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
$30.00 $25.65
I requested a few Margaret River Cabernets sent to me a few months back. I’ve long thought there was great value in Australia’s Southwest Coast, a region treated by terrific maritime conditions that helped them churn out elegantly woven, herbaceous Cabernets. One of the bottles that came in was from Vasse Felix, the oldest winery in Margaret River and one of the best to this day.
It was a knockout Cab, but there was one problem– the note that more was being ordered to arrive in July. I knew what that meant. By the time I’d get this wine, the critics will have gotten their hands on the wine too and there won’t be much to go around.
Sure enough, a 92-point review by Wine Spectator followed by a 96 point review from James Halliday, the Australian wine critic whose deep focus on his nation’s wines have helped shine the spotlight on some incredible boutique wineries, like this one today. Unfortunately, good press is bad news as this left me with an allotment of only 96 bottles today. I’ll take what I can get.
Bramble, wild berries and herbs on the nose. On the mouth, red currants, crushed flowers, and a hint of spice. At $26/ bottle for a 96-point Cabernet, this is beyond a no-brainer. The 96 bottles we have should only last us so long. This one is a really cool wine to check out before it’s too late!
Out of stock
96 Points, James Halliday
Bright crimson-purple; this has provenance written large across its visage, likewise purity. The restructuring of the Vasse Felix has lifted, not compromised, this dark, fruit-filled cabernet.”
92 Points, Wine Spectator
Firm, showing off the region’s signature fresh herbal notes, which give this aromatic lift and linger on the finish. Bay leaf, rosemary and cedar details are effortlessly infused into the cassis and plum flavors. A hint of black tea adds to the complexity, as does the seamlessness of the velvety tannins.
Robert Foley’s Shelter Cabernet Sauvignon is our most popular Cabernet and finally returns after a few year hiatus. Dark purple on the rim, with aromas of black fruits, smoked meats, baking spice and a touch of sweet oak. It’s a big, round full-bodied wine with a nice acid backbone and a long, smooth finish. You can definitely drink these now (at this point, they’re seven years old) but there’s still a life ahead of them so tuck several away for a few more years.
The second year of this elegant, silky smooth Willamette Valley Pinot Noir crafted by Bertrand de Villane of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti fame. Again it comes from the gorgeous Winter’s Hill Estate about 700 feet above sea level in the Dundee Hills. All indications are that the 2019 is going to be one of the best for Pinot Noir since 1991. A flawless summer that benefited from very little rain mixed with cool, breezy summer nights. With a round, supple mouthfeel and a sturdy backbone this will age gracefully for a decade plus. Bertrand’s wines just have a signature stamp that is unmistakably his. This is phenomenal.
95 Points, James Suckling – 93 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
From the creative mind and winemaking prowess of Screaming Eagle’s own Andy Erickson, comes a passion project unlike any other. The goal at Leviathan is to make only one wine a year– the biggest red in the U.S. Sourced from some of the best vineyards up and down the coast (you can thank Andy and Screaming Eagle for that), this Bordeaux blend features ample Cabernet rounded out with Petit Verdot and Merlot. It’s a big, intense wine that will only get better with age, though its great right now and amazingly under $40/btl for an Andy Erickson wine. That should be more than enough any day!
92 Points (#1 2018 Cru Bourgeois), Vinous – 91 Points, James Suckling
Bordeaux expert Neil Martin at Vinous looked in-depth at the 2018 vintage and offered that it was “a wellspring of wines of exceptional quality and unbeatable prices at decent quantities.” He went on to name some of the Cru Bourgeois from the entire vintage and at the top of his list was the 2018 Chateau Prieure de Beyzac Haut-Medoc. With incredibly gravelly, clay limestone soil, the tiny, swanky producer is able to make some staggering Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Clearly the wine made an enormous impression with Martin, who lobbed a 92-point score on a wine he deemed, “absolutely superb.”
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