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Just had Green Point Shiraz, 90-94 points. Very one dimensional wine.Quite a few times, W.S. rating really are off-base. They must be tasting too many wines that day.
Any similar experiences?
Follow Ups:
Not specifically with 'Spectator, but I've had many wines that just couldn't dream of reaching their ratings in magazines. It goes both ways too, some underrated lablels/years that were very enjoyable, though lowly rated.Now I stick to industry gossip, word of mouth, and the old realible -trying a bottle.
I found I disagreed with a large number of their reviews in MANY, MANY ways.
I often do not care for ratings myself and generally read the reviews for new products and wine style. FWIW...a lot of the review samples come from barrel, NOT bottle. The flavour of the wine will change by the time it reaches YOUR lips, sometimes for the better but often for the worse.Anyway, wines that are highly reviewed and are awarded high scores are generally MORE expensive. We are a nation obsessed with ratings and high scores and believe everything that is printed on paper.
BTW, how can I get a job like that?!
"Common sense is not so common....."
VOLTAIRE
...like any reviwers - audio or wine - I find sometimes I agree with them and sometimes I don't. Mostly I find WS to be pretty good guide. But both are always interesting to read and compare against.Probably the worst example of a WS rating was last year in their Zinfandel report (my favorite wine) they rated Dowling Family Vinyard's Fly by Night a 63, by far the lowest rating in the report. It was one of my favorite Zins of last year.
anyone ever notice that stereophile writers often just have to talk about whatever wine they're swilling while they audition gear? will there be a new "RUI" (reviewing under the influence) law made because of this? how about at the end of each review, tell viewers what kind of wines go well with the speakers. LOL*hic*
i don't trust sam... 1st off, he's admitted that his hearing only extends to something like 10KHz, and second of all, he only seems to review "music hall" products and isn't shy about mentioning how buddy buddy he is with roy.
the ONE writer that really frosts me though is the one who rambles on like he's writing a novel or something and feels compelled to come up with "clever names" for each chapter without telling the reader what he's even talking about... don't EVER expect HIM to end a review with an actual conclusion! no! LOL
they never review anything in my price range anyways.
i have only a little experience with wines. maybe the next time i need a good white wine for a mushroom dish recipe i have, i'll ask some people who know their stuff.
sorry to just wander in wines and babble about stereo.
*hic*
So, you're saying that the experts don't know what they're talking about? How dare you! It's common knowledge that the best advice can be found in a magazine. ;)
I find the couple who reviews wines in the Friday edition of the Wall Street Journal to be a good alternative to the numerical system at WS.You may also look at the NYT's Wednesday edition for their panel review of wines...4 heads are better than one!
One way to look at this is to consider WS as the wine equivalent of "Stereophile". And yes, a magazine like this does consider who spends money when they review. In their defense, though, they are also dependent on reviewing wines that are produced in enough quantity to be available for their readers. A reasonably priced great wine in small supply doesn't fit the normal paradigm. Small quantity wicked expensive wines are fair game, of course, because supply is balanced by the reality of their price. A little goes a long way....If you want the "Sound Practices" or "Valve" of wine go for Steve Tanzer's "International Wine Cellar". The real deal and a good read. Frankly, "Decanter" from the U.K., while a bit pricey to some, is well worth the cost and effort to find. Maybe the "MJ" for lots of people is "La Revue du Vin de France". If you read french, a more common thing than reading japanese, it is a great magazine and resource.
W
Remember..it's just one person's opinion. Use reviews as a guide, not a bible. The best thing to do is to find a reviewer that you find you generally agree with. Think of it like audio reviews..over the years there are reviewers who I've found look for the same qualities that I do in equipment and music(Art Dudley)...there are some that I avoid like the plague(Sam Tellig).
I taste every week with 9 winemaker, enologist, vineyard type guys and I can tell you that it's pretty rare that we all agree on a wine. Unless it's technically flawed then we all hammer it pretty well.
I think the 100 point scale sucks anyway. Northwest Palate magazine uses a 3 grape scale. 3 grapes is outstanding ( you don't see many) 2 grapes is highly recommended, and 1 grape is recommended..everything else is left out. To think that someone's career rests on the difference between a 90 and an 89 is crazy...and the reason that I'll probably never send my wines in to WS to be reviewed
Steve
They are fueled by money. Have you ever looked at who advertises with them and then looked at their scores? Why does Chateau St. Jean score so well? The ads. The spectator lost my confidence a long time ago....
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