Gosh golly, there are 7 zins rated 100 on CT, so the answer obviously is yes, there are 100 point zins. That I have never heard of a one of them, well that is just too bad for me apparently.
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Take that, Fu!
Vintage, Wine, Locale # Drinking Window(s):
Start, End, Source Scores: SortMineCTWAWSIWCBHJGJRWEGVBRLFJKLDWDSJGARRCWRHWWRTT
2012 Aloha Cellars Zinfandel (USA, California, Napa Valley) 2 setā¦ CT100
2008 Bella Vineyards Zinfandel Reserve Two Patch Alexander Valley (USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley) 16 setā¦ CT100
N.V. Brochelle Vineyards Zinfandel Twelve Anniversary Cuvee (USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles) 8 setā¦ CT100
2008 Deaver Vineyards Zinfandel 140 Year Old Vines (USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Amador County) 6 2012-2016 CT100
2008 Macchia Zinfandel Late Harvest Flirtatious (USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi) 10 setā¦ CT100
2008 Pech Merle Zinfandel lā entrĆ©e (USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley) 11 setā¦ CT100
N.V. Stu Pedasso Cellars Zinfandel Sonoma Beach California (USA, California) 34 setā¦ CT100
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Forgetting cellar tracker and people we do not identify and cannot evaluate, has anyone on this board TASTED a 100 point Zinfandel?
No, Iāve never tried any of those. Theyāre super hard to get and expensive because, well, theyāre 100 pointers.
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Most of us on this board donāt give 100 points to anything so that is something of a mute question. Iāve had many Zins that I considered near perfection for the time, place and pairing.
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Definitely not me. None of the wines I taste have any score at all.
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Getting a name from you is like pulling teeth. Name your 100 point Zins so we have points of reference.
I could have sworn I told you I donāt give 100 points to anything.
I have philosophical objections to assigning points to wines, but the 1992 Williams and Selyem Leno Martinellli at a Prodigy OL around 1995 or 1996 is one of the most memorable wines Iāve ever tasted. As a reference point, the only reason I still remember the 1991 Dominus from the tasting, a wine that I brought and a long time favorite, is that we drank the Dominus right before the zin and the class and grace of the zin blew the Dominus off the table. The only other wine I clearly remember from that dinner is Doug Greenās corked 1971 Jean Gros Richebourg. The scars of that disappointment still havenāt faded.
i said your own.
Everyone knows there is no perfect Zinfandel, as the grape is physiologically unable to rate 100 points. Ditto for various other grapes. No doubt these points guys have this all figured out.
I assume you know that Parker has said this?
As for whether thereās a ā100 point Zinā, not to be all pedantic, but does that mean a Zin you would rate 100 points or one that someone āofficialā has rated 100 points? The points are not inherent in the wine after all.
Right?
As far as the ultimate expression of the particular variety - thatās misleading as well. Whatās the reference point? Or to put it another way, what is our preconceived notion of what that variety should be based on whatever limited assessments weāve made? Sangiovese from Chianti Classico? OK. Sangiovese from Botswana? Uh, itās not from Chianti so it canāt be any good, right? And what if itās blended with Pinot Noir and Garnacha? Then what is that supposed to taste like? Not allowed by European DOC rules so we automatically know we wonāt like it.
Regarding the ability of Zin to age and develop complexity - that MAY be relevant to you and it MAY be relevant to a particular Zin. In truth Zin can age and develop complexity. More important however, who cares? If a 2 year old Zin rocks your world, does it matter if it would turn into something else in forty years? Especially if itās something you might not like as much?
There isnāt any reason that a Zin canāt be 100 points if you choose to rate wines on a 100 point scale. If some critic chooses to believe that he or she is the ultimate arbiter of such things and states that Zin is never complex enough to merit 100 points, well, you can take that to the bank. Just donāt try to deposit or cash it.
Unless itās God talking, in which case, although I know he works in mysterious ways, please ask him very nicely to stop talking about wine scores and pay attention to world peace.
But no critic ever HAS chosen to rate a Zin 100 points. If you donāt believe the points are āinherentā in the wine, then where do the critics get them?
As I said, I believe that Zin (much like Sangiovese, and Gamay) is just an āaverageā grapeā¦not an exceptional one. The most it can strive for is about 93 points, maybe 95 in the hands of a producer who knows how to use technology to create a black, teeth-staining version of the wine with āgobs of intensityā and which āliterally leaps from the glassā.
Exactly right!
But I wouldnāt stop there. In fact, arenāt MOST grapes just inferior? I mean, other than Cab and Pinot Noir, what do you have really? Crap like Nebbiolo, Sagrantino, Xinomavro, Tempranillo, Monastrell, Merlot and so on.
And whites? Forget about it. How do you make a white thatās inky purple? You canāt.
Purple. White. Two different colors.
So what is the white equivalent of MegaPurple? There isnāt one! Just shows you how inferior whites are - you canāt even dry them, crush them up, and add them to your juice to amp it up! When you dry them, they just seem to make a sweeter wine.
There are even a few Garnachas that got 100 points and why shouldnāt they? They were dark, inky purple, and loaded with gobs of fruit and vanilla from wood.
Still, I do believe that Zin can be 100 points. After all, how many has Suckling rated? Just give the man some time!
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That zinfandel has terroir is a fairly recent bit of enlightenment. Perfection in the grape is a further off concept.
Zinfandel has little to do with this ā insert any number of grapes. No, thereās no 100 point zinfandel. Thereās insufficient context to support it. Check back in 20 years.
Great point Greg. The absurdity inherent in the term MegaWhite is proof enough that white is the most inferior of colors.
Canāt remember the vintage, but had a Turley Uberroth once that was fantabulous. It was near perfection. Absolute best Zin I ever had.
Exactlyā¦white wine has to be content just āsittingā in the glass. It literally canāt leap! It can never have the color, intensity or density that is inherent in the very concept of 100 points.
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BTW John this reference made my day, along with the rare correct usage of āliterally.ā
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Hmmmm, perfect score by varietal? Interesting to contemplateā¦ I would advocate that such a concept be more seriously considered. What comprises the fullest expression of that grape? Iām sure as close to perfection exists within each varietal.
I know I must sound like a broken record, but againā¦ the best Zin Iāve had in recent memory is Gambaās 2010 Starr Roach Ranch, Moratto Vineyard Russian River Valley Zinfandel. Iād score this wine 96/97, ironically because itās so un-Zin like. This Zin is all about spiceā¦ cinnamon, clove, Asian spices, finely grained tannins, well balanced, distinctive fruit, with an ultra smooth and long lasting finish. This wine begs for you to hold it on your palate. It pairs magnificently with B-B Qād meats, chiliās and spicy foods. Iāve never had a Zin like it - very unique and IMO a classic.
Hasnāt Robert Parker, James Laube, Antonio Galloni and Somms the world over made careers on defining reference points?
Point scoring like everything related to wine is based on knowledge and a certain degree of subjectivity. If Parker can rate a Cab 100 pts., I see no reason why he or many others canāt do the same for Zinfandel, Grenache, Mourvedre, Chardonnay and even Trousseau Gris.
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