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
$25.00 $17.50
The son of a winemaker, Cotarella has accumulated some incredibly impressive titles over the years. He’s won “winemaker of the year” honors from the Italian wine bible, Gambero Rosso as well as being called by Robert Parker Jr., “one of the most influential personalities in the world in the last 20 years.”
And in Italy, he’s affectionately known as both ‘il mago’ (the wizard) and Mr. Merlot, a testament to the extraordinary work he does with the international varietal.
Once upon a time, the Cotarella family was called crazy by the locals and told to stick to indigenous varietals. But as you might’ve guessed by the ‘Mr. Merlot’ nickname, Riccardo did not listen– instead finding that the terroir of the volcanic clay soil of Lazio actually nurtured the precocious Merlot vines making incredible wines. His Falesco Merlots would be the catalyst for his launch into international stardom.
Farmed and produced by Riccardo and his brother Renzo off the family winery in Lazio, the 2015 Sodale Merlot hits you with concentrated waves of blackberries, raspberries, and cherries with slight baking spice and leather aromas. This is tightly woven and super fresh– an absolute gem in the warm 2015 vintage.
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90 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Here is a new wine from the Cotarella family. The 2015 Merlot Sodale aspires to a very specific place in the marketplace: impressive quality at a very attractive price point… This wine drinks as you would imagine a warm-vintage Merlot would. It offers soft cherry fruit and ripe blackberry with spice and leather.
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The 2021 Napa Valley East side Cuvee is an instant classic. From the first whiff to the moment it hits the lips, its clear that this is a fabulously concentrated, serious wine: black in color, and featuring aromas of cassis, cedar and chocolate-tinged purple fruit. The mouthfeel is plush and voluptuous with a firm, solid finish that speaks to its potential for considerable aging.
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.
93 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 93 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
“Vignon’s 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape delivers even more than I hoped for based on a previous sample. Hints of garrigue, roses, cherries and raspberries appear on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, silky and long, with an intense, almost briny finish. The assemblage is 50% Grenache, 10% each Mourvèdre and Syrah, plus smaller proportions of seven other permitted varieties, while the élevage includes foudres, demi-muids, concrete and wooden tanks, plus terracotta amphorae.”
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.
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