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
$120.00 $99.00
Aldo Moro – following his first term as Italian prime minister – purchased farmland in 1969 in northern Montalcino for the production and distribution of fodder. At that time, Montalcino was the poorest hilltop town in Southern Tuscany and, believe it or not, the wines were still only known to a select few.
They first planted “Vigna del Lago” – where the sun reflects off the nearby lake. The wines helped to put Montalcino on the map but in 1988 – Val Di Suga acquired a secret weapon – the historic and much sought after Spuntali Vineyard. They started sprinkling just a touch of Spuntali magic fairy dust into their Brunello and Brunello Riservas and seemingly overnight, the wines achieved international acclaim.
The 2015 Brunellos really are something else – and a welcome reprieve from the 2014s. The season was long and dry and as Andrea Mantengoli, of La Serena, summed it up it was “A vintage made by God.” I think what he meant was the weather perfect and the winemaker’s job was just to not $%^^ it up. Ian D’agata went a step further in his recent coverage for Vinous. “Simply put, 2015 is a great Brunello vintage, easily one of the top eight or ten Brunello vintages of all time.”
But when Val di Suga reached back out and gave me the pick of the litter for 2021, I wasn’t shy. I dug right in asked exactly for what I wanted – Val di Suga’s 2015 Single Vineyard Spuntali Vineyard Brunello. To my surprise – the answer was ‘no problem’.
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95 Points, Parker’s Wine Advocate
One of three single-vineyard expressions, the Val di Suga 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Spuntali is the most representative of the estate philosophy and the Sangiovese grape. This classic Brunello shows the thick lines and ripe fruit that this vintage is known for, but it also offers mineral notes or crushed stone and iron ore that add contours and framing to the fruit. There is an almost saline or salty note on the close that you don’t get with the other wines in this series.
95 Points, Vinous
Good medium red. Fresh, almost tight aromas of red cherry, sweet spices and peppermint oil, complicated by blood orange and marzipan nuances. Rich and round, with minty acidity leaving a penetrating quality and an impression of greater verticality than some other recent vintages of this wine. Clearly refined, nicely sweet and pure on the long, multifaceted finish. One reason behind this wine’s success in 2015 is that while the Spuntali area is usually fairly dry, it actually rained in 2015 (somewhat paradoxically, given the 2015 growing season weather characteristics – warm and dry – I thought Spuntali would have been the last spot it would rained, but so it did). A superb wine.
94 Points, Decanter
Situated in the southwest, the sun-bathed Vigna Spuntali looks towards the sea which provides cooling breezes in the hot summer months. Vines grow on sandy soil surrounded by low-lying Mediterranean shrub. The resulting wine is plump yet not heavy, with glossy, sweet fruit lightly coated in fine, dusty tannins. Forthcoming scents of dried thyme and orange peel are countered by a saline tang.
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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.”
The 2021 Napa Valley East side Cuvee is an instant classic. From the first whiff to the moment it hits the lips, its clear that this is a fabulously concentrated, serious wine: black in color, and featuring aromas of cassis, cedar and chocolate-tinged purple fruit. The mouthfeel is plush and voluptuous with a firm, solid finish that speaks to its potential for considerable aging.
90 Points, Wine Spectator
Domaine Jaume Vinsobres Altitude 420 is an old-vine Grenache-Syrah blend from vineyards planted in Les Collines at some of the highest points in the Rhône. The Jaumes have farmed these dizzying elevations at their estate in Vinsobres for 100+ years. The 2020 is one of his best yet, pristine and fresh, a bowl full of berried-up fruit yet with the tension and length that belies its humble price. Incredible bang for the buck, tailor-made for anyone’s house red, and a slam dunk for any kind of meat on the bone.
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.
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