More on Wine Ratings....

When I think about rating wine, my first thought is - what did the person (or people) who taste the wine have for breakfast.... or dinner the night before.... or do they have a cold or hay fever... etc etc... anything that could affect their perception of the wine...

Also, I wonder if price has an effect... or if it's totally erroneous. In my previous blog I alluded to two 95 point wines from Wine Spectator - the 2005 Screaming Eagle Cab and the 2005 Columbia Crest Reserve Cab.... the Screaming Eagle comes in at $750... the Columbia Crest at about $25. Are you going to tell me that the quality of these wines is equal? If so, Screaming Eagle can fly off as far as I'm concerned. (Unless of course you are one of those shallow people who brag about how much you spend on pointless purchases just to impress those around you.)

Here's a couple of other examples... WS rates the 2005 BV Rutherford Cab at 88 points - about $27. At the same time, the 2005 Magnificent Wine Company House Red also gets 88 points - priced at $10... as did the Grace Family Cabernet - about $225. If all of these wines are equal, why not stock up on the MWC House Red and spend the rest on some great prime steak?

You see where I'm going with this; it's all so subjective. I mean, sure - there are wines that really suck. I'm sorry, but you know they do - you open the bottle and, as soon as you taste the wine, you realize that a cupful of white wine vinegar would have been smoother! And, I'm not talking about 'cooked' or 'tainted' wine. Some wines just are better than others.... but when it comes to rating systems, we are treading into very subjective territory.

Now... can anyone tell me why the 2006 Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet - about $27 has not yet been rated at WS? Did it come in at 98 points - well ahead of Mondavi's more expensive bottles? I ask because I think this cab is phenomenal... I've had about 5 bottles under different scenarios and this wine is a freaking beast! And it's the first Cab from Mondavi that has not been rated at WS in a few years... Wine Enthusiast gives it 95 points... I would agree - but, perhaps the rater and I unwittingly ate the same food before tasting the wine.

That said, I'm still a sucker for wine ratings - they certainly affect what I buy - and sometimes I agree with them, sometimes I don't. Ratings add a dimension of fun for me.... but I do get a bit suspicious when something isn't rated or a particular vintage unexpectedly varies greatly in score from other vintages from the same winery.... different winemaker, maybe? different climate, perhaps?

Or maybe that balsamic vinegar dressing and garlic and roasted onion pizza from last night is still coming out of your pores as you ponder that really bitter $500 dollar bottle of meticulously crafted Bordeaux.