SIP INTO SUMMER
WALKAROUND WINE TASTING

Thursday, June 21st
7:00-8:30pm
$75 per person
RESERVE: 732.345.9977

To compliment our selection of wines, hors d’ oeuvres will be served.  

Fifty dollars of the $75 fee is put towards your first wine purchase.  Phone reservations only- this is a ticketed event.

TASTING WINES

Brunori Verdicchio di Castelli di Jesi Gemme 2016

The vineyards surrounding the medieval fortified village of Jesi are planted to the white variety Verdicchio. The varietal has been vinified in this area since the 15th century. Jesi is blessed with a beautiful, maritime climate; the village and surrounding countryside is a major tourist attraction and Adriatic Sea resort for many Europeans. The Castelli di Jesi Classico zone is the best area for aromatic and lively white wines, its sandy soil is interlaced with fossilized shellfish, allowing for great minerality to show through in its best wines.

Domaine Ricard Touraine Sauvignon Blanc Le Petiot 2017

Very old vines (the oldest being planted in 1947!) and tiny yields are the source of this extracted, vibrant Sauvignon Blanc from vineyards on the southern bank of the Cher River in the Loire Valley. Better than most Sancerre, twice its price, Le Petiot has a great depth of flavor and a viscous, satin-like texture. The finish is persistently fruity with a good dose of minerality. Pair with all types of seafood and goat cheese.

André Bonhomme Viré-Clessé Vieilles Vignes  2016

As a young man, André Bonhomme took a huge risk.  Rather than selling his grapes to the local cooperative, he decided to bottle his chardonnay and sell it on his own.  He was the first proprietor to do so in the region.  Over the years, his resolve and determination paid off, allowing him to acquire perfectly situated hillside vineyards above his native town of Viré.  His grandson, Aurélein, is now at the helm but he hasn’t changed much of anything. He’s smart enough to trust the 80 year old vines that are the source for this classic white Burgundy. Drink now-2030….500 cases produced.

Amista – Morning Side Vineyard 2015

Rich tones of stone fruit, nectarine, white peach and a hint of very ripe apricot. Palate has a hint of pear and peach. The mouthfeel is rich & round but well balanced with acidity making the wine feel light. Only 500 cases made.

Johann Peter Reinert  Riesling Auslese Feinherb Kanzemer Sonnenberg 2016

JP Reinert makes vibrant, delicious Riesling that is perfect for summer consumption. His steep, organically tended vineyards yielded perfectly ripe fruit in 2016, providing for a wine that is brimming with exotic fruitiness and slate-like minerality. Pair with grilled shrimp, steamed lobster and sausages.

Domaine du Carrou Sancerre Rosé 2017

Domaine du Carrou owner and winemaker, Dominique Roger, handcrafts wines of superb balance and length. Dominque’s Rosé of Pinot Noir is super-fine, elegant wine, redolent of wild strawberries.  The fruit in the mouth is pure and fresh followed by a long, mineral-laced, finish. Clean, crisp, and incredibly food-friendly, pair this wine with grilled salmon, roasted poultry, and any type of goat cheese.

Trousse Chemise Pinot Noir Hyland Vineyard 2016
The Hyland Vineyard wine is the product of a high elevation vineyard smack dab in the middle of the Van Duzel Corridor, the only gap in Oregon’s Coastal Range. This gap allows the cold air of the Pacific to flow eastward into the Willamette Valley, greatly moderating summer heat. These vineyards were in the very best position to take advantage of 2016’s warm, dry days because at night, the high elevation of Van Duzel breezes kept things cool. Anne’s 2016 Hyland Pinot is bright with a terrific, freshly crushed fruit quality. The finish is long and mineral making me think this is a wine that will do well in a proper cellar. If you can’t resist the fruit, and it is hard, believe me, pair with roasted salmon or poultry.

Domaine Francois Raquillet Mercurey Rouge Vieilles Vignes 2016

Tucked into the limestone-laden, green hills of Mercurey, lies the 12 hectare estate of François Raquillet. Just south of Chassagne Montrachet, Mercurey in the hands of François becomes Burgundy with a much deeper level of complexity, concentration and age-worthiness than most of his peers. The combination of old vines, low yields and organic farming creates incredible aromatic complexity and a lush texture generally found only in wines with much greater price tags. The VV cuvee is vinified entirely in oak, creating an intensely aromatic, concentrated red Burgundy with a stony long finish that makes it absolutely perfect at any table. Great with grilled salmon. Drink now-2026

Fattoria Zerbina Sangiovese Superiore Romagna Ceregio 2016

Cristina Geminiani’s estate Fattoria Zerbina, named for the southerly wind that blows through this valley, is located 50 km southeast of Bologna, halfway to the Adriatic. Her 29 hectare are farmed without the use of chemicals on a classic mix of iron-rich clay and limestone. Her pizza wine, Ceregio, is a brilliant ruby color, with racy, black cherry fruit flavors. Firm acidity makes the wine long on the palate and just about perfect with any type of simple cuisine on any Tuesday night. Great house red

Corzano e Paterno Chianti Riserva Tre Borri 2015

In 2015, winemaker and proprietor, Joschi Goldschimdt made one of his greatest wines, the Chianti Riserva Il Tre Borri.  Joschi’s top wine is 100% Sangiovese, the very best selection that the estate grew in ’15. The nose is high-toned and elegant, with notes of red-fruits, with a touch of earth, sweet tobacco and spice. The mid palate is concentrated, loaded with vibrant, wild-berry fruitiness and a lush, supple mouthfeel.  The finish is long with fine-grained tannins. This wine is young, absolutely packed; be sure to decant and drink in a big glass because there is a unique layer of refinement that gradually comes with air. When you get there, whoa, the wine is stunning. Drink this Tuscan masterpiece now-2030

Roc des Anges Côtes de Catalan Rouge Effet Papillon 2017

Majorie Gallet’s Effet Papillon Rouge is jammy but fresh, harvested from the iron rich soil just outside of Rivesaltes. It’s a terrific little red, with a great nose of berries and loaded with concentrated, juicy fruit. In the mouth, the fruit is ripe and the finish, long. Pair with just about anything, particularly lamb.

Xavier Vins Vacqueyras 2015

“One of the standouts in the portfolio is the 2015 Vacqueyras and it’s a full-bodied, charming, even sexy blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Gre- nache and 10% Mourvèdre that’s aged in a combination of one- to three-year-old barrels. Giving up loads of black raspberries, plums, spice box and garrigue, it hits the palate with an expansive, rounded and ripe profile that just begs to be drunk. I expect it will benefit from a year or two of bottle age and shine through 2025” 91-93 Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate

Maculan – Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon Veneto Brentino 2014
To ensure the perfect balance between fruitiness and softness, Maculan ages this wine for one year, 50% of it in French barriques, and 50% in stainless steel tanks. Deep ruby-red with garnet hues, the Brentino offers seductive aromas of blackberries and dark cherries, along with hints of cedar and forest due to the year spent aging in French barriques.  This wine is dry, full-bodied with a fantastic finish- the perfect house red.

Fabre Montmayou Cabernet Sauvignon Patagonia Barrel Selection 2015

The Patagonia Cab from Hervé Fabre is sourced from one of the most extreme environments in the world. Its ancient vines are rooted in sandy desert high above the Rio Negro, where temperatures can swing 45 degrees in either direction, not an easy place to grow grapes. But it is those extremes that bring out the best in Cabernet, those stressed old vines yield black, opulent fruit yet with aromatic complexity and structure that belies its humble price tag. Great choice for a house red. Drink with everything you cook outside, ribs, steaks, burgers.

Catena – Tinto Historico Malbec 2015
The 2015 Tinto Historico shows flashy black fruit and purple flowers in the nose. It’s mouth-coating and hedonistic in the mouth with great length. Drink this special Tuesday nighter with ribs off the grill all spring and summer long.

Nicholas  |  160 Route 35 South  |  Red Bank NJ 07701  |  732.345.9977