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
$98.00
This are few things in the wine world better than boutique, small batch California Cabernets. The big over the top Napa Valley versions will run you $500-750/bottle easily, but I find they can sometimes be clumsy, made to be completely enormous to garner ooos and ahhs but not nearly as firm and structured as I like.
No, if you’ve been paying attention, I have always tried to lure people over to the dark side and the Santa Cruz Mountains with wineries like Ridge, Thomas Fogarty and Mount Eden. The reason is simple– it’s old-school California Cabernet, the altitude gives the wine incredible acidity and backbone and then wines come out perfectly chiseled and roaring to go.
Mount Eden has long been an iconic player in arguably the most underrated region in the country. Situated at 2000 feet above sea level on a mountain peak, you are literally above the clouds at this picturesque vineyard that Wine Spectator famously questioned might be the best in all of California.* If you want to get to the closest thing to heaven on Earth, I suggest a visit.
Especially considering the Cabernet that was sent to me a few months ago and which I have been patiently waiting on the sidelines to take the max amount allowed (3 stinking cases!) is easily one of the best domestic Cabs I’ve had in quite some time. It is an absolute joy to drink, the result of wine of the finer winemaking jobs in recent memory. Perfectly structured tannins, great weight, a little Merlot and Cabernet Franc to round it out. It’s Mountain Cab gold. I was so floored by this thing, I went to see if anyone reviewed it and shared my opinion, and found Antonio Galloni of Vinous felt the same way. But I’m a chef, not a writer so I don’t think I could’ve put it any better than Antonio did.. read for yourself what might be the most flattering review I’ve ever read:
“Mount Eden’s 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon represents the essence of what Cabernet Sauvignon is all about in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Deep, powerful and explosive, the 2016 simply has it all. A wine of tremendous depth and intensity. Readers, take note. This is world class Cabernet Sauvignon that in any other region would cost 2-3 times as much. Savory and expansive, with tons of mountain character and remarkable richness from low yields in 2016, the Cabernet Sauvignon is simply off the charts. It’s another utterly breathtaking wine from Mount Eden.”
“This collection of new releases from Mount Eden and sister label Domaine Eden is full of highlights, including several epic wines that could very well become benchmarks for future generations… .Two thousand sixteen looks like an absolutely magical vintage. The Mount Eden Chardonnay Reserve and Cabernet Sauvignon are truly magnificent and easily among the very finest wines I have ever tasted from Jeffrey and Ellie Patterson.” -Antonio Galloni
This one is a no brainer folks. Offered by text only. Only 36 btls of ‘heaven’ to go round.
*“IS MOUNT EDEN CALIFORNIA’S GREATEST VINEYARD? Every time I have a great aged Mount Eden wine – which is most of the time – I’m in awe of how well it develops. This is a unique property in the sense that all three of the major grapes grown there – Cabernet, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – not only are distinctive and classy, but they age incredibly well. Suppose if one were to only collect wine from one vineyard, Mount Eden would be a tough choice to beat.” -Wine Spectator
Out of stock
98 Points, Antonio Galloni- Vinous
Mount Eden’s 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon represents the essence of what Cabernet Sauvignon is all about in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Deep, powerful and explosive, the 2016 simply has it all. A wine of tremendous depth and intensity. Readers, take note. This is world class Cabernet Sauvignon that in any other region would cost 2-3 times as much. Savory and expansive, with tons of mountain character and remarkable richness from low yields in 2016, the Cabernet Sauvignon is simply off the charts. It’s another utterly breathtaking wine from Mount Eden.
95 Points, Wine Spectator – 94 Points, Robert Parker
Chateau Lafite Rothschild is one of only four First Growth Bordeaux and one of the rarest bottles in the world to get your hands on. In the 2002 vintage, Chateau Lafite Rothschild is one of only a handful of bottles you absolutely need in your cellar. Bordeaux’s most famous critic, American journalist Robert Parker, Jr. called the wine, “A brilliant offering and a candidate for wine of the vintage, this is classic Lafite.” This one is an all-timer, and a Bordeaux collector’s dream.
93 Points, James Suckling – 92 Points, Wine Spectator – 92 Points, Parker’s Wine Advocate
San Giorgio Ugolforte is the sister winery of Poggio di Sotto. Their 2017 presents a dark core of red and black berry fruit layered with earth, leather, smoke, and herbs. It’s a complex and elegant expression, that presents a full mouthfeel that is firm in tannin structure. The refreshing acidity frames a graceful finish. Just a classic Brunello di Montalcino.
99 Points, James Suckling – 96 Points (Cellar Selection), Wine Enthusiast
“The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello is a more Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, and the balance Cabernet Franc, all hitting 13.7% alcohol. As usual, it was aged in new American oak. It shows the higher Cabernet component and is deep purple-hued and tight and closed, with a primordial vibe to its dark blue and black fruit, smoked tobacco, vanilla bean, graphite, and cedarwood aromatics. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has terrific overall balance, building, ripe tannins, a good sense of freshness, and outstanding length. It reminds me slightly of the 2018 with its more elegant, streamlined profile, but I expect this to build with bottle age, and it should have 2-3 decades of overall longevity.” – Jeb Dunnuck
91 Points, Wine Spectator (#64 Wine of the Year, 2022 Top 100)
A perfect Tuesday night wine that delivers an insane value every year, but thanks to a top 100 appearance in a great vintage, it becomes a must-have. It’s both juicy and fine loaded with aromas and flavors of red flowers, berries and anise. This is one of those incredibly food friendly wines coming out of the Rhone that seems like striking gold to stumble upon. An old vine Grenache-Syrah blend from vineyards planted at some of the highest points in the Rhône, this is a gift that gives every vintage but this year, it’s really a treat.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.