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
$125.00 $79.00
99 Pts, (Wine of the Year) – Tim Atkin, MW – 98 Pts, Decanter – 97 Pts, Vinous
If you haven’t yet heard of Porseleinberg, you better hurry up and get with the program while we can get this thing for double digits. The boutique Swartland winery is home to dynamite, world-class Cape influenced Syrah that exemplifies the essence of terroir-driven, authentic wine. Critics are in love with the project – wine buyers worldwide make it one of the tougher bottles to get your hands on.
This revolutionary long-term project that borders on a Cult project by Marc Kent of Boekenhoutskloof started when he brought in Callie Louw as the farmer and custodian of this special vineyard. At home on his John Deere tractor, Callie is also the winemaker, producing a richly tannic and yet ethereal wine that is more akin to Cornas or Hermitage.
The 2017 Syrah is all-in-all their highest collective scoring wine ever. It earned its highest ever score from Vinous and Neil Martin and was once again recognized as a ‘Wine of the Year’ by Master of Wine, Tim Atkin. It has been sold out in most countries for months now but I managed to get my hands on the last of it in the States, earmarked exclusively for Nicholas Wines. Most have this above $100/btl, but I did see one with it for $85/btl. For as long as these bottles last, ours is the best price in the country. Just read the expert reviews below… this is a special wine.
Out of stock
99 Points, (Wine of the Year, 2019) – Tim Atkin, MW
“Has any brand in South Africa achieved quite so much as Porseleinberg in less than a decade? This is the best vintage yet from this steep, brutal, extreme schist-rich site and that’s saying a good deal. Big, bold and intense, with incredible, almost feral intensity, incense, tar and black pepper aromas and layers of inky dark fruit. A stunning wine from a stunning site, made by a gem of a winemaker.”
98 Points, Decanter
This Swartland property is owned by Boekenhoutskloof but run independently by gifted winemaker Callie Louw. Alive and dynamic, this soars out of the glass, a touch of firework smoke to the vibrant berry fruits. Incredible energy and elegance on the palate, great freshness and focus, tiny tensile tannins and zesty acidity. Very long, this crackles on and on. The handsome labels are produced at the estate on a vintage Heidelberg press – but don’t assume there is any style over substance here: the 2017 Porseleinberg is a truly great Syrah.”
97 Points, Vinous
“The 2017 Porseleinberg has a compelling bouquet of blackberry, fynbos, Provençal herbs and veins of blue fruit, all showing stunning delineation and composure. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and pure blackberry and raspberry fruit laced with thyme, sage and white pepper. This is utterly refined and intense yet sophisticated. A quite stunning wine.”
98 Pts, Jeb Dunnuck – 96 Pts, Vinous – 95 Pts, Decanter – 95 Pts, Wine Spectator
“The 2016 Poggio al Granchio Brunello di Montalcino is aromatically expressive of perfectly ripe cherry, sweet herbs, dried flowers, and stony earth. There is generous purity of fruit on the palate, with mineral-rich earth, and it had the most balanced and harmonious structure in the lineup on this tasting, with present but fine-grained tannin. I love this wine for its darker mineral edge in counterpoint with crunchy and ripe fruit. It is a super-pleasurable wine right out of the gate and will continue to be so over the next 20 or more years”
99 Pts, Vinous – 97 Pts (Cellar Selection), Wine Enthusiast– 97 Pts, Spectator – 97 Pts, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni called it, “hands down one of the wines of the vintage.” The Wine Advocate chipped in with “a refreshing, beautifully perfumed and skillfully crafted expression of the vintage.” Here’s what I’ll say: How could you do any better than securing a few bottles of a wine with 30-40 years of life left that is already showing better than giants such as Lafite, Margaux and Le Pin. There aren’t many years in Bordeaux’s history where one of the top 3-5 wines of the vintage was a $105 bottling and not one available at four figures.
Winemaker Kian Tavakoli (Opus One, Clos du Val) continues to excel even while others struggle. In 2017, he still managed to deliver a beautiful and opulent Napa Valley Cabernet that’s both dark and juicy. The wine hails from both Coombsville and Rutherford, giving it distinct characteristics and a lot of drive. Deep ruby to the rim with excellent concentration, notes of Bing cherries, raspberry pie and hints of vanilla. On the palate, big wonderfully jammy fruit with young but impressive tannins and great length. The finish leaves notes of black cherry, and baked blueberry pie. Fantastic Napa value.
93 Points, James Suckling – 92 Points, Wine Spectator – 92 Points, Parker’s Wine Advocate
San Giorgio Ugolforte is the sister winery of Poggio di Sotto. Their 2017 presents a dark core of red and black berry fruit layered with earth, leather, smoke, and herbs. It’s a complex and elegant expression, that presents a full mouthfeel that is firm in tannin structure. The refreshing acidity frames a graceful finish. Just a classic Brunello di Montalcino.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.