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
One American winemaker that I’ve always admired whose Chardonnays are cut from the French cloth is Adam Tolmach at Ojai. I’ve known Adam and his Assistant Winemaker, Fabien Castel for over a decade and over that time I’ve tried a lot of their wines. The Chardonnays are always impeccably balanced, with tremendous acidity and minerality that I love. He’s a boundary pusher, constantly tinkering, never following rules and experimenting with sugars, acidity, pick dates, barrels and everything else under the sun.
The 2018 edition from the wonderful Solomon Hills Vineyard in Santa Barbara is exceptional. The fruit in this Chard is impeccable. It’s clean, smooth and absolutely bristling with energy. Mandarin oranges, peaches, and green apple with a hint of vanilla yogurt on the wonderfully fresh and lingering finish.
“My favorite of the trio, the 2018 Chardonnay Solomon Hills Vineyard comes from a great site located just to the west of Bien Nacido and was raised mostly in neutral barrels. Richer orchard fruits, orange blossom, spice, crushed rocks, and brioche notes define the bouquet of this classic Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay, which offers bright acidity and good concentration. It’s certainly the richest of the three Chardonnays and is going to evolve for at least 7-8 years.” -96 pts, Jeb Dunnuck
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96 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
my favorite of the trio, the 2018 Chardonnay Solomon Hills Vineyard comes from a great site located just to the west of Bien Nacido and was raised mostly in neutral barrels. Richer orchard fruits, orange blossom, spice, crushed rocks, and brioche notes define the bouquet of this classic Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay, which offers bright acidity and good concentration. It’s certainly the richest of the three Chardonnays and is going to evolve for at least 7-8 years.
98 Points, Jeb Dunnuck – 96 Points, Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The wine’s prominent vineyard signature or “sense of place” is its core driving feature, and this character is both clearly defined and focused in the wine’s flavor and structure. It shows real authority and great authenticity. Aromatically layered and complex with fresh raspberry and red cherry fruits, then rose petal and thyme, and an underlying mossy, woodsy edge. The wine’s fruit is initially crunchy and crisp before turning darker to sleek and succulent cassis and black cherry. As the wine expands, it grows in volume and mineral focus then finishes long, persistent, and penetrating, with great clarity of flavor and spicy intensity.”
I understand how daunting it can be each year to get Leflaive into your collection. But, with two great vintages back to back in a six-pack, I’m making it easier than ever. The Mâcon-Verzé is a stunner and an incredible value. Drawn from nine special plots, and utilizing a combination of steel, cement and oak fermentation that leads to a wide array of flavor profiles. Fresh Granny Smith Apple set against a persistent minerality, refreshing with hints of Meyer Lemon. These are so stinkin’ good!
94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
Every single year, Adam Tolmach’s Bien Nacido Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are showered with huge scores. It’s like death and taxes. The last time one of his wines failed to receive at least a 90 from The Wine Advocate was back in 2005! In Cali’s “bounce back” 2021 vintage, you know the big score trend continued. The new release has yet to be reviewed by the usual suspects (Wine Advocate, Vinous) but Jeb Dunnuck did get his hands on it and gave it a rave 94-point review where he highlighted the “supple mouthfeel, terrific balance and clean finish.”
The 2016 vintage in Napa was nearly perfect for winemaker Kian Tavakoli (Opus One, Clos du Val). With ideal weather all throughout harvest, he crafted the Faustini Money Road Chardonnay off the famous vineyard located in the coveted Oakville AVA. The picturesque vineyard off Oakville Crossroad is platinum rated, known for its ideal combination of soil & climate and the big A list names that routinely source fruit. Kian’s Money Road Chard is still youthful despite having a few years of age, probably as a result of its 18 months of slumber in 1/4 new Oak.
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