100. triple digits. The apex of the point system. Needless to say I was excited to sample what Robert Parker considers to be a 100pt wine. I’ve had a fair share of 98s and 99s in the past, but I’ve yet to sample a triple digit rated wine.

So was it worthy of 100pts you might ask? The answer is, I don’t know. To me, I’d give it a 95-96. It is a beautiful wine. The complexity of this wine is up there with the Saturday New York Times crossword puzzle. The flavor profiles consisted from wet leather and tobacco to a bit of blackberry and currants. To Robert Parker’s credit, he has had many more Bordeaux (blends) that I have had and with that I feel better in his decision to anoint the 2007 La Joie by Vérité with the highest rating a wine can be bestowed upon.

Apparently, and I’ve yet to fact-check this, it’s the first time a Sonoma wine has received a 100pt rating. If you’re quickly thinking about Ridge, that wine originated from the Santa Cruz highlands AVA, not from Dry Creek.

As Robert Parker suggests, and I’ll agree with him on this one, this wine needs to slumber in your cellar for a good decade, or longer. It’s made to go the distance. Overall I’m beyond satisfied with the way this wine tasted. It’s given me a good benchmark to which I’ll judge Bordeaux (blends) and other wines of this caliber. The tastes buds are happy.