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
$49.99
96 Points, Jeb Dunnuck – 95 Pts, Antonio Galloni- Vinous. The highest rated Chardonnay yet!
**This is a super rare bottling. Less than 80 cases were made with most carefully passed out to the Ojai allocation list. I managed to get 54 bottles to offer up today. First come first served.**
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.
Perhaps their greatest white wine release to date is the uber small batch of Special Bottled Chardonnay from the Puerta del Mar Vineyard. PDM or the “door to the sea” is the perfect vineyard to challenge the classically trained winemaker. It’s the chilliest vineyard in the Ojai fleet and the perfect one for making White Burgundy-esque Chards with piercing minerality and natural acidity. Perched on the very edge of where grapes can actually get ripe, just a ridge away from the Pacific. The vines struggle mightily – which in excellent vintages means a concentration of flavor and depth that is truly absolutely remarkable.
Read Galloni’s rave review below where he calls the wine, “gorgeous” or Jeb Dunnuck’s 96-point review in which he finishes with, “It brings another level of depth and complexity and is a brilliant Chardonnay.”
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96 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
Made in tiny quantities, the 2020 Chardonnay Puerta Del Mar Vineyard Special Bottling is a deeper, richer, more serious Chardonnay that warrants serious attention. Offering classic Chardonnay stone fruits, toasted brioche, and chalky minerality, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, concentrated mouthfeel, high yet integrated acidity, subtle oak, and a great finish. It brings another level of depth and complexity and is a brilliant Chardonnay.
95 Points, Vinous
The 2020 Chardonnay Special Bottling Puerta del Mar is gorgeous. The 2020 offers up hints of lemon confit, white flowers, mint and pear that all take shape in this creamy, layered Chardonnay. The 2020 spent 16 months in barrel, so on the longer side.
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Poached lobster is a perfect match
Elena Walch’s newly released 2022 Pinot Bianco continues to be the best example of Pinot Blanc anywhere. She’s the undisputed queen. There’s so much energy in this new release. Super light in color, with a busy nose that boasts ripe aromas of citrus, granny smith apple with a hint of freshly mowed grass. Made entirely in stainless steel, the wine is expressive, fresh and finishes as clean and tight as can be. Definitely will continue the run of 90+ scores once this one is reviewed.
Year in, year out Château Turcaud produces one of the best white wine values in the world. It’s long been found on Michelin-starred wine lists in Paris and we’ve had it at the restaurant since Day 1. If you’ve ever tried this stunning, classic Bordeaux of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle, then you know why. The new 2022 vintage has arrived and it’s beaming with energy and pure stone fruits. This is a beauty as always.
2022 was an absolutely perfect vintage in this respect and unfortunately, I think it will be one of the last, if not THE last. As winegrower Jean-Marc Brocard reported to Decanter: “When we taste the wines, we feel that the balance between acidity and ripeness is very good. It’s a classic style of Chablis. In the end, even after such a heat during summertime, we stay in a cool year reference.” He also alluded to the ageability of the vintage, saying “Let’s give them time, we must let nature do its work.”
The newly released 2022 Domaine Laroche Chablis Saint Martin has some big shoes to fill as the last four vintages have earned 92-points or higher, but the early indications are that this is line with previous vintages if not even a little bit ahead at this stage. The problem is – there’s almost none to go around with much smaller yields. Still this is beautiful and crisp, with good focus, energy and depth. I get the signature green fruits on the nose, with some Asian pear, and a hint of jasmine blossom. There’s a beautiful mineral streak that highlights this one. It’s a fantastic White Burg for the price.
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