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
$25.00 $20.99
For three generations the Kracher family has led the way in the Seewinkel, a sleepy corner of Austria to the east of Lake Neusiedl, just an hour’s drive from Vienna. It was Alois Kracher Senior, back in the ‘50s and ‘60s who first realized the potential of the area for quality wine growing. Then in 1991, Alois Junior (Luis) set the world on fire with his ‘new’ style of dessert wine, focussing on finesse and balance more than just outright sweetness.
With multiple 100 point scores from the likes of Robert Parker and the Wine Enthusiast, the Kracher family quickly became the tops in Austrian wine. When über-somm, Aldo Sohm from Le Bernardin, decided to try his hand at winemaking, he went directly to Kracher to form a partnership. These wines are represented on nearly every 2 and 3 Michelin starred restaurants wine list across the world. So, there was no surprise from me when Kracher’s 2017 Zweigelt came out on top in a blind-tasting of red Burgundies with the wait staff at Barrel and Roost. Ed, our great, chop-busting GM at the restaurant, threw it in there just to throw me for a loop. And he did, I certainly didn’t guess that it was Zweigelt, a grape variety indigenous to Austria, but I did identify it as the best damn wine in a lineup of Burgundian 90-some pointers with price tags double or triple the price.
I also identified it as Pinot-like, with vibrant violet color, a pretty and complex nose of purple flowers and wild black raspberries. The finish was long and so fine, just firm enough to make it stand up to any cut of grilled meat. But there was something else, an unknown savory element, a bit of earth and spice that I just couldn’t put my finger on. Flat out delicious but just not Burgundy, something else, blessed with what we are calling the Teutonic Funk.
I know I am asking you to go out on a limb, it’s a weird variety from a county not generally associated with great red wine. But believe me, it’s worth the roll. Go for it!
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95 Points (Gold Medal), 2022 Decanter Wine Awards
The expert reviews on this incredible new release from Herve Fabre are insane. 90 points and a ‘Best Buy’ designate from Wine Enthusiast, 90 more from Suckling. Ditto from Vinous who called this “young, firm, with well-worked tannins and good structure”. But in a crowded see of nearly 20,000 wines at the Decanter Wine Awards in 2022 – this stole the show. The only 95-point, Gold medal Cabernet that you can get for under $20/bottle, its second straight year in the most rarified air.
93 Points, James Suckling
Avignonesi’s wines took Nicholas Wines by storm last year with their ‘Grifi’ SuperTuscan, a highly rated, highly delicious bottle that put the winery firmly on my radar. It’s a great bottle of wine, but at this price – it completely overdelivers which is exactly what you’re looking for.
92 Points, James Suckling
Since the late 1990’s Penner-Ash has been viewed as one of Oregon’s top wineries making gorgeous wines in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. In the 2021 vintage considered to be one of Oregon’s all-time great years, the 2021 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir that Lynn crafted is gorgeous, a silky tightly woven number that mixes red and black fruits with some sage and baking spices and a savory finish. It’s got some nice weight to it and structure which suggests it’ll age well for the next 10-15 years though it’s already drinking beautifully in its youth.
100 Pts, International Wine Report
“The 2020 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is truly sensational. It begins with striking aromas of fresh blackberries, blueberries and dark plums that are laced with fresh spring florals, mocha, sweet exotic spices, graphite and gravel nuances all taking shape. The palate is full-bodied and displays a remarkable combination of power and elegance throughout. This is beautifully structured and extremely expressive, as it possesses outstanding depth and concentration all they way through the long, finessed finish. Year after year, the Columbia Valley Cabernet is one of the most impressive wines, and there is no exception here, as it combines all the wonderful qualities of the 2020 vintage from Quilceda Creek into one expression. This is fantastic already and readers will be in for a real treat, as this simply marvelous wine will continue to deliver the goods for years to come.”
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