Wine Writer Awards 98 Points To Wine He Was Flown To

Concluding a rigorous four-day evaluation conducted from a suite, a helicopter, and a private dining room, wine writer Grant Hollicomb awarded 98 points Monday to a wine he had been flown 5,400 miles to taste, sources confirmed. “You simply cannot assess a wine of this caliber remotely. You have to be in the place, with the people, on the ground,” said Hollicomb, who was on the ground for eleven minutes before retiring to his $1,200 a night hotel room to drink a Modelo. “There’s an integrity to that.” Hollicomb noted that the score reflected the wine alone and had nothing to do with hospitality, and that the estate’s 2019, which he had tasted from a sample bottle in his office, was a solid 84.