Wine rating systems can be a touchy subject. Some people swear by them and some swear at them. We might not all agree on whether using a 100-point rating system like Robert Parker’s is the best way to know what wine you should buy. When a 100-point wine does come along, however, we can all agree that someone somewhere really thought that this was a truly special bottle and was willing to risk their reputation to get the word out. Below are a few of the 100-point wines in our inventory. We hope you enjoy them.
2012 MARCASSIN CHARDONNAY
$425/bottle
100 points, Robert Parker
The 2012 Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard, which will probably be released in a few months, displays great minerality, notes of honeysuckle, orange marmalade, poached pear, and white flowers as well as a touch of quince. A wine of great intensity, yet incredibly ethereal elegance, this light greenish gold-colored wine is full-bodied, stunningly rich, and altogether remarkable. When you consider that they use 100% new French oak and 100% heavy toast for both their Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, it is remarkable how little oak appears in these wines. This wine should age well for 10-15 years, as most of the Marcassin Estate Chardonnays have done to date.
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2005 KISTLER CUVÉE CATHLEEN CHARDONNAY
$198/bottle
96-100 points, Robert Parker
The 2005 Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard Cuvee Cathleen is a selection of the finest lots from all the vineyards, but most of it comes from the Kistler Vineyard. Full-bodied, firm, and backward, it is behaving more like a red wine than a Chardonnay. It boasts fabulous concentration, superb ripeness, plenty of honeysuckle, orange rind, and tropical fruit characteristics, copious minerality, and enormous length as well as richness. This beauty is as good as any Chardonnay made in either the New or Old World.
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2012 BOND ASSORTMENT CASE
$2395/case
100 points, Robert Parker
2012 Bond Vecina: From an 11-acre vineyard sitting near Bond’s winery and the Harlan estate, the 2012 Vecina Proprietary Red is the perfect Napa version of a hypothetical blend of a La Mission Haut-Brion and Mouton-Rothschild. This is riveting Cabernet Sauvignon with great intensity, a killer fragrance of burning embers, charcoal, gravel, blackberry, cassis and earth. Fabulously intense and full-bodied, with majestic flavor intensity, a skyscraper-like mouthfeel, incredible purity and length, and supple tannins, this magnificent wine comes closest to the great Harlan Estate itself. Drink it over the next 35 years.
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