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
$22.00 $17.50
With the weather we’re having, it seems that summer is here early so I’ve been hunting for crisp white wines for everyone to wash down with all this sunshine. If we’re being completely honest, I set out to find you a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, so I asked a few of my importer buddies if they could help out and send some samples.
Not all of my Sauvignon Blanc samples were from NZ, a few were from the states, one from South Africa, one from Australia and the one I’m offering today– from my secret weapon region for lip-smacking whites: the high altitude vineyards of the snow-capped Dolomite Mountains in the Alto Adige.
You may know Kurtatsch already if you were wise enough to snatch up the Pinot Grigio when we offered it a few weeks back. With high elevations and intense slopes, machine farming at the winery is not possible. Instead, the low yielding vines are harvested by hand – row by row. Kurtatsch’s labor of love is well worth it.
Their 2019 Alto Adige Sauvignon Blanc unsurprisingly comes wrapped with a 91-point score — for those of you who like scores, you don’t really get higher than that for a wine that checks in under $20 on bottle 1. But forget scores, this one just dazzles out of the gates.
Out of stock
91 Points, James Suckling
A flinty and tangy sauvignon with lemons and lime leaves. Some basil. It’s medium-bodied with a solid core of fruit and a fresh finish. Drink now.
We are super lucky to get a small shot at this one which is usually nearly an exclusive for the AltaMarea group. The newly released 2022 Sancerre “Le Mont” from Maison Foucher Lebrun is zipped up and juicy yet offers up complex aromas of gooseberry, citrus, fresh-cut grass, with a tropical zest. On the palate, the wine is very clean and crisp, full-bodied and laser focused, with a good core and a long, tasty finish that offers a dash of minerality and salinity.
Of the 9ha owned by Gerard Boulay, 8 of the hectares are on the slopes of Chavignol on Kimmeridgian or “terre blanche” soils (similar to the soils in Chablis), which he works manually and has farmed organically since 1990. The youngest vines at the domaine were planted by Mr. Boulay in 1972 and the average vine age is approximately 45 years old.
A textbook Sancerre Blanc from the village of Bué year in year out, this has become a little bit harder to get ever since it got a huge score in its first year of being reviewed. Now, our little secret isn’t such a little secret anymore. Drawn off the highest in elevation in Sancerre with the most calcareous soil, it is a chiseled, tightly wound and incredibly complex Sauvignon Blanc, which I’d argue is one of the best in the world and certainly from one of the best and most consistent winemakers in the Loire Valley.
Every year, Pierre Sparr’s Alsacian Riesling is one of the top scoring wines in the under $20 category. There’s a consistency there and consumers know they can count on a Riesling that is aromatic, fruity, elegant, clean and vibrant. Pierre Sparr wines are extremely food-friendly especially in the widely praised 2021 vintage where quality rose to an all-time high. It’s a bone-dry beauty with layers of citrus fruits, framed by wet stone and mineral character that adds dimension.
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