Perfect Wines Only: A 100-Point Selection
We have added some magnificent wines to our stock list in recent weeks, including a raft with 100-point scores from the critics. With this in mind, we are delighted to present a hand-picked selection from Bordeaux, Champagne and California, all of which are perfectly rated.
From Bordeaux, we have three epic wines, two red and one sweet. The 2000 vintage of La Mission Haut Brion is a legend in the making and, for Robert Parker, “should take its place among this estate’s most hallowed vintages when it hits full maturity”. From 2010, we have cases of the remarkable Chateau Montrose, a wine of which Antonio Galloni says, “Readers lucky enough to own it should be thrilled”. Making up the trio is the iconic 2001 Chateau Yquem, one of the greatest sweet wines ever made.
The famous 2002 Champagne vintage is represented by Krug’s ultra-rare and collectable Clos de Mesnil. For Tyson Stelzer of Decanter, this is “Singly and emphatically the greatest Champagne release of recent years”. It would make a wonderful addition to any collection.
Rounding off the list are some tremendous wines from California. Included are perfect vintages of Screaming Eagle, Dominus and Colgin’s IX Syrah, and all have plenty of much-needed bottle age.
2000 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion
1cs (12*75cl OWC) @ £5,380 per case in bond
100 points Robert Parker
One of the wines of the vintage, the 2000 has barely budged in its evolution since it was bottled and released in 2002. After ten years in bottle, it still reveals a dense opaque purple color along with a potentially sensational bouquet of blueberries, black currants, graphite, asphalt and background oak. Extremely powerful, full-bodied and superbly concentrated with good acidity and high but round tannins, this massive La Mission-Haut-Brion should take its place among this estate’s most hallowed vintages when it hits full maturity in another one to two decades. I was surprised by just how youthful this wine tasted at age 12. If tasted blind, I would have guessed it to be around 4 to 5 years old. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050. (2012) www.robertparker.com
2010 Château Montrose
2cs (12*75cl OWC) @ £1,850 per case in bond
100 points Antonio Galloni
The 2010 Montrose is insanely beautiful. A vivid, eternal wine, the 2010 dazzles right out of the gate with its explosive energy. Soaring floral and mineral notes are immediately captivating on the bouquet. All that carries through to the palate, where the wine is dense and expansive. Readers lucky enough to own it should be thrilled. This really benefits from aeration. What a wine! (2023) www.vinous.com Drink 2025-2060
2001 Chateau d’Yquem
1cs (12*75cl OWC) @ £5,100 per case in bond
100 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2001 Yquem has a pale to medium gold color. The nose is a little closed to begin, slowly emerging with a complex array of notes of mango preserves, baked peaches, saffron, salted almonds, and candied ginger, followed by wafts of jasmine, honeycomb, and crème caramel. The palate is super-sweet, concentrated, and multi-layered, delivering wave after wave of opulent stone and tropical fruit flavors, supported by amazing tension and a satiny texture, finishing with epic length and lingering mineral notes. This is a wine I’ve tasted many times and it has never been less than the epitome of a Sauternes experience that is as cerebral as it is hedonic. The residual sugar is 150 grams per liter, which is on the high side, yet, incredibly, it wears this richness with such energy. (2023) www.thewineindependent.com
2002 Krug, Clos de Mesnil
1 btl (1*75cl OWC) @ £1,550 per bottle in bond
100 points Decanter (Tyson Stelzer)
Singly and emphatically the greatest Champagne release of recent years. Grand malic acidity of dizzyingly heightened proportions is swept up in an immense, all-consuming tidal wave of frothing, sea-salt minerality, crashing with such structure that any mortal wine would collapse breathless in its wake. Yet herein lies the triumph of 2002, the vintage that more than any other reverberates with looming structure, yet meets it commandingly with awe-inspiring fruit presence. This sets it with a life expectancy of a century, no less. www.decanter.com Drink 2022-2102
2010 Colgin, IX Syrah
3cs (3*75cl OC) @ £1,650 per case in bond
100 points Robert Parker
The 2010 IX Estate Syrah is one of the most compelling Syrahs ever made in California. It ranks alongside some of the perfect Syrahs from Sine Qua Non in Santa Ynez and the Santa Rita Hills. Tasting like liquified steak au poive with blackberry and blueberry sauce, this amazing wine reveals staggering aromas of flowers, bouquet garni, melted asphalt, licorice, pepper and meaty notes. It should drink well for 15+ years assuming you have that much patience.(2013) www.robertparker.com Drink now-2028
2012 Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon
1 mag (1*150cl OWC) @ £7,800 per magnum in bond
100 points Jeb Dunnuck
Another perfect wine is the 2012 Screaming Eagle which checks in as 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. While just as good as the 2013, it’s made in a very different style and has a lush, opulent, sexy profile as well as the hallmark crème de cassis, white flowers, graphite and spice. With a silky, full-bodied, seamless texture, incredible complexity, ultra-fine tannin, and blockbuster length, this quintessential Screaming Eagle will continue drinking beautifully for 20-25 years. (2017) www.jebdunnuck.com
2016 Dominus
1cs (6*75cl OWC) @ £1,300 per case in bond
100 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown
A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Petit Verdot, the 2016 Dominus is deep garnet-purple in color. Pow! It erupts from the glass with powerful black and blue fruit notes of blueberry preserves, crème de cassis, juicy blackberries, and crushed plums, followed by hints of lilacs, cardamom, baking spices, and fragrant soil. The palate is full-bodied, youthful, bright, and pure with so many fruit, spice, and floral layers and a fantastically ripe, soft texture, finishing so bright that it shines. Incredible! www.
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