Mindblowing Points, Great Value, Ethereal Texture

Today's offering is a bit of a conundrum and it has everything to do with points.

Many of you are already familiar with the standard 100-point scale used to rate the quality of wine by major wine press. There's a lot of controversy surrounding these points and for good reason.

The 100-point scale was developed and first implemented by our good friend Robert Parker, the founder of the Wine Advocate publication. He based this scoring system on grade school standards, i.e., a 90+ score was "A" quality, 80-89 was above average (or in other words, a "B") and 70-79 was average or a "C", etc. Within a few years all of the highly respected American wine publications followed suit and an industry standard was born.

Old school wine geeks had mixed feelings about the point system. On the one hand, it served as a guideline regarding the general quality of a wine which was helpful. On the other hand, everything became centered around points. If a wine didn't have them, it became more difficult to sell. Worse yet, wines which garnered great scores suddenly became impossible to obtain overnight.

And then there's today's issue.

Should a wine selling for less than $15 be allowed to garner a 97 point score?!?

In our experience, when a wine soared above 90 points the criteria for judging its quality historically ramped up enormously. The difference between a 92 and a 95 point wine was vast. And at 95 points, the wine would be serious, expensive and most likely red. If we had to bet money on it, the wine would also be from France, Italy or Napa Valley. Sorry, that's just the way it is.

Well, things have very recently changed. Today we have a 97 point WHITE wine from one of the world's most respected wine magazines, the UK's Decanter Magazine. To further muddy the waters, it sells for less than $14/bottle before discount and it's from New Zealand.

Say what?!?!?!?!?!?

We simply cannot wrap our heads around this one, so we want you to be the judge.

Kono Sauvignon Blanc 2017 (Marlborough, New Zealand)

"A fresh and nuanced wine with an ethereal texture and lifted pea pod, lemon grass, gooseberry and aromatic capsicum character. The palate offers energetic acidity and a tasty flavour profile with plentiful zesty, saline, tropical, lime and green fruit characters. The finish is not a disappointment, the value phenomenal." (Decanter Magazine)

Decanter Magazine: 97 points

$13.99/bottle or just $11.19/bottle in a solid or mixed case of wine.

Suffice it to say, if New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is your thing, then this is an early Christmas present for you. Buy as many cases as you possibly can as quickly as you can.

If summer company is becoming a weekly event for you, then stocking up on this white wine would be a smart move. It's a great little wine and it has tons of value. Your company will adore you for it, and when you tell them it received 97 points you may not be able to get rid of them.

At less than $12/bottle after discount and with 97 whopping points, we're making history with this offer. Press reply to order this wine, call or stop by the store.

* Wine & Spirit Education Trust Certified *

Location 4550 State Highway North Eastham, MA 02651 (Next to the Royal Thai Restaurant in the Town Center Plaza) Tel: 508 255 3660 Fax: 508 255 6736

Summer Hours Mon-Saturday: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.   We're open year round. Closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas.