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
$420.00 $239.40
Call it a blessing and a curse. The truth of the matter is that I am always looking for a Chardonnay or a Pinot Noir that we can bottle under the Juliana Layla label. It’s my favorite wine to offer up, bar none. The only problem is that Juliana is my one and only daughter so for the wine to bear her name, I need it to be perfect.
The last time we locked into a Pinot for JL was in the 2018 vintage. We last offered it up 936 days ago. That was a beauty from a vintage that Wine Spectator gave 94-points. Then came the pandemic, then a tough 2020 vintage in Oregon so there haven’t been many candidates. But I got early word from a few friends in the Willamette that 2021 was going to be a very special vintage, so I’ve been putting out feelers, getting samples and making some calls.
Then one day I got “the sample” and I knew Juliana Layla was back on. What a special opportunity this is. Exactly two barrels of this wine were made and are exclusively for Nicholas Wines. This cuvee comes from two of Willamette Valley’s top sites with one having recently been recognized on the national stage.
Both sites have Oregon’s coveted Jory Volcanic soils, the red soil rich in clay content, iron and other nutrients that seem to perfectly aid Pinot Noir growth and help give it distinct earthier tones. That combined with the sites higher elevation and cooler landscape give this wine aromatics, depth and a high-toned touch.
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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.
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.
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.
94 Points, Tasting Panel
This is a really exciting new release in the collection of single-vineyards from the Wagner Family, and arguably the most interesting one of the bunch. This is the only Pinot Noir in the Caymus collection that has the advantage of being from a natural Pinot Noir haven in the Russian River Valley. Dairyman Vineyard’s proximity to the pacific ocean, with its morning fog and afternoon coastal breezes allows for an even and elongated growing season, with super concentrated and expressive grape clusters that help make this Dijon clone Pinot Noir one that you need.
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