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
$35.00 $29.99
I met “Crazy” Richard Luftig in the fall of 1999 just as I was leaving the city and opening Restaurant Nicholas. He was the Wine Director of Felida at the time; he gave me a dizzying dissertation on the subtleties of the Chianti sub zones while I ate lunch at the bar.
To be fair, I never call him Crazy Richard; that credit goes to some of my friends on the distribution side of the business because Richard drives them absolutely crazy. There are very few people in this business as uncompromising and passionate as Richard when it comes to choosing wine for any of the great wine programs that he as run over the last 20 years. Considering his discriminating palate and the impossibly high standard he has always set for wine, I was understandably excited when he first told me about his idea of actually making wine himself. His project, Pied à Terre, is the realization of his dream and the culmination of his considerable experience as a professional wine buyer in New York City.
Like you’ve heard me say in these pages over and over again, it’s nearly impossible to find affordable, high quality Cabernet from California. While there were, and still are, a lot of inexpensive wines from California on the market, we’ve both found it incredibly difficult to find high-quality, soulful and truly balanced ones. Thanks to Rich, we can now add Pied à Terre to our very short list of affordable California Cabs because great wines doesn’t have to cost $500 per bottle. Not a crazy idea…
We ran the Pied à Terre 2015 last year with great success and with a long list of reorder requests that we can finally honor, reach out to Melissa if you want to reload. But today I am happy to be one of the first to talk about a new expression of Cabernet that is sure to be just as popular as the original. This is a very refined, clean Cabernet but also a richer, more opulent expression. It’s the perfect natural homage to the genius of David Bowie, a personal favorite of Richard’s. In his words, it’s a glam-rock Cabernet!
2019 was an absolutely stellar vintage in the Napa Valley as it was throughout all of the west coast. Cooler temperatures and moderate weather led to a long growing season, allowing grapes to ripen smoothly. This long growing season produced wines with great structure and concentration without being overripe. Both quality and quantity match classic vintages like 2007, ’10 and ’13, and the much lauded predecessor, the 2018 vintage.
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90 Points, James Suckling
Damien has crafted a delicious Médoc, full of character with dense black currant and cherry fruit, cedar, tobacco and wonderful complexity. It’s silky complexion is what pushes it over the edge (and, of course, the price!) It doesn’t hurt that it comes from a 95-point Left Bank vintage that the Wine Advocate declared, “outstanding.”
In the 2020 vintage in Gevrey-Chambertin, yields were super low and temperatures were hotter than most Burgundian winemakers are accustomed. Many picked too late when the sugars were high and the fruit really ripe, but that was not the play. Still, Ann remained as cool in those hot temps as she did so many years ago in Napa, concentrating more on acid levels than sugars and picking at just the right time. This wine is absolutely singing – it’s an age-worthy beauty that should be even better in 4-7 years.
90 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Xavier Vignon’s brand spanking new CDR 100% is a thing of beauty. It’s already got a blessing from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate who described this wine as, “Full-bodied, concentrated and supple”. This is a gorgeous and intricate blend that features all of the Southern Rhone appellations. This year, the blend was 40% Grenache, 25% Mourvedre, 15% Syrah, 7% Cinsault, 7% Marselan, 6% Terret Noir. Nobody can do it like the mad scientist, Xavier Vignon.
It’s no surprise the Wine Advocate has called the Ventoux a “screaming bargain.” Carved off the left bank of the Rhone River, the 2020 Delas Ventoux is a gorgeous medium-bodied wine with wonderful crushed red fruits, a silky mouthfeel, tremendous structure and that signature Rhone spice on the finish. I haven’t had this wine available for a few vintages, but I figure it’s the perfect springtime Red to bring back in the fold!
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