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
$36.00
Perhaps no wine region has done more to boost its profile in the past 25 years than the Sta. Rita Hills in Santa Barbara. Once under the radar, the tirade of enormous scores, movie references (remember Paul Giamatti AKA Miles from Sideways), and critical praise have confirmed it as one of the best regions in the world for Pinot Noir (and Chardonnay for that matter).
The reason is actually pretty simple. It’s got a completely unique weather ecosystem unlike pretty much anywhere else in the world that allows for perfect ripening of Pinot Noir. The hot California sun provides the heat, but each afternoon – just as vineyards elsewhere in the state start to overheat and raisin the berries – cool Pacific breezes are drawn in from between the Purisima and Santa Rosa Hills. Some say the region is breathing.
Some of the nation’s very best vineyards are planted here. Sea Smoke, Sanford and Benedict, and Rita’s Crown to name a few. Tucked right in the middle are the pioneering vineyards of the Melville.
Founded by Ron Melville and winemaker Greg Brewer (Clifton-Brewer), the two built a little dynasty in the heart of Sta. Rita Hills. Year in year out, the duo produced wines consistently scored in the mid-90s by EVERY wine publication. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate wrote that they are “continually blown away by what Melville Winery puts in a bottle”. Wine & Spirits Magazine has included them on their list of Top 100 wineries… in the World!
Now with Ron’s son, Chad, as head winemaker, the wines may be hitting an even higher level of excellence. The 2016 Melville Estate Pinot (Chad’s first vintage at the helm) is an absolutely stunning bottle of wine that shames Pinots at twice the price. Drawn from micro-lots of some of their most famous single-vineyards, Chad approaches this wine like he’s conducting the philharmonic. Super bright with vibrant cherry fruit and the deep earthy overtones that you find in only the very best Pinots.
Antonio Galloni was duly impressed – giving it 95 points and a gushing review. Galloni said the Estate Pinot had “beguiling aromatic complexity and nuance” and a “sense of translucent beauty.” This one’s a case buy.
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95 Points- Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The 2016 Pinot Noir Estate is a blend of the seventeen clones on the property. Freshly cut flowers, spice, mint, blood orange and dried flowers give the Estate beguiling aromatic complexity and nuance. There is a sense of translucent beauty in the 2016 that is fabulous, while the 40% whole clusters are very nicely integrated. This is such a tremendous wine.
92 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
I’m the most proud of this wine,” Chad Melville says. “This includes all 16 clones, around 130 different lots. It’s like an orchestra, using what’s left from the single-vineyard blends. To be able to pull aside those other sweet vineyard spots to bottle separately and still have this wine keep kicking ass—I’m becoming a better farmer and learning the land.” Medium ruby in color, the 2016 Pinot Noir Estate has a very bright, sunny nose of tangerine peel, ripe red cherries, spiced cranberries and rhubarb with hints of tree bark, dried earth, oolong tea and crushed strawberries plus a white pepper hint. It’s light to medium-bodied with a silky texture, intense, juicy earth-accented red fruits, softly grainy tannins and a long finish.
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The secret to Philippe’s tightly wound, complex Pinot Noir is a combo of ancient vines, natural farming techniques, and low yields. The wines are built to age, with incredible tension and length. And the secret to me securing his other-wordly 2017 old-vine Gevry-Chambertin can be chalked up to a great relationship and over a decade supporting superior Burgundian winemaking. The wine is scary good. The nose is wild, filled with spiced dark raspberries, red flowers, and baking spices. The palate is elegant and racy, with a dynamic tension that runs right through its minute-long finish. This is a high-toned, wound-up Pinot, that is starting to hit its prime and is really turning out to be a ‘must-have’ for true Burgundy lovers.
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.
This is a sensational single-vineyard Merlot made from incredibly tiny clusters, full of some of the most elegant, intensely structured fruit from high atop Sonoma Mountain. Beautiful weight and balance with aromas of blueberries, black currants, sage and a hint of cocoa. It’s got a full, plush mouthfeel, pristine and vibrant fruit and a wonderful smooth finish. Thanks to Chad’s big bet on himself, he was able to make a knockout Sonoma Mountain beauty, without the need for any middleman, helping us to enjoy one of his best creations at an outstanding price.
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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