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
$19.99 $13.99
This may be the best wine in the category I’ve tasted in a few years and I’m including some ludicrously expensive examples that have crossed my desk.
This Kiwi gem is the Sauvignon Blanc of dreams, with tropical fruit, citrus, and herb aromas that will make your nose dance. And the taste? It’s like a party in your mouth – so refreshing and complex, with just the right amount of acidity and richness.
It was so good – that I did a little digging and per usual, there’s good news and there’s bad news. Starting with this vintage – the Sauvignon Blanc is sourced exclusively from Mount Richmond Estate, located in New Zealand’s Upper Wairau Valley of Marlborough. Making this essentially an organic single-vineyard Sauvignon delivered at an every day drinking price.
In stock
93 Points, Tasting Panel
With more richness and deeper flavors than most Marlborough Sauvignons priced under $20, this still shows lots of linear energy to complement its breadth and depth. An impressively complete wine and a terrific value at this price.
90 Points, Wine Spectator
Expressive and mouthwatering, with firm yuzu, mango and lime flavors that mingle well with herbal accents of lemon verbena, lemon thyme and fresh ginger root. Notes of green tea linger on the finish.
94 Points, James Suckling – 93 Points, Decanter
“Soaring lemon cream aromatics accented by notes of sea spray, lemongrass and beeswax mark this coastal Chardonnay from Flowers on the Sonoma Coast. The palate is fresh and linear. Oyster shell salinity, bee pollen and grilled lemon make for a savoury balance with delicate crushed chalk minerality.”
Elena Walch’s newly released 2022 Pinot Bianco continues to be the best example of Pinot Blanc anywhere. She’s the undisputed queen. There’s so much energy in this new release. Super light in color, with a busy nose that boasts ripe aromas of citrus, granny smith apple with a hint of freshly mowed grass. Made entirely in stainless steel, the wine is expressive, fresh and finishes as clean and tight as can be. Definitely will continue the run of 90+ scores once this one is reviewed.
Gold Medal (Best in Show), 2023 Mundus Vini International Tasting
The area has also been isolated from the rest of Spain for generations, which has kept the wine prices far lower than wines of this quality would be anywhere else in the world. That’s why, despite having the Torres family name on the bottle and the consistent huge press (including the Gold Medal & Best in Show at the 2023 Mundus Vini International Wine Awards in Germany), these wines can still be scooped up for under $20/bottle. It’s like the Sancerre pricing of yesteryear.
The 2016 vintage in Napa was nearly perfect for winemaker Kian Tavakoli (Opus One, Clos du Val). With ideal weather all throughout harvest, he crafted the Faustini Money Road Chardonnay off the famous vineyard located in the coveted Oakville AVA. The picturesque vineyard off Oakville Crossroad is platinum rated, known for its ideal combination of soil & climate and the big A list names that routinely source fruit. Kian’s Money Road Chard is still youthful despite having a few years of age, probably as a result of its 18 months of slumber in 1/4 new Oak.