100x100

[KatieLoeb]

I cannot help but feel that these Point Makers are Pied Pipers, leading all the children to their doom and demise...

I can think of worse demises than drinking lots of BIG ASSED wines.

However, leading them down a primrose path to pauperhood is definitely a possibility.

[CtznCane]

I'd really like to know if anyone thinks they have had a perfect wine. And if so, why they thought it was perfect.

And, so as not to be just a rabble rouser, I'll try to think if I have. too.

Best, Jim

Mine was back in I believe '84. I called the restaurant (xmas season) told them what wines I was bringing, and to make a meal around the wines, no questions asked. They did. The wine: 1961 Chateau Cheval Blanc, and English Calvert bottling. The restaurant served a combination of Abalone & Veal Picatta (The Sardine Factory in Monterey). After 20+ years I don't have all the details but I can say this. The color of the wine was mesmorizing still retaining its vibrancy yet a little bit subudued taking the shout out of the red. Absolutely liquid silk while being utterly rich and full and capturing the fruit. The finish just lingered on and on bringing a warmth. Utterly exquisite and yes, perfect. Sure, this is all subjective but that is my perfect wine. I've had some awfully good ones since, but nothing close to that one.

[hathor]

Our perfect wine was a Turley 1997 Earthquake Zin. The earth literally moved...it was a lush festival of flavors as it rolled over the tongue and back to the throat. The nose was a deep forest full of nuances that you wanted to chase down. We've had other Earthquakes, even that vintage...but that one particular bottle was perfect.

[Florida Jim]

"For the same 349.99, I can rent a cot in Florida Jims garage. That way, I can circle the dinner table making uncomfortable eye contact until someone offers me a glass."

Gordon,

For that kinda dough, we've got a walk-in closet with your name on it. But no circling; stand or sit but, when others are drinking, no circling.

Best, Jim

[Florida Jim]

You know, I'm not sure I'd call it perfect, but as close as I've been was one bottle of 1982 Cheval Blanc.

I've actually had two (same source) one very. very good. But the second was had around a table with good food and good friends and it is the only time I ever remember having a wine that, after we all had the first sip, nobody spoke.

Thereafter, there was alot to say, but those first seconds . . . well, maybe that's where perfection lies.

Best, Jim

[mongo_jones]

How can you resist?

i find the $349.99 tag makes it easy

How can you set a price on perfection?

hey, i'm not the one who priced it--i'm happy to drink it for free though if those with more principled wallets are willing to share. i accept paypal and cashier's checks.

[ctgm]

Perhaps they'll go the route of Nigel Tufnel in This is Spinal Tap and start handing out 110 points.

"It's better because it goes to 110!!!"

Love it!!

Do you get Clive Coates' The Vine in the US? I have always found that the tasting notes/scores are much more sensible.

[Craig Camp]

Perhaps they'll go the route of Nigel Tufnel in This is Spinal Tap and start handing out 110 points.

"It's better because it goes to 110!!!" 

Love it!!

Do you get Clive Coates' The Vine in the US? I have always found that the tasting notes/scores are much more sensible.

That excellent publication is available in the USA and I would certainly recommend it to anyone. Clive Coates along with Jancis Robinson are at the center of the developing chasm between American and British wine writers that was ingnited by the Robinson/Parker exchange over Pavie, which was more or less over this topic.

[GordonCooks]

Every memorable bottle I've had was accented by the occasion or company it was shared with.

[mikeycook]

Here's a good reason not to pay 100 points too much heed.

Some Robert Parker 100 Point Wines and Their Wine Spectator Rating

Wine                                                            RP                     WS

1992 Dalla Valle Maya                                  100                     94

1994 Harlan Estate                                       100                     95

1997 Harlan Estate                                       100                     97

2000 La Mission Haut Brion                           100                     93

1982 Lafite Rothschild                                  100                     92

1996 Lafite Rothschild                                  100                     96

2000 Lafite Rothschild                                  100                    100

1961 Latour                                                100                    100

1982 Latour                                                100                     98

1982 Leoville Las Cases                               100                     95

1982 Margaux                                             100                    100

1990 Montrose                                            100                     94

1982 Mouton Rothschild                               100                     98

1982 Mouton Rothschild                               100                     99

2000 Pavie                                                 100                     96

1989 Petrus                                                100                     94

2000 Petrus                                                100                     98

1982 Pichon-Longueville-Lalande                  100                     95

1997 Quinta do Noval                                  100                     97

1997 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon   100                     95

I am sure a similar list could be made of WS 100 point wines that are not RP 100 point wines.

This is why I take ratings with a grain of salt.  Is the '82 Lafite a 100 point wine or a 92 point wine?  Maybe it's 100 points, but would you want to pay a 100 point price (approx. $600) and decide you only think it rates 92 points?

For someone not paying "heed" to the numbers , you sure had those scores up your sleeve!

To be honest, I stole them from a Parker's Perfects list on Winebid.

For me personally, I would define a 100x100 wine as one that got 100 points from Parker and WS, since they have no vested interest in reaching agreement on the subject. Any wine that gets 100 points from both must have a lot going for it.

[Brad Ballinger]

I have two wines from that list. The 1997 Harlan Estate was one of the worst bottles of California Cab I've ever had. The 1990 Montrose was one of the best Bordeaux I've ever had.

Both wines were consumed in the same evening with a bunch of other wines by a bunch of Internet wine board people who, like many of us, are fanatical consumers. The Harlan was controversial, but more people disliked it than like it. The Montrose was the consensus top wine of the evening. That someone assigned identical 100-point ratings to them confounds me, and makes me glad I don't pay attention to the numbers.

[Coop]

Does anyone have any comments on the tasting notes and scores in Wine and Spirits magazine? For particular wines their scores seem quite different then Spectator and Parker.

[Rieslingfan]

Even Parker has admitted that emotion plays a big part in a wine getting 100 points. SOmeone already posted the "it just does not get any better than this" line & that's more than likely what 100 really means.

100 is not a "perfect" wine. It's a wine that is flawless & so good that it elicits an emotional respinse.

Of course I can get that same result by drinking a bottle of Donnhoff QbA while sitting high on a mountain in the Canadian Rockies. The wine is cheaper, but the plane ticket is a killer.

[Florida Jim]

100 is not a "perfect" wine. It's a wine that is flawless & so good that it elicits an emotional respinse.

Of course I can get that same result by drinking a bottle of Donnhoff QbA while sitting high on a mountain in the Canadian Rockies. The wine is cheaper, but the plane ticket is a killer.

There it is.

In that case, I've had more than a few hundred pointers in my time.

One with you, as I recall . . .

Best, Jim

[arielle]

I've enjoyed many an exceptional wine in my time, as I have had the good fortune to work with some dedicated professionals at outstanding restaurants, who have at various times taken me under their wings and tutored me on my knowledge of the grape. However, the greatest wine I ever tasted was the first glass that I literally shared with the man who was to become my husband: the 1996 Cos d'Estournel. I shall never forget the intensity of emotion that thrilled through my body at that moment - I've just never been certain if it was the wine........

Another great experience was a vertical and horizontal tasting of a flight of Brokenwood 'Graveyard': 1986, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000. The horizontal tasting was to put this NSW shiraz (that retailed for circa $80 AUD!!!!), the 2000 vintage of which was being released, up against some of the most highly-regarded Australian shiraz and one exceptional syrah, to wit: the '86 Penfolds' 'Grange' (until the advent of the 1998 vintage, the 1986 was considered to be the best they had produced!); the '86 Henschke 'Hill of Grace', probably considered the 2nd best Aust. shiraz produced; Hardy's 'Eileen Hardy' '91; Wynns' 'Michael' '94, d'Arenberg 'Dead Arm' '98 (one of the best years ever for Australian wine, across the board); Jaboulet's "La Chapelle" '98; and for the 2000 vintage: Hanging Rock "Heathcote" and Seville Estate 'Old Vine'. There were two others ('91 and '94) but I did not have the opportunity to taste these.

What was so exceptional about this tasting was that there were so many excellent wines, all unique, expressing their terroir, style and nuance in sometimes very subtle ways, sometimes in vastly different ways*; yet there was nonetheless an enormous price differential between the various bottles, and it therefore afforded me the opportunity to consider the true 'value' of a wine.

[*The contrast between the Dead Arm (a McLaren Vale shiraz), which was bold and intense, full-bodied and overwhelmed the senses, and the La Chapelle, which was nearling delicacy in contrast, and was subtle and refined and food-friendly in a way that most New-World winemakers have only begun to realise is desirable.]

The point is, each of these wines was an excellent example of their style of winemaking. The '86 Grange cannot be found for less that $400USD nowdays, though, and it's the same as the Gaja: how very much better is it than a bottle of something that Parker or anyone else may rate very highly, just not a 100-pointer? I would be very happy to fork out $120 USD to purchase a bottle of Cos d'Estournel and relive that magic moment: I could do that three, count it 3!!!!, times for the cost of an extra point or three......

[albiston]

The point is, each of these wines was an excellent example of their style of winemaking. The '86 Grange cannot be found for less that $400USD nowdays, though, and it's the same as the Gaja: how very much better is it than a bottle of something that Parker or anyone else may rate very highly, just not a 100-pointer? I would be very happy to fork out $120 USD to purchase a bottle of Cos d'Estournel and relive that magic moment: I could do that three, count it 3!!!!, times for the cost of an extra point or three......

In Gaja's case the price of the wine, as delicious as it may be, has little to do with its objective quality. What Gaja sells are very much status wines, like a Ferrari or a Lamborghini could be in the world of cars. Angelo Gaja himself is quite clear about this. In an interview to the European magazine Vinum he said, talking about the sale crisis of Itaian wines, his wines have nothing to worry about because:

Yes, we make a niche product for rich people, and there will always be some of these...

If his wine had 97 or even 95 points I doubt the price would go down that much. There'd still be enough people buying them just because they're from Gaja.

[Coop]

It's interesting you mention Lamborghini who make incredibly expensive cars, but very good value wine. Campeleone always seems to be a good buy considering the quality. Unlike the Diablo, which is unbelievably expensive. I think this is due to the technology that goes into the manufacturing of such a car. I wonder if any more money goes into the making of Costa Russi then goes into Campeleone?

[ctgm]

I would be very happy to fork out $120 USD to purchase a bottle of Cos d'Estournel and relive that magic moment: I could do that three, count it 3!!!!, times for the cost of an extra point or three......

If you are ever in London you can buy 1996 Cos from me at $120 a bottle.

Using a rough exchange rate and including all local taxes I could alternatively let you have it at our list price of $80 a bottle.

[arielle]

Using a rough exchange rate and including all local taxes I could alternatively let you have it at our list price of $80 a bottle.

I live in Toronto, and was doing a quick, rough exchange in my head! But you really sell it for $80! O! Catch me, for I think I shall faint! To be honest with you, though, I think that if I did get my paws on a bottle, I'd probably be too greedy to share it (anyway, he's a sommelier, and has a far greater opportunity to try these things than I do

[ctgm]

Not wanting to abuse the board's rules in any way,....

I list Cos 96, at £440 In Bond, add £15 for Duty and 17.5% on everything for VAT and this comes to £534.63 x $1.8 = $962 a case cleared

The 1996s in the UK are still very well priced. The 1995s seem to be higher priced.