12 Perfect Wines in Wine Advocate Issue 228
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Lisa Perrotti-Brown
- 19 Jan 2017 | News & Views
Granted, the existence of perfection in wine is hotly debated. There are critics, including those that have adopted the 100-Point Scale, that argue there can never be a 100-point wine. I find this a curious stance. Surely it is pointless to set a grading system with a glass ceiling keeping the top grade unobtainable and therefore the highest score a wine can achieve is an arbitrary figure somewhere below?
Of course, Robert Parker and his team of reviewers (myself included) at Robert Parker Wine Advocate whole-heartedly maintain that if you apply the 100-point scale, there must be such a beast as the 100-point wine. But to be clear, “100” is a rare score that is never given without careful consideration and much deliberation. To qualify for 100 points, a wine must be without “faults” and of the highest quality, considering factors such as fruit ripeness, intensity, complexity / depth, balance, length and a singularity about the wine – a unique signature that not only interests, it excites.
Our End of December Issue – Issue 228 – was something of a special Issue for us in that it was our biggest Issue ever, weighing in at 7415 tasting notes / reviews from 11 different countries. Of these, there were just 21 wines rated at 100 points and only 12 new / upcoming releases (the other 9 wines being new reviews of wines that had previously been reviewed). The 12 new or soon to be released 100-point wines are listed here. Enjoy!
2015 Chapoutier Ermitage l'Ermite Blanc, Hermitage, Northern Rhone
2015 Chapoutier Ermitage le Meal Blanc, Hermitage, Northern Rhone
2015 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Napa Valley
2015 Hermann Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Freitag, Nahe, Germany
2015 Gut Hermannsberg Schlossböckelheimer Kupfergrube Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Nahe, Germany
2014 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2014 Realm The Absurd, Napa Valley
2013 Pahlmeyer Cabernet Sauvignon Piece de Resistance, Napa Valley
2013 Levy and McClellan Proprietary Red, Napa Valley
2013 Hall Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Exzellenz, Napa Valley
2013 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill, Napa Valley
2013 Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Meleagris Gallopavo Vineyard, Napa Valley
2015 Chapoutier Ermitage le Meal Blanc, Hermitage, Northern Rhone
2015 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Napa Valley
2015 Hermann Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Freitag, Nahe, Germany
2015 Gut Hermannsberg Schlossböckelheimer Kupfergrube Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Nahe, Germany
2014 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2014 Realm The Absurd, Napa Valley
2013 Pahlmeyer Cabernet Sauvignon Piece de Resistance, Napa Valley
2013 Levy and McClellan Proprietary Red, Napa Valley
2013 Hall Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Exzellenz, Napa Valley
2013 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill, Napa Valley
2013 Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Meleagris Gallopavo Vineyard, Napa Valley
Full tasting notes and scores as well as where to buy these highly recommended wines can be found in the Wine Advocate section of our RobertParker.com website. Featuring more than 350,000 original reviews written by our dedicated, independent team of experts, Robert Parker Wine Advocate has been the go-to source for wine lovers for more than 38 years.