaker Kian Tavakoli (Opus One, Clos du Val). With ideal weather all throughout harvest, he crafted the Faustini Money Road Chardonnay off the famous vineyard located in the coveted Oakville AVA. The picturesque vineyard off Oakville Crossroad is platinum rated, known for its ideal combination of soil & climate and the big A list names that routinely source fruit. Kian’s Money Road Chard is still youthful despite having a few years of age, probably as a result of its 18 months of slumber in 1/4 new Oak.
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.
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