100/100 and more

In this year’s Essential Guide to Italian Wine 2023 we awarded 100/100 ratings to three wines: Breg Rosso 2007 Josko Gravner (100+), Barbaresco Crichet Pajé 2013 Roagna I Paglieri and Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto 2016 Casanova di Neri.

Let me begin by saying that assigning numeric ratings for quality is a stretch. This is true when giving marks to students at school or university, rating the game performance of footballers and giving star ratings to movies, books and even restaurants. Needless to say, this is also true when rating wines. The reason why it is a stretch is that a rating is a quantitative measurement which is not applicable when it comes to quality. Nevertheless, a rating does have a practical function in that it is immediately understandable, even if at the same time contradictory.

When people tell me we should stop assigning ratings to wines, my answer is that I will do so when they stop giving marks in school, since the function is the same. You can imagine what happens when we assign a 100/100 rating, the highest possible. The reactions range from saying perfection is impossible to wines being too young to be evaluated in that way. There is also criticism that there is a tendency to give a magical, Pythagorean value to numbers, which are only a different language and not an infallible talisman. All things considered, mathematics expresses itself and not the world, even if it is a language common to other sciences like physics and chemistry, which in turn seek to explain the world.

This year in our Essential Guide to Italian Wine we gave three wines a 100/100 rating. And to one of them I added a “+”, pitting it off the charts. I did this as a provocation and let me explain why. The two wines that “only” received a 100/100 rating were Barbaresco Crichet Pajé 2013 Roagna I Paglieri and Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto 2016 Casanova di Neri. The first is a traditional reference point for the Langhe region, a rare and very expensive wine that has been made for decades and with other vintages has proven it can age for many years. Vintage 2013 seemed to us to be a particularly good year and we are convinced it will continue to express stellar quality for years to come. Ergo, it received a 100/100 rating. The second is a great Brunello and this vintage received similar ratings in all the international press. We have followed and given prizes to this wine for some time now and, in my view, vintage 2016 is the best ever. Hence, a 100/100 rating.

But the wine I gave a “+” to is truly incredible. It is a Breg Rosso 2007 Josko Gravner, which has come out now after having matured and aged for 14 years. After fermenting in amphorae, it matured for five years in wood and then aged nine years in the bottle. It was made from Pignolo grapes, which appear to be a distant cousin of Nebbiolo, and is simply one of the greatest wines I have tasted in my over 40-year career in wine.

All three wines are evaluated in the Essential Guide to Italian Wine 2023 so you can see for yourself. The numerical ratings, on the other hand, do not take into account the “emotional” side of the tasting experience and serve, I repeat, only to synthetically express an evaluation, like an A+ on a school paper.

Gravner
Venezia Giulia Rosso Breg 2007

100+/100 - € 250

100% Pignolo. Ferments in underground amphorae and matures for 5 years in big barrels. Very intense and concentrated garnet ruby red color. Very complex aromas of black cherries, black currant, mint, resin, hints of flint. Warm and rich taste, incredibly balanced, thick and smooth tannins, perfectly blended in the powerful body. Extremely persistent finish. A great wine.

Roagna I Paglieri
Barbaresco Crichet Pajé 2013

100/100 - € 1.000

100% Nebbiolo from the highest part of the Pajé amphitheater. Aged in large barrels. Intense red color. Explosive aromas of wild rose, sweet licorice, mint, and soft spiciness. The intensity and extreme complexity are impressive. Powerful and austere palate, with extraordinary texture and infinite length.

Casanova di Neri
Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto 2016

100/100 - € 300

100% Sangiovese. Aged for 24 months in tonneau. Very intense ruby. Intriguing and very classic nose, cherries, then a saline note of eucalyptus that enhances the nose profile. Firm and mellow palate, without being muscular and with an incredible balance, refined tannins, extraordinary finish, which shows an incredible character that has been constantly growing over the years.