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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Winemaker Kian Tavakoli (Opus One, Clos du Val) continues to excel even while others struggle. In 2017, he still managed to deliver a beautiful and opulent Napa Valley Cabernet that’s both dark and juicy. The wine hails from both Coombsville and Rutherford, giving it distinct characteristics and a lot of drive. Deep ruby to the rim with excellent concentration, notes of Bing cherries, raspberry pie and hints of vanilla. On the palate, big wonderfully jammy fruit with young but impressive tannins and great length. The finish leaves notes of black cherry, and baked blueberry pie. Fantastic Napa value.
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.”
94 Points, Tasting Panel
This is a really exciting new release in the collection of single-vineyards from the Wagner Family, and arguably the most interesting one of the bunch. This is the only Pinot Noir in the Caymus collection that has the advantage of being from a natural Pinot Noir haven in the Russian River Valley. Dairyman Vineyard’s proximity to the pacific ocean, with its morning fog and afternoon coastal breezes allows for an even and elongated growing season, with super concentrated and expressive grape clusters that help make this Dijon clone Pinot Noir one that you need.
WS #4 2019 Wine of the Year, 96 Points, Wine Spectator
2016 was an incredibly special year in Napa Valley. It was essentially the 5th straight vintage of near perfect-conditions and a lot of the big boys produced some of their biggest, most elegant Cabernets to date. Groth’s was still one of the standouts in any group, a deeply concentrated, weighty Cab with sappy, juicy fruit and a carefully intertwined tannic structure. Absolutely gorgeous.
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