Also, the Lanzerac has ALREADY proved its brilliance over extended maturation – which is no mean feat. I’m of course basing this on your words, not your score. I’m not saying that I expected you to score the Lanzerac 99 or 100 points (10 points is a lot to play with, given the weirdness of the 100-point system), but, having read what you’ve written about it, I would have expected somewhere between, say, a 93 and 96. A score like that would not have seemed out of place to me, having seen what you’ve scored some other pretty good but comparatively unremarkable wines before. This would also have left some room for wines made from the world’s great terroirs to score higher. After all, the creator of the 100-point system didn’t exactly flinch to award a wine 100 points: there were many of those. I think some of the great wine labels of the world sometimes disappoint (even/especially when very old), while a few – just a few – of our older gems will hold their own in blind tastings.

Even if you scored the Lanzerac 90, but scored the recently reviewed Ansela 85 and the recently reviewed Baronne 74, it would have made more sense to me (relative to each other, considering your accompanying reviews in words). Alas, all of our attempts to score wine are probably folly in any event… I’m copying your review and score of your favourite wine at the equivalent 2012 tasting below, which made a whole lot more sense to me:

“Wine of the tasting, however, was Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 1973. Dark red with very little browning in colour, the wine showed red and black fruit, fresh acidity and firm but fine tannins. Great purity and focus, still remarkably tight and primary. “Not unlike top Graves or perhaps Figeac,” suggested Brian Croser, Australian industry stalwart and one of the three international judges at this year’s competition. My score: 19/20″

Thanks for a really enjoyable blog!

In a recent red review, you gave a 2009 Muratie Ansela van de Caab 91 points. This is just one point more, but since 99% of wines are scored between 85 and 95, it stands to reason that one point out of ten is significant. About the Ansela, you say that it “… should drink well until 2017.” That’s eight years from vintage, while the Lanzerac apparently still shines brightly after 45 years.

Don’t get me wrong, I also like the Ansela. It’s just that, reading your shining review about the Lanzerac, I wished that I was there, longing to also taste this Grande Dame that has been shaped through the ages into something very special. And then I get to the score… just a 90?