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
$20.00 $16.50
Alsace is often France’s forgotten region – arguably more German than French – similar to Italy’s Alto Adige. And equally similar, white wine has been king for hundreds of years and has been raised to perfectly pair with the region’s cuisine.
In Alsace that means foie gras and escargot – playing right into the gormand’s playbook. (Do try the flammekueche if you ever get the chance.) As Boston’s only Master Sommelier, Brahm Callahan says “Alsatian wines are priced like cheap Pinot Grigio but deliver like Grand Cru Burgundy.”
For that reason, Michelin starred restaurants line up around the block to add Alsatian selections to their wine lists. The region boasts a rich tradition of excellence produced by family run operations that go way back— and that’s where Pierre Sparr enters the picture. The family began establishing the estate in the 17th century. Just as George Washington began his first presidential term, the Sparr family began a drastic expansion of land holdings. However, many of these vineyards were decimated during World War II and had to be completely restored.
This tenacity continues with the twelve generation which has begun to add their vigor to the family business and legacy. The latest Sparr completed study in oenology and worked in Napa of all places for Pernod-Ricard before returning to the family estate in 2010. He came back with a chip on his shoulder, and since then the winery has been on a tear.
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.”
The newly released 2021 Domaine Laroche Chablis Saint Martin has some big shoes to fill as the last three 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.
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.
Even extremely well-trained palates have difficulty differentiating Pabiot’s Sauvignon from premier cru Sancerre. But I’ll let you in on the secret. Pabiot’s soils for the Coteau des Girarmes feature some of the same clay & limestone mix as across the river contributing that familiar minerality combined with fresh citrus fruits – lemon, lime but the slight variation adds a touch of white flower to the nose. That tiny bit adds just a little something more complex and interesting then you’ll find in most Sancerre.
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