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
$20.00 $15.00
The Zenato family has always been at the forefront of innovation in Valpolicella and often at odds with both tradition and the authorities – pushing boundaries to make the best wines possible regardless of what they’re forced to put on the label.
But this passion project doesn’t make any financial sense whatsoever. It’s drawn from one of the most precious and expensive vineyards in the entire region – the Costalunga Estate – the same vineyard (and grapes) from which Zenato crafts their seventy dollar Amarone.
The vineyard is a special place – perfectly positioned above Lake Garda – basking in the reflections off the lake allowing generally late-harvested Corvina to reach perfection year in and year out.
But the Zenato’s decided something was missing from the wines they were crafting off the vineyard that had to adhere to rigid and arcane wine laws. So they began to test breaking those rules. The effort took decades of experimentation but finally found perfection in a bottle made much like Amarone and from the same hillsides but cannot even bear the name Valpolicella.
Zenato Alanera combines three traditional Valpolicella grapes (55% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, 10% Corvinone) with the remainder an even split of Merlot and Cabernet. Half of the grapes undergo partial drying – including the Cabernet & Merlot – which is something I’ve never tasted before.
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93 Points, James Suckling
Loads of peppery and spicy, ripe cherry and berry character on the nose and palate. Hints of coffee and chocolate, too. Full to medium palate, where the spicy tannins push the fruit into a long finish. I like the full-throttle drive to this red. Will improve in the bottle. Drink or hold.
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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.
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.
90-92 Pts, Parker’s Wine Advocate – 91 Pts (Editors’ Choice), Wine Enthusiast – 91 Pts, Decanter
The wines get consistent high praise but 2018 is truly something special. 90-92 from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. 91 points and an Editor’s Choice designation from Wine Enthusiast. 91 more from Decanter who provides “There is so much to enjoy in the smaller appellations this year. Drinking Window 2022 – 2031” and another 90 point score from James Suckling. This is a home run value – especially for the price.
This is a sensational single-vineyard Merlot made from incredibly tiny clusters, full of some of the most elegant, intensely structured fruit from high atop Sonoma Mountain. Beautiful weight and balance with aromas of blueberries, black currants, sage and a hint of cocoa. It’s got a full, plush mouthfeel, pristine and vibrant fruit and a wonderful smooth finish. Thanks to Chad’s big bet on himself, he was able to make a knockout Sonoma Mountain beauty, without the need for any middleman, helping us to enjoy one of his best creations at an outstanding price.
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