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
$28.00 $25.00
This past week, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate covered Spanish wines. This is what expert, Luis Gutierrez had to say: “Let me start with a bang: I haven’t been so excited about Rioja in many, many years! And what has happened?
Why is their Spanish wine expert so excited? Because of all the new blood and new boutique projects that are launching.
He then highlighted Exopto, the newish project from Frenchman Tom Puyaubert and his group of friends who have been transforming the entire region with their use of biodynamics – even teaching their neighbors how to transform their vineyards.
Exopto has become a force throughout Spain in a short amount of time. Pyaubert has several vineyards that he’s been improving in the region focused on Tempranillo and Garnacha. Each year it seems like he adds a new element to his winemaking, consistently tinkering to find the freshest, purest version of Rioja he can, expertly slicing and dicing the vineyards for his blends.
His ‘Horizonte de Expoto’ is probably the most exciting in the lineup in terms of both exceptional quality and price. The wine is a combination of grapes from Abalos and San Vicente de la Sonsierra and is a traditional blend of 80% Tempranillo with 10% each of Garnacha and Graciano. The wine is made in concrete vats with indeigenous yeasts and then matured in 600-liter demi-muids and 225-liter barriques for a year. Needless to say, when the wine comes out, it is rich with nuance and incredible depth.
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93 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
A traditional red blend of 80% Tempranillo with 10% each Garnacha and Graciano, the 2020 Horizonte de Exopto combines grapes from Ábalos and, since 2016, also San Vicente de la Sonsierra, as he cannot produce village wines from there as his winery is in Laguardia! This year he also added the new plots from Baños de Ebro that represent 15% of the blend and which he feels add fresh red fruit notes and silky tannins. It showcases the Sonsierra zone with fresher Tempranillo with balance, length and the chalky sensation from the limestone soils. It fermented in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts and matured 50/50 in 600-liter demi-muids and 225-liter barriques for 12 months. It follows the path of 2019 but with a little more freshness.
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#24 Wine of the Year (2022), Wine Spectator
92 Points, Wine Spectator – 91 Points, James Suckling
“This supple red shows a core of cherry and plum fruit allied to olive, juniper and tobacco notes. Delivers well-integrated tannins and acidic structure, lingering nicely on the finish.”
The newly released Fiancetto Howell Mt. Cabernet is a dream – a gorgeous, elegant dark-fruited Cabernet Sauvignon that is it picks up time in the glass, unfurls its full signature of cedar laced cassis nose and mid palate of chocolate-covered cherries and savory spices. Only four palates of this (224 cases) were made off a gorgeous, sprawling high elevation spot 1500 feet above sea level. It’s full and plush and finishes fresh and oh so long. The price is crazy for Howell Mountain Cabernet but that’s what Ry Richards and Fiancetto is all about.
#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.
95 Points, Jeb Dunnuck – 95 Points, Lisa Perotti-Brown
The oft 100-point winemaker, Jayson Woodbridge had this to say when tasting his 2021 ‘Stargazing’ Sonoma Pinot: “The wine is vibrant and complex with subtle dark fruits and berries, grandmother’s cherry pie, minerals, and a slight touch of rain-soaked earth, intertwined with a balance and very pleasing easy-going luxury. Should have been priced higher but what the hell.” I have no doubt this clerical error will be addressed in the vintages moving forward. But for now, this is a cult Pinot for under $100/bottle.
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