PARKER HAS GUTS or France 30, Australia 10, USA 1!
Take a look at the rarefied word of 100pt Perfect International Shiraz!
Just how good is Australian premium Shiraz?
Are we all suffering from a bad case of Emperor�s new clothes and making a big fuss about nothing?
The Robert Parker wine review system is the most comprehensive in the world of wine. The only? System that tries to cover every notable producing region on the planet.
Lately I feel that I am becoming a Robert Parker apologist and may be its time I throw the spotlight on his system.
If we are going to make out just how good Aussie wines really are the Parker system is the only true world view.
Never forget, this guy is an international celebrity, way beyond the wine industry. As the most influential critic of anything, ever; Mr Robert Parker Jnr is the toast of every town and sits on the Invitation A List a cut above Heads of State and a cut below Royalty.
The massive number of totally addicted followers, none of whom will buy a single bottle without consulting the oracle, (by way of PDA, web site, magazine or good old retailer quotes) shows his GROWING popularity cant be put down to good luck.
Lets try to weave a few strands together here.
How good are we at making Premium wine for the world?
What is good and how should we be enjoying wine by respectfully re-visiting the Len Evans credo. "Life is too short to be drinking anything but the best wine you can lay your hands on"
Shiraz is the Golden Grape that powers some of the worlds most exciting, demanded and expensive wines.
Importantly, just about every serious wine producer is having a tilt at growing and making super premium Syrah / Shiraz.
The Parker system has reviewed and scored a creditable 6,050 individual Shiraz wine. Time frames are difficult to predict but the Parker archives report decades of hard work.
From that impressive sample drawn from the earths four corners, a skinny 380 Shiraz wines made it through to the top level; 96 to 100pts.
Just in case you are not in touch with the Parker system there are 6 levels 96-100pts is the top drawer or �Extraordinary�.
Of the 80,000 or so wines (all categories) in the Parker archives only 2,000 have made the top 96-100pt. cut.
The scale dips from �outstanding� 90-95 (over 25,000 players in this league) in four steps to �Unacceptable� which is a cue to take the bottle back for a refund.
Of the 380 Shiraz in the 96+ Point category, a tiny 38 scored the near perfect 99pts.
Behold, the top award for perfect wines, the unbeatable 100 from 100 was awarded to an elite grouping of just 43.
The Parker system certainly doesn't� throw big scores around lightly, The 100pt perfect score is only awarded to just over a half of one percent of entries in the Shiraz class.
Lets look at the list. Firstly, do yourself a favour and pay the $100 and subscribe to the Parker web service. Go to
www.erobertparker.com and have a play.
The lists below make for fascinating reading.
Before we get to comfortable with the success of the Aussie Shiraz look at the haul Guigal has stacked up. Largely from the last 20 years, 19 perfect 100 point wines. The Cote Rotie and Hermitage "own" the top class, well they have a big slice of it.
Of the 43 100pt wines a whopping 31 come from an area in France smaller than most Aussie farms! Chapoutier, Guigal and Jaboulet alone accounted for over 25 of the 31 total!
How did we go? Aussies have picked up a creditable 10 perfect 100�s for Shiraz.
Talk about a two horse race! The Yanks have only one 100pt Shiraz in the system. The Sine Qua Non "just for the love of it" is from California and makes your eyes water when the quote on retail sees you paying up to $US1250 a bottle for the privilege.
Recapping; 40 ish 100pt Syrah wines; 30 Frenchies, 10 Aussies and one Yank.
This distillation makes two things very clear to me.
One:
Roberts Parker�s famous (in-famous) alleged love for over-ripe, over-oaked block busters, as so frequently discussed in Aussie wine trade circles, �. is a lot of old rubbish.(used to camouflage other issues?)
As you can imagine, the 30 top Frenchies are Hermitage wines included magic names like La Turque, La Chapelle and La Mouline.
Serious big bucks to bring one of these lovelies to the table (La Turque $US400 plus for an average vintage, try around $US1,000 for a 2003)
My experience with such thoroughbreds is sadly lacking, however the common theme of elegance, grace and sophistication is unmistakeable.
Maybe Parker is a glutton for punishment. Can you imagine the sweet, restrained, understanding owners of the US wine industry happily accepting that only 6 wines of about four hundred 99pt and 100pt syrah come from the US?
Now that�s guts. (Imagine an Aussie wine scribe pushing imports and downgrading the locals?)
Before I start stepping on sensitive toes, more facts. 1,700 US syrah /shiraz wines are reviewed by the Parker system. Total top cut; the 96-100pointers include just 47 wines. As noted, just one lonely 100 pointer and just four awkward 99 pointers. The next cut the outstanding 90-95 split over 750 wines.
Now that�s huge guts!
Wait for it, it gets better.
The recent release of the 2002 Penfolds Grange stirred the pot with stories of madness gripping us with $500+ a bottle ($US400) being paid.
Top USA Shiraz sells for seriously crazy money. How about $US1,200 for a 99pt 2001 Sine Qua Non On Your Toes. Something fresher? Try $US300 for a 96 point 2003 Colgin IX Syrah Estate.
Lets put the magnifier on the top Shiraz achievers from Australia.
The 100 point list has 10 players.
Amazing, five of these wines come from Greenock Creek. Another three from Chris Ringland / Three Rivers.
The loose ends are soaked up by Penfolds Grange Hemitage 1976 and Trevor Jones Fortified Shiraz Liqueur. (no one said it had to be a table wine.)
The Greenock Creek rise to fame is a skyrocket by any definition. The wine industry directory has their start date as 1984. First Parker reviews were 1995. Cool 100pt Roennfeldt Road 1995, first outing with Parker! First Vintage of Roennfeldt Road!!
Creek Block has two perfect 100 pointers 2003 and 2001, not bad for a label that started in 1993. Greenock Creek�s five 100pt wines is an Australian record. So much success / recognition in such a short time, there must be World records there!
Chris Ringland�s Three Rivers takes the secret boutique concept to a new level of obscurity. There is a web site with one page, a graphic with address and contact phone number. No reference in the industry directors, Chris must be like James Bond, only available to those who know, or those who have it coming?
According to the Parker website, Chris�s first Three rivers review was for the 1990 vintage. Looks like 1989 was the first ever vintage.
There is another story here. Back to the research and tote up at Parker points 99-100 for Shiraz 1990 to current. Aussie players will zoom up the scale.
There has to be some catch up / integration factor. Over the past 20 years how many outstanding Aus wine found their way into the Parker system? Many outstanding back vintages, like the illustrious Penfolds Bin 60a, have been added to the database.
Sadly many Aussie wines that are exported to the US are not submitted for Parker review. Classic "rock and hard place" stuff. Cant sell your wine without a Parker rating, cant sell your wine with a bad /low rating.
What's the take out? Life is short and reading from Len Evans; why bother with low quality wine.
My theory is that forgettable wine are best left alone and pooling budgets to buy less of higher quality serves a health need as a side benefit.
We all should have at least two AFD's a week. Alcohol Free Days AFD's, pooling the budget, save the liver and most important sharpen up the "rested" palate to relish the Good stuff even more!
My crusade for the year is to see every good bottle given a fair chance. We all seem to be in the dreadful habit of opening a bottle for chug aluging and then opening the next when glasses run dry. Wrong. Wrong Wrong! Every good bottle of wine deserves matching with good glasses and at least half an hour if not a whole hour between serving and finishing. Drink two or three bottles at once and store the left overs for tomorrow. Store leftovers in 375ml wine bottles with screw caps. Fill right to the top and leave little to no airspace. Pop them in the fridge and wait for tomorrow.
Enjoy the lists below and ask how many of these lovelies have you engaged?
Life is short, most of these wines are available for prices less than we would spend on forgettable dinners out.
Get mates together start 100 and 99 maybe even 98 point pools. I will even promote them for you.
Another win for Greenock Creek. Their 100pointers are probably the cheapest. Jump in before that changes. Some skyrockets end up beyond the influence of gravity and earthly matters.
Parker 100pts Syrah (extracted from Erobertpaker.com via category search 7th May 2007)
Chave Hermitage 2003
Chave Hermitage Cuvee Cathelin 1990
Chris Ringland (formerly Three Rivers) Shiraz 1996, 1998, 2001
Chapoutier Ermitage le Pavillon 1989, 1990, 1991, 2003
Chapoutier Ermitage l'Ermite 2003
Chapoutier Cote Rotie la Mordoree 1991
Guigal Cote Rotie la Landonne 1985, 1988, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2003
Guigal Cote Rotie la Mouline 1976, 1978, 1983, 1985,1988, 1991, 1999, 2003
Guigal Cote Rotie la Turque 1985, 1988, 1999, 2003
Guigal Hermitage Ex Voto 2003
Greenock Creek Shiraz Creek Block 2001, 2003
Greenock Creek Shiraz Roennfeldt Road 1995, 1996, 1998
Michel Ogier Cote Rotie Cuvee Belle Helene 1999
Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage la Chapelle 1961, 1978, 1990
Penfolds Grange 1976
Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie Cote Blonde 1999
Sine Qua Non Just For The Love Of It (Syrah) 2002
Trevor Jones Shiraz Liqueur NV
Parker 99pts Syrah (extracted from Erobertpaker.com via category search 7th May 2007)
Alban Vineyards Syrah Lorraine vineyard 2003, 2004
Burge Family Shiraz Draycott Reserve 1998
Chapoutier Ermitage l'Ermite 1996, 2000
Chapoutier Ermitage le Pavillon 1995
Chapoutier Ermitage le Meal 2003
Chave Hermitage Cuvee Speciale Red Artist's Label 1990
Chave Hermitage 1990
Chris Ringland (formerly Three Rivers) Shiraz 1993, 1995
Clarendon Hills Astralis (Shiraz) 2001, 2002, 2003
Guigal Cote Rotie la Mouline 1982, 1990
Guigal Cote Rotie la Landonne 1991
Guigal Cote Rotie la Turque 1989, 1991
Greenock Creek Shiraz Apricot Block 2001
Jim Barry Shiraz The Armagh 2002
Mollydooker Carnival Of Love 2005
Marquis Philips Shiraz Integrity 2001, 2002
Noon Shiraz Reserve 2001, 2002, 2003
Penfolds Grange 1986, 1998
Sine Qua Non Heart Chorea (Syrah) 2002
Sine Qua Non On Your Toes (Syrah) 2001
Shirvington Shiraz 2002
Standish Shiraz 2003
The Magpie Estate Shiraz The Malcolm 1996
Torbreck Run Rig 1998
Torbreck The Factor 2002
Wild Duck Creek Shiraz Duck Muck 1997
Veritas Winery Shiraz Hanisch 1998
May 2007
