Saturday, December 10, 2005

What exactly is a perfect wine?

Ok... you see them (or at least read about them) - those "100-Point" scores. If 100 is the best, then shouldn't there only be one wine ever rated 100 points? Hmmm... And if bottles do in fact vary (which I assure you they certainly do... we'll get to that in a minute), then the 100-point wine you read about will most likely be different than what ends up in your glass. Wine is such a subjective thing, that one person's 100 is another persons 90. Now, I will say that every wine that I've ever had that was rated 100-points by someone turned out to be a pretty spectacular wine. Maybe not 100-points spectacular, but in general ranks pretty high up my list. Take last night, for example. I had 3 different bottles of 1990 Chateau Latour - 100 Points Wine Spectator (I'll call them A,B,and C). Bottle A was certainly NOT a 100-point wine. While relatively dark in color, it was full of mature-cedar on the nose and had a long sweet cherry finish. Not the 100-point wine I was expecting, but still a spectacular wine. Bottle B was massive. Intensely dark, with just hints of cedar while displaying loads of pencil lead, black turned earth, black plums, and a deeply concentrated finish. This was the "100-point" wine I was expecting. Finally, bottle C was almost as dark and concentrated as B, but combined the black fruit and pencil lead with just a hint of cedar and earth. The finish had a touch of sweet cherry and was the longest of the 3. I would also call this a "100-point" wine, better than B to drink now, but in the long term, B is the bottle I would like to have in my cellar. Now, all three bottles came from the exact same case and have been stored in the exact same manner since purchase. As if wine isn't complicated enough. Ok, so take bottle B and compare it to some other 100-point wines that I've had - like the 1982 Latour. The 1990 isn't even in the same league. Sure, it's one of the greatest Bordeauxs I've ever had (I will say that none of these three bottles are better than any of the other times I've had this wine), and it might make the best list, but I doubt it. The 1982 is a much more powerful wine. Confused? You should be... I know I am. I wouldn't even put it near the 82 Cheval-Blanc, the 98 Grange is better, I think... But isnt' that what makes wine so interesting? Everyone can have a different opinion. I still haven't found my perfect wine, but I will. Or at least I'll never stop trying. Also had the 1999 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon last night, after the 1990 Latour. Should of had it before. Now, I've never thought of this wine as "fruity" - put it next to a classic Latour and it's Australian jammy. Not really ready to drink just yet, but still a great concentrated California Cab. Last bottle. Cheers!

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