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
$45.00 $38.00
Ridge is an iconic brand that’s hard to sum up in just a few quick sentences. They are constant critical darlings and have been on the top of just about every list you can imagine for well over 50 years. Maybe they are most well known for winning the second enactment of the 1972 Judgement of Paris where their Monte Bello not only edged out the Napa Elite but also topped Mouton, Montrose, & Haut-Brion.
The lesser told story about Ridge is probably the most important– the one that the winery can credit with propelling it to an entirely new level of prestige and that is the story of adopting a second pitch. Everyone needs at least two great pitches to be a Hall-of Famer… except of course for Mariana Rivera!
Up until 1964, the winery had spent it’s first 75 years only making Cabernet. The Cabs were really good– high acid, mountain Cab fruit. But it wasn’t until 1964 when Ridge would make their first Zinfandel, that the winery finally adopted a ‘2nd pitch’ ala Nolan Ryan’s devastating curveball after a fury of lethal fastballs.
By 1966, Ridge’s Zinfandel success had catapulted the brand into the stratosphere and they decided to make two very important steps. First, they expanded their search for the absolute ideal spot in the state for Zinfandel. That led them to an amazing discovery – ancient Zinfandel vines planted in 1882 in the coastal breeze blessed, sun-kissed Sonoma Coast. These grow on gnarled trunks – the size of a tree – naturally limiting yields. The second was the decision to hire Paul Draper to run the winemaking team. Those decisions made all the difference.
Today, those old-vines are over 130 years old, a tremendous asset when crafting one of the best red blends in the country. At their disposal, an embarrassment of riches– Geyserville has 23 different co-planted varietals for the winemakers at Ridge to choose from each vintage.
The 2017 Ridge Geyserville is one of the best Proprietary Blends coming from the Estate in the last quarter century. A layered succession of fresh fruits with cherries, plums, raspberries and blackberries. Medium to full-bodied with a mouthful of elegance- silky smooth tannins that show structure and age-worthiness and a finish that is as long as it is pleasant.
94 Points and rave review from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. $45 on release at the winery. Just $39/btl today at Nicholas Wines. Mix and match or add a full case and enjoy this wine at the best price per bottle in the country.
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94 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The 2017 Geyserville is a blend of 68% Zinfandel, 18% Carignane, 12% Petite Sirah and 2% Alicante Bouschet, aged 14 months in American oak, 16% new. Medium ruby, it opens with lilac, chocolate box and stone fruit hints with warm blackcurrants, red and black cherries, cranberries, cedar, tobacco leaf and dusty earth. Medium to full-bodied, it opens slowly in the mouth to pure fruits supported by fine, chalky tannins and integrated freshness on the very long finish. This is wound tight but has loads of potential and will require at least another few years in bottle.
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95 Points, Jeb Dunnuck – 95 Points, Lisa Perotti-Brown
The oft 100-point winemaker, Jayson Woodbridge had this to say when tasting his 2021 ‘Stargazing’ Sonoma Pinot: “The wine is vibrant and complex with subtle dark fruits and berries, grandmother’s cherry pie, minerals, and a slight touch of rain-soaked earth, intertwined with a balance and very pleasing easy-going luxury. Should have been priced higher but what the hell.” I have no doubt this clerical error will be addressed in the vintages moving forward. But for now, this is a cult Pinot for under $100/bottle.
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.
93 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 93 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
“Vignon’s 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape delivers even more than I hoped for based on a previous sample. Hints of garrigue, roses, cherries and raspberries appear on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, silky and long, with an intense, almost briny finish. The assemblage is 50% Grenache, 10% each Mourvèdre and Syrah, plus smaller proportions of seven other permitted varieties, while the élevage includes foudres, demi-muids, concrete and wooden tanks, plus terracotta amphorae.”
91 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Always the one with the most personality of the bunch, this is what Wine Enthusiast had to say about the 2021 release: “This extremely ripe and bold style of Pinot Noir will please those seeking such lushness. Dark in the glass, it begins with black cherry, toasty caramel and cola milk shake aromas.” The cool, coastal days and abundance of sunshine lines up perfectly for a wine that has a good natural acidic backbone, with bold fruit-forward flavors. In an easy 2021 vintage, Joe Wagner had a field day with this single-vineyard beauty.
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