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 $14.50
Fabre Montmayou wines have been a staple of mine since I launched Nicholas Wines. It’s hard to imagine a wine that delivers more bang for your buck and consistency than what Herve Fabre is able to produce from his 100+ year old vines each vintage. Last year, his 2018 Reserva Malbec landed on Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Buys of the Year, James Suckling gave it 92 points and our allocation went quickly.
After tasting Herve’s new release, the 2020 Malbec Reserve, I expected big scores were going to attach to the wine. After the recent 92-point review from James Suckling hit the web last week, it looks like I was right. It has that vibrant and jammy mix of red and dark fruits with great structure and tannins and a sleek core. It’s a BIG RED that dances in the glass and with a small modest price tag.
92 Points, James Suckling
Ripe dark berries, dark chocolate, licorice and toasted oak. Medium-to full-bodied, firm and structured with ripe berries on the palate and a rich finish with some nutty notes. Best after 2023.
Absolutely everything. The best part might be that is equally good with or without food.
Valéry represents the third generation of his family’s wine growing. His grandad must have been some kind of visionary as he was the first to plant Pinot Noir in the limestone laden vineyards of Reuilly. That limestone is key as it isn’t just sunny days that makes Pinot great. Limestone, like we find all over Burgundy, lends freshness and tension to Pinot that make it great with food and better with air, giving that all that generous fruit a real sense of crunch. The 2020 P’tit Renaudat Pinot soars from the glass, with a mixture of black cherry and blueberry fruit on the nose, gradually unfurling to reveal some aromas of rose petal. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy fruit and a long, fresh finish that will keep you coming back for more.
The second year of this elegant, silky smooth Willamette Valley Pinot Noir crafted by Bertrand de Villane of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti fame. Again it comes from the gorgeous Winter’s Hill Estate about 700 feet above sea level in the Dundee Hills. All indications are that the 2019 is going to be one of the best for Pinot Noir since 1991. A flawless summer that benefited from very little rain mixed with cool, breezy summer nights. With a round, supple mouthfeel and a sturdy backbone this will age gracefully for a decade plus. Bertrand’s wines just have a signature stamp that is unmistakably his. This is phenomenal.
Winemaker Pascal Sirat consistently puts out some of the best value Bordeaux in the region but he may have outdone himself in the 2018 vintage. 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.
Poggio Al Sole’s high elevation vineyards bring out the Burgundy-side of Chianti Classico, producing lush wines with just a touch of earthy rusticity and great length. Their 2019 edition is sleek and elegant, with great aromatic complexity and length. The nose is really special, with soaring aromatics of black cherry, anise and peony. Give it time to unwind in the glass. It’s fresh and long on the palate, with the fine tannic structure that defines ever classic vintage, making it great at the table tonight and any night for the next decade.
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