Is there such a thing as a ‘perfect’ wine? Ever since Robert Parker devised his wine rating system, obtaining a perfect score or 100 point rating has been the dream of many a wine producer.
To score 100 points the wine would have to be an extraordinary one, which is why not many achieve it, and why fine wines that do can only be obtained for astronomical prices. Furthermore, if a particular wine from a particular vintage is rated at 100 points, there are often several other wines from the same vintage that have a similarly high score.
The 2005 vintage, frequently heralded as the vintage of a lifetime, yielded an astonishing 27 wines that received a 100 point rating. No other vintage has done as well, before or since.
The next best vintages were the 1990 and the 2000, both with an impressive 21 wines that scored a ‘perfect’ 100. The 2001 and 2003 vintages included 18 and 17 ‘perfect’ wines, respectively. In fact, the first five years of the 21st Century have been quite bountiful in terms of 100 point wines, with 2002 producing 12 and 2004 producing 9. 2006 was a less remarkable year, with only 4 wines achieving the prized rating. And as of yet, none of the wines from the 2007 or 2008 vintages have a ‘perfect’ score.
Furthermore, most of the years of the 20th Century, with the exception of the 1990 and 1998, did not produce 100 point wines. Even the 1986 vintage, touted as an excellent one, had only 2 wines that were scored as ‘perfect’ – several years passed without a single 100 point wine.
It is no coincidence that these vintage wines command fabulous prices. You can expect to pay over £47,000 for a Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes 1811 vintage. Another Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes, the 1947 vintage, can be found for a little under £39,000. Furthermore, of the top ten most expensive ‘perfect’ wines, as many as seven come from the stable of Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes.
While there are expensive wines that are not necessarily ‘perfect’ ones, there is no 100 point wine that is inexpensive – if you are going to invest in wines, these would make prudent selections for a high-end portfolio.