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
$110.00 $99.00
Perhaps no other single wine in the world bears more weight and responsibility to a varietal’s prestige and potential than the Duckhorn Three Palms Merlot. While the popularity of Merlot in America has plummeted, Duckhorn’s Three Palms has been on a meteoric rise.
In 2017, Wine Spectator tasted 17,000 wines over the course of the year. As they compiled the short list of the top wines of the year, they ranked them as they always do based on four factors: quality, value (price), availability and, what they call ‘the X factor’ (advertising dollars spent). As you probably know by now, Duckhorn’s Three Palms was Wine Spectator’s 2017 #1 Wine of the Year.
On the heels of being crowned Wine Spectator’s 2017 #1 Wine of the Year in their Annual ‘Top 100’ list Dan and Margaret Duckhorn, the founders of this Napa institution finally were able to purchase their beloved Three Palms Vineyard, further cementing their dedication to the continuation of one of the best representations of the varietal in the world. It took a long time to do so. In the decades they’ve been crafting Merlot, Duckhorn’s name is mentioned in the top echelon of American Bordeaux blends with the wines of Insignia, Opus One and Silver Oak.
In the knockout 2016 vintage in Napa, the weather did much of the heavy lifting. Winter rains replenished the soil but completely dried up by Spring providing even temperatures and dry conditions well into August. A perfectly timed dip in September temperatures allowed for extended hang time at Three Palms and the development of bright acidity and polished tannin that only occur in the very best vintages.
This one is silky and broad, perfectly balancing that raw Napa power on its Cabernet/Malbec backbone (one of the secrets of Duckhorn’s success). It’s big and it’s complex – and it only reveals itself after 20 minutes in the glass, giving you a glimpse of how this one will age for decades. For that reason, Wine Enthusiast gave a ‘Cellar Selection’ designation to the wine along with a 94pt score. James Suckling echoed with a 94 of his own. With iconic wines like this, scores don’t mean much though. This wine is beauty now, but also as a prized collectible. For the serious Duckhorn enthusiasts and collectors who buy a case, the case price is best in the country. Drink now for the hedonism of it, but make sure you lay a couple down for the long haul.
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94 Points (Cellar Selection), Wine Enthusiast
Blended with 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec, this vintage is superb and exuberant in flavors of chocolate-covered plum, baking spice and dried herb. Structured, robust and mineral-driven, it is powerful yet balanced. Enjoy 2026–2036.
94 Points, James Suckling
This offers lots of plums, blueberries and violets on the nose. Some fresh-herb and green-olive undertones. Full-bodied and balanced with fresh fruit, sweet vanilla and wet-stone undertones. Chewy tannins and a long finish. Great potential, but already delicious. Impressed. A blend of 93% merlot, 6% cabernet sauvignon and 1% malbec. Drink or hold.
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Winemaker Pascal Sirat consistently puts out some of the best value Bordeaux in the region but he may have outdone himself in what was a stellar 2019 vintage throughout the region. Just south of Pomerol, the vines at Panchille borrow deep in the soil. The resulting wines are ripe but fresh, with an aromatic complexity and stony finish usually reserved for wine twice the price. Daniel Boulud tells me it’s been the hottest bottle of wine at Bar Boulud for over a month, so I figured I’d better hurry up and secure my allocation! Don’t miss it.
In the 2020 vintage in Gevrey-Chambertin, yields were super low and temperatures were hotter than most Burgundian winemakers are accustomed. Many picked too late when the sugars were high and the fruit really ripe, but that was not the play. Still, Ann remained as cool in those hot temps as she did so many years ago in Napa, concentrating more on acid levels than sugars and picking at just the right time. This wine is absolutely singing – it’s an age-worthy beauty that should be even better in 4-7 years.
Not Eligible for Futher Discount-From famed winemaker, Robert Foley comes an absolute delight of a bottle of wine. A seamless Bordeaux blend of 80% Cabernet, 17% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot that is incredibly smoothly now but should have another decade easy of prime drinking. It is the definition of a Saturday Night bottle of wine. One to cherish for a special occasion.
The secret to Philippe’s tightly wound, complex Pinot Noir is a combo of ancient vines, natural farming techniques, and low yields. The wines are built to age, with incredible tension and length. And the secret to me securing his other-wordly 2017 old-vine Gevry-Chambertin can be chalked up to a great relationship and over a decade supporting superior Burgundian winemaking. The wine is scary good. The nose is wild, filled with spiced dark raspberries, red flowers, and baking spices. The palate is elegant and racy, with a dynamic tension that runs right through its minute-long finish. This is a high-toned, wound-up Pinot, that is starting to hit its prime and is really turning out to be a ‘must-have’ for true Burgundy lovers.
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