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
$50.00 $40.00
This wine is liquid gold. Well, better than gold according to the 2021 Decanter Wine Awards who showered this wine with a ‘Best in Show’ designation, a 97-point review and the highest spot for any Pinot in the world.
How did this small family winery manage quite a feat? Call it a perfect storm. A special 2018 vintage in California with hot, dry weather and a perfectly even harvest. Santa Lucia Highlands especially enjoyed an ideal summer with lots of sunshine and breeze and temperatures remaining cool. Then, you have winemaker Paul Clifton at the helm, whose work in SLH with Bernardus helped put the winery and the region on the map, and he’s been running the show in the Highlands every since.
With the St. Lucienne wines, Hahn Family showcases their premium single-vineyard wines. Four of them every year. But I’ll save you the time and energy– in 2018, the Smith Vineyard, the oldest estate at the highest elevation performed the best, with the resulting Pinot perfectly ripe, yet high-toned, well balanced and vibrant– a key to delicious Pinot Noir.
The rave 93-point review that this wine received from Josh Raynolds of the Vinous, or the 94-point Wine Enthusiast review would’ve been plenty of accolades for this wine to fly out the door. But given last week’s “Best in Show, 97-Point Showstopping review, today’s price simply doesn’t match today’s lightning in the bottle.
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97 (Best in Show), Decanter Wine Awards
This year’s exceptional Pinot Noir quartet is completed by this striking wine from the Santa Lucia Highlands — a long and scenically beautiful fillet of land lying on the landward side of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range next to the chill waters of Monterey Bay, and alternately fog-chilled and breeze-freshened during summer. The Pinot is dark and sweet-scented, with discreet spice and refined black cherry; there’s a peony allure to give it lift, too. It’s vivid and mouth-filling yet structured, poised and fresh, too: a Pinot that proves that the natural wealth which derives from California’s light and soils can work superbly in delivering Pinot of both nuance and sensual charm.
94 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Rich, opulent aromas of black-cherry cordial and caramel are thick but delicious on the nose of this bottling. Sandy tannins frame the creamy cherry and blackberry flavors, which are lifted by star anise and licorice accents and lead into an oaky finish.
93 Points, Josh Raynolds – Vinous
Vivid red. Vibrant red and blue fruit, candied rose and baking spice qualities on the incisive nose, which picks up a hint of smokiness with air. Juicy and penetrating on the palate, offering gently sweet raspberry and boysenberry flavors and allspice and cola topnotes. Shows excellent clarity and spicy thrust on the clinging finish, which is framed by smooth, harmonious tannins.
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92 Points, Vinous – 92 Points, James Suckling – 91 Points, Wine & Spirits
“The 2021 Malbec Reserva, from Vistalba, Lujan de Cuyo, was 60% aged in barrels for 12 months. Purple in color. The nose presents notes of fresh plum and violets, white pepper, strawberry, hints of spice and aromas from the aging process. It’s initially indulgent in the mouth, with good fat, and volume and a velvety texture. The flavors are bold and full-bodied. This 2021 overdelivers at the price.” -Vinous
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.
#24 Wine of the Year (2022), Wine Spectator
92 Points, Wine Spectator – 91 Points, James Suckling
“This supple red shows a core of cherry and plum fruit allied to olive, juniper and tobacco notes. Delivers well-integrated tannins and acidic structure, lingering nicely on the finish.”
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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