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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
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
$35.00 $29.00
In 2012, Todd Gottula and his wife Erin Brooks decided to start making wine. They didn’t know a ton about winemaking, but they were eager to learn and they knew longtime wine exec Robert Morris. Having contracted for grapes without a winemaker or a facility, they started Grand Cru Custom Crush with Morris (in a hurry) – a place where boutique artisanal wineries could pool their resources and focus on their wine production.
Now, almost a decade later- they have their own superstar winemaker, dozens of boutique wineries that make wines at their facility (including Donald Patz for his Maritana project) and an incredibly devoted following. A lot can change in a decade.
How they did it was simple– hard work. The husband/wife duo spend endless hours at their facility, asking questions, tinkering, networking, you name it. Years and years behind the scenes sharpening their tools, learning new tricks and hiring the very best people is why this winery has seemingly shot out of the gates like a fireball.
Now with 95+ scores from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and Vinous, they’re hardly catching anybody by surprise, but as Antonio Galloni notes, “the wines at Ernest get better with each passing vintage.” These days, the couple has given winemaking duties to the former Flowers winemaker, Joseph Ryan. All he did in this latest vintage, was make a fleet of wines that all earned 92-points or more from Vinous Media. These guys are like clockwork!
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92 Points, Vinous
The 2019 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast) is another stellar wine in this range. Crushed red berry, mint, cinnamon, spice and orange peel are all beautifully lifted by a touch (33%) of whole clusters that are impeccably balanced in the wine’s frame. Suave and caressing, the Sonoma Coast Pinot is a terrific introduction to the range. Like so many wines at Ernest, it delivers serious bang for the buck.
Erin Brooks and her husband, Todd Gottula, started making wine in 2012. That year, they contracted for grapes with no winemaker and facility in which to make the wines. “I just figured it would all work out,” Brooks told me recently. Well, it has. The wines continue to improve under the stewardship of Joseph Ryan, who has added a bit of textural depth that was at times missing in some early efforts. There two labels; Ernest Vineyards focuses on the Sonoma Coast, while Edaphos is home to a number of experimental wines, including a superb Carignane this year.
-Antonio Galloni
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100 Pts, International Wine Report – 98 Pts, Parker’s Wine Advocate – 98 Pts, James Suckling
“The 2020 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is truly sensational. It begins with striking aromas of fresh blackberries, blueberries and dark plums that are laced with fresh spring florals, mocha, sweet exotic spices, graphite and gravel nuances all taking shape. The palate is full-bodied and displays a remarkable combination of power and elegance throughout. This is beautifully structured and extremely expressive, as it possesses outstanding depth and concentration all they way through the long, finessed finish. Year after year, the Columbia Valley Cabernet is one of the most impressive wines, and there is no exception here, as it combines all the wonderful qualities of the 2020 vintage from Quilceda Creek into one expression. This is fantastic already and readers will be in for a real treat, as this simply marvelous wine will continue to deliver the goods for years to come.”
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.
#3 Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2021
96 Points, Parker’s Wine Advocate – 95 Points, Wine Spectator
We are one of the very few folks who have Wine Spectator’s #3 Wine of the Year. This is definitely not one to miss. The 2016 vintage showcases this prized vineyard in all its glory; notes of wild black fruit, thyme, mint, eucalyptus, and bay are lifted and enjoyed with the polished tannin and mouthwatering freshness of this wine. Regarded as one of the best vintages in the last few decades, the 2016 Martha’s Vineyard has been aged to perfection for immediate enjoyment at release and will continue to reward for the next 20+ years.
91 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Always the one with the most personality of the bunch, this is what Wine Enthusiast had to say about the 2021 release: “This extremely ripe and bold style of Pinot Noir will please those seeking such lushness. Dark in the glass, it begins with black cherry, toasty caramel and cola milk shake aromas.” The cool, coastal days and abundance of sunshine lines up perfectly for a wine that has a good natural acidic backbone, with bold fruit-forward flavors. In an easy 2021 vintage, Joe Wagner had a field day with this single-vineyard beauty.
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