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 $24.95
True wine enthusiasts (and tiny truck lovers) have super fond memories of Hess. Donald Hess is one of the true great wine pioneers in California, and for a long time, no winery could outscore or outclass the Hess Collection. Robert Parker Jr. called his wines, “Napa’s greatest bargain.”
As Parker’s Wine Advocate recently noted, “Hess Collection winery up on Mt. Veeder is profiting from a complete makeover and producing better and better wines as well as more special cuvées. This was a winery that burst on the scene in the mid-1980s with some terrific wines and then became moribund. That’s all changing now, as the recent releases strongly evidence.”
With decades of experience in California making quality Cabernet and Chardonnay, the Hess Collection has expanded their holdings of late, allowing them to make wines from Mt. Veeder, Howell Mt, and Allomi vineyard in Napa. But despite all the aforementioned new special cuvees, and top sites to make their Cabs, their most talked about Cabernet doesn’t even come from Napa.
I was recently at a tasting where the Hess Maverick was being poured. People wouldn’t shut up about it, so I went to check it out. With a sleek black label in Hess’ traditional packaging, I assumed this was a Napa Reserve that was going to run me $100/btl. What I discovered was nothing like that at all.
The Maverick Ranch series is an ode to Donald Hess and his pioneering spirit. With the same energy as the Collection’s original founder, the wines are all made in Paso Robles, one of if not California’s top rising Cabernet region. This Cabernet is silly. It’s just about as good as any I’ve had from Hess, and you could lock into about four of them for the price of one Napa Cab (that probably won’t be as good).
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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.
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.
The secret to Philippe’s tightly wound, complex Pinot Noir is a combo of ancient vines, natural farming techniques, and low yields. The wines are built to age, with incredible tension and length. And the secret to me securing his other-wordly 2017 old-vine Gevry-Chambertin can be chalked up to a great relationship and over a decade supporting superior Burgundian winemaking. The wine is scary good. The nose is wild, filled with spiced dark raspberries, red flowers, and baking spices. The palate is elegant and racy, with a dynamic tension that runs right through its minute-long finish. This is a high-toned, wound-up Pinot, that is starting to hit its prime and is really turning out to be a ‘must-have’ for true Burgundy lovers.
#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.”
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