Even though I have written several articles on the subject of scoring wines, this particular article is personal. I think I need to express why I score a wine, not why Stephen Tanzer or The Wine Spectator or The Wine Advocate use the 100 point scoring system. I don’t even want to get into a pro or con approach to the subject. No, I just want to let you know why it works for me, and how you should interpret my numerical score.
I taste a ton of wine in a years time. Sometimes I taste a half a ton in a week. (Or so it feels) I keep all my tasting notes in my faithful Moleskine or, if I forget it (which rarely happens) I write them on anything I can get my hands on even if it’s a napkin. I write all the information about the wine such as vintage, producer and appellation. Sometimes I’ll write down the alcohol content, but not very often unless for some reason it is overbearing while I’m tasting the wine.
The first thing I do is smell the wine. I take a fair amount of time at this since it takes me awhile to identify what it is I am smelling. I’m not the sharpest sniffer out there but I do my best. I write down my impressions and I think that from the input I receive from folks who read my notes that this is helpful to them. I know the smelling part is neglected by most consumers, but I try my best to preach about the benefits of taking in the aromas before you chug it down. Like those folks who are color blind, there are those who are aroma blind and I feel for them simply because they are missing out on one of the great enjoyments in the wine experience. Blah, blah, blah… The point is, that I assess the wine partly on its olfactory contributions.
Of course, the next thing I do is taste it. I slosh it around in my mouth aggressively and make sure I get plenty of oxygen contact with the wine and stir it up. What I have learned over the years is that the more you stir it up in your mouth, the more flavors you can extract from the wine. I actually do this to a lesser degree every time I drink wine even when I’m not analyzing. The one thing I have learned from this is that you can only identify flavors you are accustomed to. You are not going to get asparagus out of a white, if you do not eat asparagus. The same is true with cherries, blueberries, papaya or kiwi. The less experimental you are in your diet, will affect your descriptive horizons in wine. If you are serious about identifying flavors in wine, go out and try the foods that many wine writers use to describe wine. The other thing you need is a keen sense of smell, because aromas have a direct impact on what you taste. I am not sure how easy it is to develop your olfactory sensors but I think it is possible to improve.
While I am tasting the wine, I am looking for some key elements that determine my overall impression of the juice. Does the wine have good balance between fruit, tannins and acid. Wines with a good backbone of acidity tend to age better. However, they also need to have a solid core of fruit to balance out the acids. Tannins, both skin and wood give the wine structure that will also help it to age. Too many wood tannins can be overbearing and take away from the enjoyment of the wine in its youth. That being said, one has to determine if there is enough fruit and acidity to ride out the oak as it ages making for a smooth, balanced wine. Too many skin tannins can make the wine bitter or bitey as some like to say. Skin tannins will mellow out as long as the fruit was not picked under ripe in which case it may have a hard time recovering. I personally prefer skin tannins over wood tannins because it is easier for me to predict the long-term outcome of the wine. Wood tannins are necessary in some cases to give the wine depth, but overdone and they make the wine awkward. Let me tell you that the oak issue is hotly debated in the wine world. I like oak as long as it is not overdone. I do not like pulling splinters out of my gums when I drink a wine.
After all of this analyzing, I finally look at the overall impression the wine gives me. In the end, did the wine bring me pleasure, or did I wonder if I would ever want to try this wine again? As a person in the retail sales end of the wine world, I also measure the quality of a wine based on its saleability. Will most consumers like this wine, or is it a wine that my quirky palate likes? I say quirky, because I have a particular style that I like just like everyone else. Wine preferences are so subjective that it is impossible to quantify them. So I look at what I call the 80% rule. Do I feel that at least 80% of the customers who buy this wine will be satisfied with it?
Once I have put all these factors together, I then put a PERSONAL numerical score at the end of my notes. I emphasize personal because that is what it is. This is MY feeling about the wine. I can guarantee you that someone will disagree with me. That is o.k. This is not a contest, it is just my way of helping me remember how I felt about the wine. In my opinion the 100 point scale is superfluous. A forty point scale is doable. However, the 100 point system is well known and accepted, so that is what I work with. Generally this is how I break it down.
55-70 points… A waste of money71-79 points… Taking a chance but someone out there might like it.
80-85 points … I am not thrilled about it, but I think that there are a lot of folks who will dig it depending on the price.
86-89 points …. Solid wine. A lot of consumers will like it and I like it myself.
90-94 points … It better be a good wine for the dough and I believe that most buyers will be thrilled with it.
95-100 points … I do not run across a lot of these wines, and in this case all the elements have to fall into place.Fruit, acid, tannins and a warm fuzzy feeling in the end. Price is not a determining factor, but if I find a wine that is exceptional for under twenty bucks, it will get the call, even if it has a coupleof flaws. Under ten bucks, and I will buy it all before I publish my findings.
I have found many 90+ wines for under fifteen bucks, and in most cases this is what I am looking for. I believe in the saying, ” A fool and his money will soon part.” I do not want anyone to blow their money foolishly on an expensive wine that does not deliver.
In the end, this is my main point. My score is simply that… MY SCORE. I read recently that Robert Parker Jr. gave nineteen 2009 Bordeaux a perfect “100” points. I can tell you right now that there are a lot of critics and wine writers out there that will disagree with him. That is because it is HIS score, not yours or anyone else. Something as subjective as wine preferences cannot be crystallized into a number. Any number that is given is simply a reference point for the palate of the taster. If you have developed a feel for Parker’s palate over the years, and you agree with his assessment of wines then, follow his lead. The same is true with Stephen Tanzer, Steve Heimoff, Jancis Robinson, James Laube or whomever you choose to read and follow.
Remember this one thing. Scores mean nothing about the wine, they only mean something about the critic. Know the critic and you will have a better understanding about the wines they recommend. Once you understand this, you have evened the score. Cheers! Stan The Wine Man