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
$105.00 $85.00
Rarely in the wine industry do you see such a powerful partnership. The legend of Burgundy and President of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Conti, Aubert de Villaine partners with his cousin, Larry Hyde “The King of Carneros“.
For the Belle Cousine project, the two get to really have fun with it and show off their winemaking prowess. Unfortunately for us, this ode to the Left Bank is the great Aubert de Villaine’s swan song bottling at HDV as the former DRC head looks to sail off into the sunset. Luckily for us though, the 2019 is an absolute stunner.
The name Belle Cousine is a reference to Pamela Fairbanks de Villaine, Larry Hyde’s lovely cousin who is the wife of Aubert de Villaine of Burgundy. It is Pamela who brings these visionary viticultural families from Burgundy and the Carneros region of Napa Valley together to make wines that express the character of place, with that rare minerality so dear to the Burgundian palate.
In an outstanding 2019 vintage in Napa, this one rises to the top. Antonio Galloni calls it, “one of the best wines” as well as starting his review by calling the wine “faboulous. Bright and focused.” It’s an age-worthy beauty with the kind of Cabernet Sauvignon backbone needed to help this one enjoy a gorgeous lifespan of at least 25-30 years.
This is a fantastic collectors item any year but given the rave review and it being Aubert de Villaine’s last ever ‘Belle Cousine’ it’s one of the ‘must-have’ bottles. I even got us a special price – the best in the country by a healthy margin!
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95 Points, Antonio Galloni – Vinous
“The 2019 Belle Cousine, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot from Hyde, is fabulous. Bright and forcused, the 2019 bistles with energy. Strong Cabernet inflections give this mid-weight red tons of aromatic presence to match its mid-weight personality. Dark red/blue fruits, mint, blood orange, spice, leather and mocha are some of the notes that emerge over time. Like all the best wines here, the Belle Cousine offers outstanding focus, clarity and freshness.”
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95 Points, James Suckling – 94 Points, Wine Spectator – 93 Points, Wine Enthusiast
The new release is here from outstanding winemaking team of Michel Rolland, Charles Thomas, Andy Erickson and David Jelenik. This one always represents one of the best quality-to-price ratios in all of Napa Cab and in the stellar 2021 vintage, this really stands out as one of the best the Valley has to offer. It’s a racy mix of Coombsville fruit from Atlas Peak that absolutely roars out of the bottle. Always one of Napa’s great bargains and a must have even as the price starts to sneak up here a little bit.
At J Vineyards, Nicole is nothing short of a magician, making 30 different skus or more each vintage between her Pinots, Chardonnays, and Sparkling wines. For the vineyard’s flagship Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, up to 100 individual small lots are combined to make this great wine. Somehow, the blend is effortless–a quintessential RRV Pinot that has those soaring aromatics, bright red fruits, clove, and nutmeg spice with perfect balance.
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.”
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