Vinous announced this Monday (19th July) that Stephen Tanzer is now “Critic Emeritus”.
Stephen has offered a tremendous amount to the Fine Wine Market and has left a legacy of over 75,000 wine reviews – which ranks among one of the highest.
Another legacy he left? Stephen Tanzer does not give out 100-points.
He rarely gives out 99s either.
Below are his top three scored wines, the most recent coming from February 2019, yet none of the wines themselves are from this century:
- 98-100 – Zind Humbrecht Tokay-Pinot Gris Rangen Clos St. Urbain Selection de Grains Nobles, 1998
- 99 – Guigal Côte Rôtie La Mouline, 1978
- 99 – Joseph Roty Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru Trés Vieilles Vignes, 1985
A few others have had the potential from barrel (97-100) but in latest tastings they all came up short:
- 96+ – Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti Grand Cru, 2012
- 98+ – Château Margaux, Margaux, 2005
- 5 – E. Guigal, Côte Rôtie La Landonne, 1999
- 5 – E. Guigal, Côte Rôtie La Landonne, 2003
The graph below shows Stephen’s skew of scores. 40.1% of his scores are below 90-points. 58.4% of his ratings are between 90-95+ points.. And just 1.5% of his marks are 95.5 points and above.
