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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
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
$700.00 $550.00
Our original tranche sold out in minutes. I can snag a few more bottles, but they’re on their way from the winery and will arrive in July.
99-Point Napa Valley Collector’s Item. “One of the Best Insignias Ever.” – JS
It’s no stretch to call Insignia a first growth of Napa Valley wine. Its track record of huge scores and incredible longevity speak for themselves. The new release, the 2018 Phelps Insignia may just be the finest in history! That’s what critics James Suckling and Jeb Dunnuck are saying at least. So much structure, immense power, depth and balance. Featuring sweet tobacco, dark fruits and figs on the palate, silky refined tannins and a backbone that makes it built to last a long time.
This vintage will be looked back upon as underrated, even at 99 points! The price hikes keep coming for this ultimate collector’s bottle- this year’s magnum release is a staggering $700/btl! But what’s in the bottle is just as good if not better than ever and still one of the best Napa Valley collector’s items you can find.
Out of stock
99 Points, James Suckling
Blackberry and black chocolate with mint, conifer and clove. Sweet tobacco, violets and flowers, too. Some graphite. Cool and complex. Full-bodied with ultra fine, dusty tannins and a wonderful, extremely long finish. Savory and refined. A classic-styled 2018. This needs time, but is so approachable and gorgeous. One of the best Insignias ever. Alive and changing all the time. 40% Stags Leap AVA. 87% cabernet sauvignon, 8% petit verdot, 3% malbec and 2% cabernet franc. Leave this for five or six years, but so wonderful now.
98 Points (Cellar Selection), Wine Enthusiast
This impressive blend combines 87% Cabernet Sauvignon with 8% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc, aging the whole for 24 months in 100% new French oak. Elements of cedar, sage, dried herb and underbrush meet rich red fruit and chalky tannins, with a dusting of cocoa through out. Enjoy from 2028–2038.
98 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Insignia checks in as 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec and the rest Cabernet Franc, from a mix of vineyards (mostly in the southern part of the valley) aged two years in new French oak. It has an incredible bouquet of cassis, currants, dark chocolate, lead pencil, and tobacco, and while it’s unquestionably Napa, it has a regal, structured, almost Bordeaux-like vibe as well. Full-bodied, perfectly balanced, and layered on the palate, with silky tannins, this quintessential Insignia is up with the finest vintages of this cuvée I’ve tasted and is in the same realm as the 1997 (the first vintage I bought for my personal cellar), 2001, 2002, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016.
97+ Points – Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The 2018 Insignia is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard sources this year include: 30% Las Rocas (Stags Leap District), 18% Yountville (Oak Knoll District), 13% Banca Dorada (Rutherford), 18% Suscol (South Napa Valley), 14% Home Ranch (St. Helena), 12% Las Rocas (Stags Leap District), 7% Barboza (Stags Leap District). It was aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes storming out of the glass with powerful notes of blackcurrant cordial, stewed black plums and boysenberries, plus hints of cedar chest, graphite, menthol and wet slate with a fragrant waft of clove oil. The medium to full-bodied palate already demonstrates remarkable balance at this youthful stage, featuring a firm backbone of fine-grained tannins and bold freshness to support the tightly wound, crunchy black fruits, finishing long and spicy
Wines from this winery often go for FOUR figures; well over a thousand dollars per bottle and basic bottlings off this particular vineyard typically retail for $350. This is one of the great vineyards of Stag’s Leap – but somehow Ry Richards was able to weasel out six barrels – as long as he never reveals his source. This is a knock-out Cabernet Sauvignon, perfect with grilled beef or with just a hunk of cheese. And with a little help from Ry, Nicholas Wines customers can enjoy a price way, way below market value for a wine like this.
92 Points, James Suckling
It’s hard to imagine a wine that delivers more bang for your buck and consistency than what Herve Fabre is able to produce from his 100+ year old vines each vintage. Last year, his Malbec Reserva landed on Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Buys of the Year. I called a big score form this one and it has just arrived. It’s a big, full-bodied Malbec from the heart of Mendoza and has great tannic structure and primary fruit, giving it similar characteristics to a Napa Valley Cab. Inviting aromas of raspberry pie, sage, herbs and roasted mushrooms.
96 Points, Wine Enthusiast
The gorgeous and full-bodied Goldridge Vyd Pinot Noir is made with fruit grown from 30+ year old vines and harvested in small lots before aging in 45% new French oak. It’s expertly blended to showcase the harmony of the fruit as well as the bright aromatics and luscious blackberry/red berry fruit that have made it a standard-bearer for the Russian River Valley.
Winemaker Pascal Sirat consistently puts out some of the best value Bordeaux in the region but he may have outdone himself in the 2018 vintage. Just south of Pomerol, the vines at Panchille borrow deep in the soil. The resulting wines are ripe but fresh, with an aromatic complexity and stony finish usually reserved for wine twice the price. Daniel Boulud tells me it’s been the hottest bottle of wine at Bar Boulud for over a month, so I figured I’d better hurry up and secure my allocation! Don’t miss it.
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