In This Newsletter:The One Hundred Club
Featuring Bibi Graetz, Chateau Smith Lafitte, Louis Roederer, Mouton Rothschild, and more! 100 Point wines for as little as 99 dollars Bibi Graetz.
“From a medieval castle, Castello di Vincigliata, acquired by his parents over 60 years ago, winemaker Bibi Graetz crafts his wines on a hillside overlooking the great city of Florence. Beginning initially with only a small, 5-acre vineyard on this hillside in Fiesole, in little under two decades, Bibi has become one of Italy’s most ingenious winemakers adding “cult winemaker” in addition to “talented abstract artist” to his dossier.” –Folio Fine Wines
Bibi Graetz Testamatta Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy 2018 750ml $99 special, 12 bottles availableJane Anson-Decanter 100 Points “Finely textured, with a nuanced perfume that fills the glass and takes you to the intense underbrush of Tuscany … Succulent and yet savoury, this has a lilting freshness that is overlaid with ripe berry fruits, sage and white pepper spice, and clear minerality in terms of its scraping texture that makes your mouth water on the finish … This is a great wine, with scope and imagination that doesn’t want to let you go.“
Taylor Fladgate.
“The 2016s are much more finished and refined; they exemplify strength and form. It suggests that they can be consumed slightly younger, perhaps in five to eight years, but they will continue to age beautifully for decades ahead. Maybe the 2016 is the new 1963 — a legendary year that was always admired for its balance and strength.” –James Suckling, “Is 2016 Vintage Port A Legend In The Making?” #4 Wine of the Year – James Suckling Top 100 in 2018Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port, Portugal 2016 750ml $99 special, 13 bottles availableJames Suckling 100 Points “OMG. This is really the most amazing young Taylor’s I have ever tasted. Full-bodied and lightly sweet with super power…”
L’Aventure Winery.
In 1996 when the respected Bordeaux winemaker Stephan Asseo wanted to break out of a creative rut, he moved his family to California. Now in Paso Robles, about as far west as he could possibly move he began mixing Bordeaux and Rhone varietals, aging wines in clay amphora as well as oak barrels, and many new adventures that strict French winemaking regulations had prevented in the past. His new project became a runaway hit with collectors and was quickly followed by accolades from top wine reviewers. L’Aventure Estate Cuvee, Paso Robles, USA 2019 750ml $119 special, 16 bottles availableJeb Dunnuck 100 Points “Pure perfection from Paso Robles, the 2019 Estate Cuvee checks in as 50% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Petit Verdot that was raised in 81% new French oak. Incredible cassis and black berry fruits as well as violets, chocolate, graphite, and who knows what else emerges from the glass, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a concentrated yet weightless mouthfeel, building tannins, and a great finish. It’s more seamless and approachable than the more backward, structured 2018 and will have two decades of prime drinking.”
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Grand Cru Classe de Graves 1959.
“It is clear from tasting the range of wines from Smith Haut Lafitte that they were indeed situated in a sweet-spot location and possessing just the right sort of terroir to hit the absolute heights of greatness this vintage has to offer, with all the hurdles skillfully managed by Teitgen and his team. These wines are truly breathtaking. Bravo!” -William Kelley New Arrival! Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Leognan, France 2020 750ml $179 special, 11 bottlesJeb Dunnuck 100 Points ” …the 2020 Château Smith Haut Lafitte sports a dense purple hue to go with incredible aromatics of blackberries, blueberries, scorched earth, wood smoke, and acacia flowers. One of the most concentrated, rich, and sexy wines in the vintage, this massive and extraordinarily opulent 2020 shows the vintage’s pure, elegant profile yet backs it up with sensational levels of fruit and texture. Based on 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it already offers pleasure given its wealth of fruit … Not enough can be said about the quality of these wines. Bravo to Florence and Daniel Cathiard, as well as to director Fabien Teitgen, for another incredible achievement.” James Suckling 99-100 Points “So much blackcurrant, graphite and iodine character. Full-bodied. Incredible quality to the tannins. They are polished yet powerful. It’s so long and complete with such depth and toned muscles. Vertical. Very fresh and energetic. Will it be better than the famous 2015? Maybe the best ever.”Wine Advocate 98-100 Points ” …opening with flamboyant notes of blackcurrant pastilles, chocolate-covered cherries and molten licorice, leading to nuances of ground cloves, woodsmoke, crushed rocks and dusty soil. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with opulent black fruit preserves and shimmering mineral sparks, framed by exquisitely ripe and fantastically firm tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with epically long-lasting earthy and savory layers. This is the singular voice of Smith Haut Lafitte at its finest, and wow-oh-wow is it worth a listen.”
Clos i Terrasses.
“Always a benchmark against which all other Priorats must be measured…” –Jay S Miller, The Wine Advocate
Clos i Terrasses Clos Erasmus, Priorat DOCa, Spain 2020 750ml $289 special, 4 bottles availableWine Advocate 100 Points “The still young and primary 2020 Clos Erasmus feels very floral and ethereal (within Priorat and Clos Erasmus); it’s a fresher and lighter expression but without being weak. It’s still a baby that needs to burn the baby fat (there are still some lactic notes from the malolactic in barrel). The wine is always around 3.2 or 3.3 pH and has some 15% to 15.5% alcohol, but the sensation this year is of a much fresher, more balanced and elegant wine. This should make an elegant bottle of mature Priorat with a decade in bottle, and I guess it will be long lived. Glorian mentioned that a small lot that normally goes to Laurel was added to the blend of Erasmus, resulting in a lot of added freshness and a note of orange blossom, which makes sense to me with the floral character of the wines and the extra freshness I perceived. This is really beautiful. It’s a very special vintage of Erasmus that unfurls incredible complexity and tantalizing aromas with time in the glass—blood orange (talk about freshness!), curry and cassis. It has great purity, complexity, elegance and finesse… A very different Clos Erasmus. Bravo! There are some 3,600 bottles. It was bottled in May 2022.”
Chateau Canon St. Emilion.
#1 Wine of the Year –James Suckling
Chateau Canon, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France 2015 750ml $349 special, 34 bottles availableAntonio Galloni 100 Points “From the very beginning, the 2015 Canon has made an eloquent case for itself as one of the wines of the vintage. Multiple tastings from bottle only confirm what several early tastings hinted at: the 2015 Canon is simply extraordinary in every way. Sumptuous and exotic, with no hard edges and exceptional balance, the 2015 grabs hold of all the senses and never lets up. A rush of red fruit intermingled with floral notes, spice and smoke notes effortlessly runs up the wine’s vertical structure as the 2015 thrills with every twist and turn. The 2015 Canon is a rare wine that is both hedonistic and intellectual – well, maybe it is a bit more hedonistic-leaning. It doesn’t matter. Don’t miss it. This 2015 is masterpiece from General Manager Nicolas Auderbert and his team at Canon.” Neal Martin 100 Points “The 2015 Canon was a benchmark wine that seemed to revitalize this historic estate. I was crossing my fingers that it would not disappoint in bottle and I am glad to say that it delivers the goods. It has a very intense bouquet (just as it showed out of barrel) with laser-like precision offering wild strawberry, raspberry preserve, wet limestone and hints of truffle. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, clean and fresh with pure black and red fruit whose every atom appears infused with minerals. The mouth is tingling long after the wine has exited and your brain is thinking…when is the next sip coming? It is frankly heads and shoulders above almost every Saint Émilion this vintage, to reaffirm, a benchmark for this historic estate that will give pleasure to many over the coming years. Astonishing.” James Suckling 100 Points “Seductive. The nose draws you in deep: It’s like staring into a well of pristine dark cherries, dark plums, blackberries and mulberries. All the oak is perfectly subsumed. The palate’s flawless with immense depth and power and it’s so balanced as to appear to float. Immaculate fresh dark-berry and plum flavors. Silky and deep, ribbon-like finish. Perfect. Best from 2022.”
Dominus Estate.
Christian Moueix’s storied career began with some of the most well-regarded Chateaus in Bordeaux including, among many others, Belair-Monange, Château La Fleur-Pétrus, and Château Trotanoy. Dominus Estates was Christian’s first California project, started on a recommendation from Robert Mondavi himself. The winery has received top marks from some of the world’s most prestigous and influential wine critics, including 4 perfect 100 point scores from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.
Wine spectator #1 wine of the year 2021!
Dominus Estate Christian Moueix, Napa Valley, USA 2018 750ml $419 special, 7 bottles availableDominus Estate Christian Moueix, Napa Valley, USA 2018 375ml $219 special, 19 half bottles availableJeb Dunnuck 100 Points “The flagship 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon checks in as 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot brought up in 40% new French oak. With an essence of Cabernet-like character in its darker currants, green tobacco, cedar, graphite, and floral aromas and flavors, this gorgeous wine is full-bodied and has bright yet integrated acidity, polished tannins, and a great, great finish. It’s just gorgeously put together and a magical, flawless wine. It’s going to take a decade to hit maturity but will evolve for 40-50 years in cold cellars. It is as good as it gets in classic, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon!” James Suckling 100 Points “This is incredible on the nose, offering hot stones, blackcurrants, iodine and wet earth. Full-bodied with a tight center palate, then it opens with a tannin structure that is weightless and spreads across the palate. Totally integrated on the palate. This is a magic-carpet wine. Really incredible. One of the reference points for the vintage. Drinkable now and please try a bottle, but it’s one for the cellar.”
Louis Roederer.
Not very many wines were created as a way to prevent an assassination. In fact, only one wine ever was… but what a wine it turned out to be! Indeed Cristal, perhaps the most prestigious champagne in history, was personally designed by Roederer for Tsar Alexander II in 1867 for his historic dinner with Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm. The bottle itself featured a unique crystal clear glass that revealed the true color of the wine (making it harder to mix with poisons) and an uncharacteristic flat bottom that could not hide explosives. And the wine itself? It became a legend… this is a wine synonymous with the highest levels of quality and luxury. It’s literally fit for a King.
Louis Roederer Cristal Millesime Brut, Champagne, France 2002 750ml $599 special, just 1 bottle availableAntonio Galloni 100 Points Vinous “Roederer’s 2002 Cristal, from magnum, is just off the charts…….The texture, breadth, and overall pedigree here is just remarkable, with layers of apricot, spice, dried flowers, and citrus conft that continue to build over time. The 2002 is neither old nor young; it is quite simply eternal…“ Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 98 Points “Roederer’s 2002 Cristal is a fabulous wine! Originally released in 2009, it was re-released in March this year—and was sold out in a very short time. The Cristal I tasted at Roederer in May 2018 was disgorged in 2010, after seven years sur lie. Its amazing richness and concentration makes it a forerunner of the 2015 and follows the 1999 … Intense and very elegant in the mouth, this is a ripe, rich and concentrated yet also pure and vital Cristal with great finesse, elegance and mineral complexity. It’s a sublime Champagne right now, although it’s more wine than Champagne.”
Chateau Mouton Rothschild.
“Cellar Selection. A dense, smooth and opulent wine bursting with ripe Cabernet Sauvignon flavors. It’s regal and well structured, balancing the natural exuberance of Mouton with a more severe side. This is a wine with power, yet not without its charms from the fruitiness and final acidity. This great wine will age many, many years. –Roger Voss“ Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, France 2010 750ml $999 special, just 1 bottle availableDecanter 100 Points “Smoked grilled tar on the nose, it feels both very 2010 and supremely Mouton – accomplished and confident. A more glamorous, enticing edge than the other Pauillac Firsts at this 10 year window. There are plentiful tannins but they are lined with air, and the overall feel is of plush, plumped fruits, like being rolled-up in luxurious sheets. It is very different in character to the other two Pauillac Firsts, but no less enjoyable. It feels higher in alcohol, more Cos than Lafite in terms of personality, in the way that Pichon Baron is more Latour than Comtesse, but it is nuanced and clever and surprising.” Wine Spectator 99 Points “This remains the stunner, a battleship of a wine, brimming with cassis, blackberry and fig fruit that has melded together now, with the backdrop of alder, bay leaf and menthol starting to emerge a bit more. The long finish is loaded with grip, pulling the fruit and other components together. And then there’s that flash of iron at the very end. Awesome wine.”
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