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
$60.00 $55.00
Walter Hansel was a farmer who loved growing fruit above just about all other endeavors. Kiwis, cherries, pears, you name it. Eventually, that love led him to grapes and in 1978 he and his son Steve planted 257 vines of Chardonnay on the estate.
The vineyard was a true family affair. The family harvested together and made the wine together. That half acre was just enough for two barrels. Throughout the 80s, the family even drank the wine themselves.
But that would all change when Steve took over the ‘winery’. Steve was good friends with the famous winemaker Tom Rochioli, who let him work a few harvests at Rochioli Vineyards to cut his teeth at winemaking. Then in 1996 – Steve made his first commercial vintage – in his garage.
The following 25 years saw the wines skyrocket in quality and achieve near cult status among the few people lucky enough to stumble across the winery and then inevitably get a personal walking tour by Steve.
You’d think that success would change things but Walter Hansel is still a family affair. There are no specialized roles and no full time workers. Everyone just pitches in with whatever needs to get done, whether its the hand harvesting, bottling, or shipping the wine club.
Steve has become known for his Burgundian style of winemaking and similar to Burgundy, he manages each block individually. The wines are made in tiny lots are pretty hard to find outside of California.
Today’s wine is no exception, but I did manage to grab 12 cases for our list. The 2018 Cuvee Alyce Pinot Noir is a bombshell. With Steve’s emphasis on low yields (a miniscule range from 1.5 to 2.5 tons/acre) this wine is super concentrated and bursting from the seams with layers of fresh fruit. It’s silky and wonderfully structured and the kind of wine that’s hard to put down.
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96 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple in color, the 2018 Pinot Noir Cuvée Alyce opens slowly to alluring aromas of smoked cranberries, red cherries and black raspberries laced with licorice, bergamot and dried lavender. The palate is medium-bodied and super silky with addicting freshness, absolutely packed with layered, detailed flavors, and it finishes very long and elegant. Wow!
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Not Eligible for Futher Discount-From famed winemaker, Robert Foley comes an absolute delight of a bottle of wine. A seamless Bordeaux blend of 80% Cabernet, 17% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot that is incredibly smoothly now but should have another decade easy of prime drinking. It is the definition of a Saturday Night bottle of wine. One to cherish for a special occasion.
92 Points, Vinous – 92 Points, James Suckling – 91 Points, Wine & Spirits
“The 2021 Malbec Reserva, from Vistalba, Lujan de Cuyo, was 60% aged in barrels for 12 months. Purple in color. The nose presents notes of fresh plum and violets, white pepper, strawberry, hints of spice and aromas from the aging process. It’s initially indulgent in the mouth, with good fat, and volume and a velvety texture. The flavors are bold and full-bodied. This 2021 overdelivers at the price.” -Vinous
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.
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.”
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