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
$23.00
Matt’s wines have been on my short list of the most impressive reds produced anywhere in the U.S. for decades. Add the fact that most make it to retail shelves for under $30 means it’s also nearly impossible to find better value from anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, these wines will never exist again.
The key to natural concentration in any wine is tiny yields. Often that happens when a winegrower aggressively prunes so that flavors concentrate in the berries that remain. Sometimes nature kicks in and hydric stress causes the grapes to remain tiny and concentrated -even shrivel on the vine. Occasionally – hail might do the work for you.
In the case of these ancient vineyards – this all happens naturally. Ancient grape bushes produce few berries. The sandy soils provide hydric stress. The grapes remain minuscule and super-concentrated – mimicking amarone growing on the vine.
Now I absolutely adore the single varietal wines from Matt. The Evangelho Zinfandel may be one of the best in the world. The Petite Sirah is so thick and jammy and a total crowd pleaser. But if you ask me – the best wine of the whole bunch is the old-vine red, a true field blend of many of the same varieties found in Chateauneuf-du-Pape but without the $200 price tag the vines this old command.
Out of stock
Don't worry! Enter your email and we'll notify you when it's available again or if we have very similar products from this producer.
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
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.
With seemingly infinite access to some of the absolute very best vineyards in the most choice AVAs in the valley, the Wagner’s set out to make Quilt– a Cabernet blend from a patchwork of the top sites in Napa (Oakville, St Helena, Atlas Peak, Coombsville, Calistoga, and Howell Mountain.) The brand new 2021 edition is a beauty – deeply concentrated, rich and a truly show stopping Cabernet. It’s a dark, hedonistic blend that combines elegance with power and pairs the two together effortlessly.
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.
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.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.