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
$32.00
Recently, I tasted one of the best Sauvignon Blancs in recent memory. Not only that – but it’s something new and exciting, in a region that we rarely see: Pouilly-Fume. Unsurprisingly, this wine is and has been a by-the-glass staple at Gramercy Tavern. After being blown away by this wine, I can only assume that every single New York City Sommelier who gets to taste this one salivates over it and orders as much as they can, so I knew I had to act fast.
It turns out that exceptional Pouilly-Fumes at great prices that also happen to have 92-points from the world’s toughest critic are in extremely high demand. But luckily, when I tasted this new vintage two weeks ago, I bought every bottle I could for us – 10 cases of liquid gold.
Jonathan Didier Pabiot’s ‘Leon’ Pouilly Fume is an absolutely gorgeous white wine that is still in its infancy. That’s what’s so amazing. It’s a wine that can be aged for years that is still a teeny bit tight and yet it already shows flashes of sheer brilliance.
With the holy trinity of soil types at his disposal (Kimmeridigian marl, chalky Porlandian, and clay-silex on flint), the ‘Leon’ Pouilly-Fume is grown off some of the very best dirt in France. This Cuvee (named for Pabiot’s son) is made from the old-vines grown on terre blanche terraces overlooking the Loire. The Wine Advocate in their rave 92-point review called it, “a rich and round, very elegant and aromatic Pouilly-Fume with good mineral and fruity freshness and a long, intense and tensioned finish that reveals fine tannins and crisp grip.” They are right on the money.
Out of stock
92 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The former Florilège comes with a new name this year. Predominantly from limestone soils but also silex, the 2020 Pouilly Fumé Léon offers a clear, deep, fresh and spicy, quite complex and iodine bouquet with great precision and mineral intensity. Aged in stainless steel, concrete and 20% oak barrels (228 and 500 liter), this is a rich and round, very elegant and aromatic Pouilly-Fumé with good mineral and fruity freshness and a long, intense and tensioned finish that reveals fine tannins and crisp grip. This is a substantial wine with excellent aging potential. Bottled in March this year with 13% stated alcohol and a natural cork.
Every year, this wine has proven to be a Nicholas Wines staple. The newly released 2022 Frenzy Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is a fabulous value white wine, loaded with green apples, pears and white peaches plus a hint of spice. It’s juicy and fresh, the perfect cocktail hour white. It’s what is referred to as the perfect ‘pool wine’. It’s great paired with just about anything or just enjoyed on its own.
Even though we’re ahead of the scores, I have no doubt that what I secured for us today will join the long list of high-scoring whites for Groth – this really has it all. Made in 100% neutral oak, the aromatics completely shine here as soon as you open the bottle. Fresh lemon, citrus peel and nectarine on the nose with bright acidity, impeccable balance and a lingering aftertaste that makes you want to come back to the glass.
Just in time, we got back Vincent Ricard’s all-time great white wine bargain. This is a crisp, clean and flat out delicious Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc. The protege to the Silex-style of Dagueneau – who over the last 15 years has produced flawless and beloved white wines that at last count were on the wine lists of over 36 Michelin-starred restaurants. This is a great house white and one that can surely hold its own with just about everything on the table.
Gold Medal (Best in Show), 2023 Mundus Vini International Tasting
The area has also been isolated from the rest of Spain for generations, which has kept the wine prices far lower than wines of this quality would be anywhere else in the world. That’s why, despite having the Torres family name on the bottle and the consistent huge press (including the Gold Medal & Best in Show at the 2023 Mundus Vini International Wine Awards in Germany), these wines can still be scooped up for under $20/bottle. It’s like the Sancerre pricing of yesteryear.
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