Wine ratings? – Episode #178

February 7, 2007

Wines tasted in this episode:

Links mentioned in todays episode.

American Wine Blog Awards

Wine Ratings what do they mean and how does Gary stack his scores against these 90+ scored wines from the MAJOR press.

167 Responses

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February 8, 2007

Lawrence Leichtman
Great episode. Have to really agree about ratings. Just did tastings in Paso Robles and Los Olivos. Every pourer had to tell us what the ratings for all of their wines were (except Tensley I already had theirs from Chris’s spreadsheet) Except for a few the ratings didn’t match the wines. Standouts were Tensley (caught Jennifer there on an off day and she was nice enough to open a bottle of Colsen Syrah for us) and Cairn (same tasting room as Tenslsy is the winemaker for both), Arthur Earl Italian varietals including a Barbera/Nebbiolo blend and a non-Italian Mourvedere, all of these in Los Olivos though we went to 15 of them and Oppolo and Justin in the “Far Out” area of Paso Robles, standouts were a truly Burgundian Chardonnay and Tempranillo at Justin, all of the Rhone varietal blends at Oppolo were good. Thanks for turning me on to Tensley. Nice folks and great wines and I had never been to Los Olivos before. Now they just need bathrooms.

Finally wine basket is a preference to wine making kit as I have never had a good homemade wine.
February 8, 2007

Ken
Gary,
Good episode today. I take ratings with a grain of salt. There have been many wines that I love that might rate 80 and there have been ones that I have liked that might rate over 90. Besides, when I read a review of a wine I pay more attention to the narrative than the score anyway. I keep a journal of the wines that I have so that I know in the future what kind of wine it was. I never use any kind of scoring but I comment on the appearance, nose, palate, and finish. Also, I find it kind of odd that the name â€œHollyâ€ is still associated with Hollyâ€™s Blend since the Marquis duo has nothing to do with the wine anymore. As far as the Vina Alarba is concerned, Iâ€™ve never had that wine but the Old Vines Grenache has been one of my favorite QPRs in the past.
QOD: Basket of wine. I’d never make my own wine and I’m sure that it would $uck if I did.
PS. Read my email that was sent today.
February 8, 2007

Jeff
thanks for the mostly white review; that has become my favorite in the 10 years I have been down in Florida; especially “pool” wines enjoyed with friends and nothing else. Love the hermit crab; have for year; agree with comments on white rhones (which are usually a bit more complex overall than that). Most people starting out drinking wines seem to usually either drink the forgettable whites/blushes; or are told that only reds are the serious wines; what a joke! It is nice to see whites get some of the attention they deserve on your show!
I make wines; from sterile must; so I would choose the kit!
cheers Gary.
February 8, 2007

Larry Leichtman
Enjoyed your episode today. My preference is a wine basket to a wine making kit. I have never had a good bottle of home made wine.

Just wanted to tell you that your point on points is excellent. Just went to 25 tasting rooms in Paso Robles and Los Olivos. Every pourer had to tell you how many points their wines received before they poured them. The points rarely matched the wines. I do want to thank Gary for the episode on Tensley wines. Went to Los Olivos on a day they are normally closed but Jennifer was there and she was sweet enough to open a new bottle of Colson Syrah, what a great wine, signed up for their wine club imnmediately. Cairn wines also made by the Tensleys is in the same room and they had an interesting take on Rhone varietals. A real surprise was Arthur Earl wines producing a really good Mourvedre and an interesting Barbera/Nebbiolo blend. In Paso Robles at the far out wineries, Oppolo stood out as did several Justin wines including a Chardonnay that was truly Burgundian. Thanks for the Tensley recommendation. It got me to Los Olivos that is definately a place to get back to.
February 8, 2007

VinoVixen
Basket! Good show. Everyone has a different palate. The reviews can be helpful to determine if the wine is balanced and well made…but otherwise, trust your own palate and style when picking wines. Although, a good review may prompt someone to try something out of their comfort zone
February 8, 2007

Paul
Winemaking kit all the way.
February 8, 2007

Keith Miller
Good episode Gary…You know disagree about your take on wine ratings a bit…I think it is useful to consumers iffffff…(Heres where it gets tricky) the review itself is helpful. I think the one thing in a review that would be beneficial for the wine consumer is the overall stucture of a wine instead of flavor profiles so much…sure some of that is needed. I’m sorry if a wine has great flavor of fruit and anise and sage but is thin in the mouth, what good is it. Structure is left out way toooooooo many times with wine writers. Now I think you do a good job telling peple about the structure of wine you taste. I am mainly refering to print or point of sale on store shelves.
Good show…..denverwineguy.com
February 8, 2007

JohnP
Gary.. Basket, really. I tried to make wine, what a joke!
I can’t wait to try a few of todays picks…
February 8, 2007

Jason R.
I AM IN FOR THE WINE MAKING KIT – I HAVE NEVER HAD A WINE BASKET WORTH A DAMN – TYPICAL GROCERY STORE FAKE WINE.

I AM BEEN PONDERING MAKING MY OWN FOR A WHILE. NOT THAT I WOULD NOT STILL BUY A TON, BUT I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE VERY EDUCATIONAL IN THE PROCESS AND HELP FURTHER MY PALATE
February 8, 2007

dougiefresh
two great episodes back-to-back. nice one!

qotd – wine kit. thinking about growing some vines in my front yard in jersey. ; )

btw, you guys ever think about enhancing your search on winelibrary.com? I had a heck of a time searching on “Navarrita” because I didn’t spell it exactly. How about a “did you mean”? I’m sure you’ve thought about it. Also, it would be nice to have an advanced search where I could search keywords within the tasting notes. Like being able to search wines that had “honeysuckle” in the notes. Index that stuff! cheers.
February 8, 2007

Len C
how did you know my birthday is on the 20th? i would love if you sent me a wine making kit
February 8, 2007

Lynne
QOD: Basket.

Hermit Crab sounds interesting, so does a “peppered” wine. I’m such an easy sell.
February 8, 2007

Rob B
Basket!!
February 8, 2007

Southpaw
GV,

You are the Joe Namath of wine! I wait for your episodes the way my wife waits for Grey’s Anatomy and that freaking Lifetime channel. Who’s better than you GV? No one!

QOTD: Don’t be such cheap bastards, give both a basket and a kit and reap the rewards of being a generous, philanthropic purveyor of wines.

I’m off to do the work of many!
February 8, 2007

Englishman
Love the sound effects of the peppermill.
QOD – Wine basket all the way!!
Will have to try the Hermit Crab. Thanks for the comments on wine ratings. While I don’t believe in them all the way, it is a good place to at least start.

Englishman
February 8, 2007

SteveB
QOTD: definitely basket
February 8, 2007

Joyce
Gary…where is your wedding ring? Women always notice that….
February 8, 2007

Antonio TouriÃ±o
Hmmm… How good are the wine making kits anyway? It would be useful if you can get good grapes I imagine. It probably would be useless to me as I don’t think I could get access to such grapes. So I would have to go with the wine basket.

Great episode Gary. Cheers from Panama!
February 8, 2007

Robert F
QOTD – definitely a basket.

P.S. thanks for the episodes on chinon and bourgueil, cause guess where I am? IN THE LOIRE VALLEY! Four and a half months in angers. Yum Yum
February 8, 2007

Michael B
Great episode – how about an episode of wines scored really low that you think are good, Gary?

QOTD: basket for sure. tried to make beer once, what a disaster.
February 8, 2007

Deano
Great episode Gary. I will have to seek out that hermit crab lol. I gave you the shout out on the wine blog awards the first time you mentioned it. I am sure you are gonna smash the competition.

QOTD: I would like either but the wine making kit would be cool. I have made some wine myself and it was a blast. My best friend up in Napa his dad makes it for fun. If all the grapes dont sell we pick em and crush em and the whole process and it was very cool. It is a good feeling when you pop open a bottle and you put the hard work into it. It feels good. When you come to cali and stay at my house we can drink a bottle lol
February 8, 2007

eugene
QOTD:Basket of course.

Ratings are highly overrated imo. :=)

For me low ratings are more important than the high ones. On the low end all the critics seam to agree. So if the wine has rating below 85 that is usually (not always) a good sign.

How do we buy wine?

Say I decided to buy a sangiovese based Tuscan wine for $15. I see full shelf of them
in the store. Which one do I pick?
Some of them are good, some plonk, some overpriced.
Some of them are traditional and some are international style.
Yes, I need tasting notes and guidance/recommendations. If I am in the reputable store and can trust sale people, I ask for advice. And I need to hear something better than â€œItâ€™s a good one!â€

As far as ratings go I learned to ignore Parker’s rating on inexpensive Spanish, Italian and CDR wines.
But, I read his notes which are pretty spot on.
I found that Eric Asimovâ€™s taste is similar to mine and I trust his recommendations.
And so on.

Gary,
Your notes are very good especially lately when you give us NEW WORLD alert!
February 8, 2007

bugbirdfishboy
kit
February 8, 2007

organicguy
Nice episode….it’s good to see u pumped up again. I believe you just reenforced your theme of let scores be a guideline and nothing more. Smell, swirl, sip and savor….I’ll take a basket..please
February 8, 2007

Slaphappy
Great episode. I am fairly new to the wine thing and I am definately persuaded by wine scores. I have to say that I have been disappointed in the past with some 90+ scored wines. I stumbled across this blog a couple of months ago while looking for wine making tips. There was a link I pressed it and now I am hooked. Having said that, (QOTD) I would prefer the wine kit. But I am patient. Thanks for the entertainment and education. By the way impressed by the superbowl prediction in episode 107.