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February 2007 Vintages Pre-Release Tasting: 90+ Wine Scoring Demystified |
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Thursday, 31 January 2008 |
The task at hand at this pre-release tasting was for tasters to compare their assessments against those of some of the wine world’s greatest critics. The session answered questions such as: would participants, in blind tastings, rank the wines in the same order as the experts; would the wines merit their 90+ scores; and is a 90+ score given by one critic the same as that given by another; do members of the Guild have discriminating noses capable of picking up the subtleties and complexities of aromas equal to those of a world famous critic?
Reported by Robin Ghosh
The task at hand at this pre-release tasting was for tasters to compare their assessments against those of some of the wine world’s greatest critics. The session answered questions such as: would participants, in blind tastings, rank the wines in the same order as the experts; would the wines merit their 90+ scores; and is a 90+ score given by one critic the same as that given by another; do members of the Guild have discriminating noses capable of picking up the subtleties and complexities of aromas equal to those of a world famous critic?
Guild members who have purchased wines from this release may know the answers by now. Surprisingly, the consensus rankings were close to the scores given by the critics. Not surprisingly, the meaning and value of 90+ scores varies with the critic. As for those at the tasting, some members noses’ are out of joint over the high scores given to some wines; they could discriminate not only differing aromas but also the odours arising from some scores!
More seriously, this was a highly enjoyable tasting that was well coordinated by Joe Hatz. The discussion was lively and entertaining and many of the wines were delightful. The first flight of the evening, the Yves Lambert Crémant de Loire, was intended to provide a warm up for the nose and taste buds. This unscored pink sparkling wine had large bubbles and lasting effervescence. The faint grapefruit and yeast aroma was followed immediately by a strong citrus burst and a long-lasting fruity finish. All agreed that it would make a great Valentine’s Day Rosé. At $16.85 a bottle, this wine is a great buy. After another 14 highly scored wines had been tasted, this unrated bubbly remained the consensus favourite of the night.
Tasting preferences for the four whites of the first flight matched exactly to the order of the scores. The Grant Burge Summers Chardonnay 2006 was preferred by only one taster, the rest finding the extreme oakiness to be over-powering resulting in an unbalanced wine with little other detectable descriptors. At 89 points this was the only rated wine of the evening to be awarded less than 90 points by the critics. It confirms the large gap between wines scoring 89 points and those scoring 90. The favourite gem of this flight was the Stella Bella Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc. At 95 points but only $18.85, this wine is a good buy. A complex wine, believed to come from young vine grapes , it starts with a strong astringent and mineral aroma but with time the floral, grass and citrus come out in a very balanced manner. The tar and petrol aromas of the Julius Henschke Riesling 2005 and the fruitiness of the Carpoutier Chante-Alouette Blanc Hermitage were popular with several tasters. However, many found the Blanc Hermitage a strange wine, both fragile and intense. It improved in the glass over time and those who liked it agreed that after aging another 5 years the wine may merit its $74.75 price tag.
Expectations were high since the star of the second flight would be the Chateau Léoville-Poyferre AC St Julien 2e Cru. Unfortunately the wine was “corked”. Nevertheless, Cabernet Sauvignon still ruled this flight with preferences split almost evenly between the Old World Chateau Moulin St. Georges 2004 AC St Emillion and the New World Colonial Estate Etranger CS 2005, Barossa Valley. Both had rich floral aromatics, with good structure and balance. The slight preference edge for the Australian wine came from its better integration and aging potential. It would appear that at 93 points for the Barossa Valley compared to the 91 points for the Bordeaux, tasters agreed with the critics. At $31.55 the Colonial Estate Etranger is the better value. The Clos Henri Pinot Noir 2005 and the Lieu-Dit Les Poyeux were both found to be enjoyable wines, ready to drink now but were not in the same league as the other two from this flight.
Stella Bella had a good evening, the white having won the first flight and the Shiraz 2005 at 94 points and $22.00 winning the third flight. This is an easy drinking wine that is ready now with good flavours and a medium body with sugar still showing, yet well balanced with a long velvety fruit finish. The most expensive wine of the evening, the $84.65 La Sizeranne Hermitage from M. Chapoutier and featured on the back cover of the Vintages magazine for this release was the least favourite of this flight. It was agreed that while this wine has a nice balance and finish there is nothing yet of note other than that the tannins remain high. Hope remains that with several years aging this wine will merit its price. The other three wines of the flight, all Australian Shiraz’ had jammy fruit flavours, spiciness and were well-oaked and a fair value for their price point of around $22.00. Nevertheless there were great doubts that these wines merited their high scores, most especially the Hewitson Ned and Henry Shiraz.
Thanks again to Joe Hatz for facilitating an enjoyable tasting.
The WinesSparkling Pre-Flight Liftoff
- Yves Lambert, Crémant de Loire, Brut Rose, AC, Loire, France 656488 $16.85
Flight 1
- Stella Bella, Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc, 2006, Margaret River, West Australia, 95 pts (Halliday), 48546, $18.85
- Henschke Julius Riesling, 2005, Eden Valley South Australia, 93 pts (Oliver), 945055, $36.75
- Grant Burge ‘Summers’ Chardonnay, 2006, Eden Valley, South Australia, 89 pts (Miller), 57315, $18.75
- Chapoutier ‘Chante-Alouette’ Blanc Hermitage, 2003, AC Rhone, France, 93 pts (Parker), 140541, $74.75
Flight 2
- Clos Henri, Pinot Noir, 2005, Marlborough, New Zealand, 91 pts (Sogg), 56556, $37.85
- Lieu-dit les Poyeux, 2005, AC Saumur Champigny, France, 90 pts (Molesworth), 52639, $16.85
- Ch. Moulin St.Georges, 2004, AC St. Emillion Grand Cru, France, 91 pts (Suckling), 671875, $56.00
- Ch. Léoville Poyferre, 2004, AC St.Julien 2e Cru, France, 93 pts (Parker), 664144, $69.00
- The Colonial Estate Etranger Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005, Barossa Valley, S.Australia, 93 pts (Raynolds), 20172,
- $31.55
Flight 3
- Chapoutier La Sizeranne Hermitage, 2004,AC Rhone, France, 91 pts (Molesworth), 708313, $84.65
- Hewitson Ned & Henry Shiraz, 2006, Barossa Valley, South Australia, 95 pts (Halliday), 54221, $22.85
- Mitchell Peppertree Vineyard Shiraz, 2004,Clare Valley,South Australia, 92 pts (Halliday), 57257, $22.80
- Maxwell Four Roads Shiraz, 2004, McLaren Valley, South Australia, 91 pts (Parker), 57000, $21.90
- Stella Bella Shiraz, 2005, Margaret River, W.Australia, 94 pts (Halliday), 48553, $21.85
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 02 March 2008 )
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