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).
Out of stock
98+ Points, Parker’s Wine Advocate – 97 Points, James Suckling
“Very deep purple-black in color, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Nathan Coombs Estate slowly reveals enticing notions of fresh blackberries, wild blueberries and black raspberries with emerging suggestions of cassis, tilled earth, tar and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied, the palate delivers firm, beautifully ripe tannins and tons of tightly wound, muscular black fruits with a whole myriad of savory accents and great tension, finishing with jaw-dropping purity and length. Consider broaching this sleeping giant in 4-5 years and drink it over the next 25 years+.”
Fresh off its feature as one of Wine Spectator’s ‘Exciting California Values Under $25’, winemaker Matt Cline looks to stay hot with his release of the 2019 Contra Costa Zinfandel. This one is a beauty crafted off old-vines that are now between 110-140 years in age. There’s a ton of darker fruits that drive this one with a dusting of baking spice. The fruit is pure, fresh and long making it both delicious on its own or terrific with a burger, BBQ ribs, or grilled leg of lamb. Crazy cheap for what is in the bottle, load up!
With seemingly infinite access to some of the absolute very best vineyards in the most choice AVAs in the valley, the Wagner’s set out to make Quilt– a Cabernet blend from a patchwork of the top sites in Napa (Oakville, St Helena, Atlas Peak, Coombsville, Calistoga, and Howell Mountain.) The brand new 2019 edition is a beauty – deeply concentrated, rich and a truly show stopping Cabernet. It’s a dark, hedonistic blend that combines elegance with power and pairs the two together effortlessly.
Robert Foley’s Shelter Cabernet Sauvignon is our most popular Cabernet and finally returns after a few year hiatus. Dark purple on the rim, with aromas of black fruits, smoked meats, baking spice and a touch of sweet oak. It’s a big, round full-bodied wine with a nice acid backbone and a long, smooth finish. You can definitely drink these now (at this point, they’re seven years old) but there’s still a life ahead of them so tuck several away for a few more years.
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