Don't Look Up! Inflated Scores Are Attacking the Wine Industry
The 100-point scoring system for wine reviews, popularized though not invented by Robert Parker, is now in its fifth decade. Inevitably, as it has evolved and been adopted by dozens of publications and newsletters, not to mention bloggers and weekend wine writers, the system has gravitated toward higher and higher average numbers.
Do I have the statistics to prove this? No I do not. But I've been tracking these numbers since I bought my first case of wine based on them – a Robert Parker 100 point score given to the 1982 Mouton. Back in those early days Parker ranked wines on a 50 to 100 point scale. That didn't last long. Fairly quickly most influential publications stopped rating or reviewing any wines that didn't score at least 80 points. These days you'll rarely find any wines written about that score less than 85.
The more you look at it, the more you see that the 100 point scale is really a 10 point scale. As noted in the second (2010) edition of my guide to Washington wines and wineries:
"The purported 100-point scale in actual practice is not a 100-point scale at all, nor even close. For all practical purposes, it has become a 10-point scale. Wines rated under 85 are ignored completely. Wines rated 85 to 89 must be marketed as value wines—those numbers work only for wines priced for supermarket sales. If your wine is going to list for $15 or more, it must hit 90 points at least. Once a wine moves up the price ladder from there it becomes increasingly rare and expensive. As a result, wines scoring 95 or above are virtually unobtainable for most consumers."
Now fast-forward to 2022. Even a casual walk through the wine section of your neighborhood Costco or supermarket will find it papered with ads for wines scoring 90 points and higher, including many priced well under $10. 95 point wines, which used to be a rare achievement, are more and more common. And really expensive wines absolutely have to merit at least 95 points if they want to be noticed by those who buy and sell principally on scores alone.
The argument can be made that the overall quality of wine being made almost anywhere in the world has improved over the past 20 or 30 years, so of course the scores have risen. Fair enough. But there is still a 100 point ceiling, so the utility of the system has been dramatically squeezed, along with any significance attached to what used to be perfectly honorable numbers.
Wine Enthusiast, for whom I scored wines for many years, publishes this guide to the different scoring ranges used by the magazine:
"Classic 98 – 100 The pinnacle of quality
Superb 94 – 97 A great achievement
Excellent 90 – 93 Highly recommended
Very Good 87 – 89 Often good value; well recommended
Good 83 – 86 Suitable for everyday consumption; often good value
Acceptable 80 – 82 Can be employed in casual, less-critical circumstances"
I can attest, based on decades of experience, that those bottom half scores are rarely if ever interpreted so positively by consumers and trade.
No doubt these used to be meaningful ranges, and when carefully applied to deserving wines they were of value to consumers. But although scores of 87 to 89 are supposed to represent good value recommended wines, most wineries and the retail trade don't often see it that way. I'd bet that unless it's selling for under $8 anything less than an 87 point wine is going to be a tough sell. Below that it's even worse.
Among the current crop of respected reviewers who write for leading magazines and newsletters (I'm excluding my friends at Wine Enthusiast as I am not in a position to evaluate their work with any objectivity) it seems that score inflation is rampant. There are several reasons for this. If you are a winery, let's say a very good winery, offering exceptional wines at prices above $50 a bottle (maybe well above!), you are going to look through all the reviews of your wines and promote those with the highest scores. The exact same wine may get a 92 from one reviewer, a 94 from another, maybe a 96 or 98 from still a third. A spread from 91 to 100 points for the same wine is not unheard of. So which review will you send out to your club members and in your e-blasts? Odds are the quality of the writing will not outweigh the impact of the highest score.
Those who review wines for a living recognize this. Some – not all – may game the system in order to get their reviews promoted. They know that a higher score will get them more publicity than a score that falls in the middle of the pack. And if you pay attention you can pin the high number tail on the reviewer donkey with unerring accuracy.
The bottom line for me is I will no longer publish scores on this website or anywhere else. In my view the value of all scores, and especially high scores, has been diminished to the point of no return. My tasting notes make it clear what for me defines an excellent wine. I keep my personal preferences separate to a large degree, so that I may wholeheartedly recommend wines that fall a bit outside of my own taste – as long as they are well-made, interesting and unflawed.
Recently Tasted
Beginning this month I will post up additional tasting notes at the conclusion of each 'Let's Discuss' entry. The week's top three wines will continue to be featured above with labels and website links. Wines listed below are highly recommended and were the best among all those in recent tastings. Listed prices are full suggested retail and lower offers may exist.
Lichtenwalter 2020 Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir
100 cases; 12.3% abv; $29
A deep straw hue, this fragrant wine is closer to a Pinot Noir Blanc in flavor and style than to most rosés made from the grape. It's rich and palate coating, with deeper flavors than the low abv might suggest, thanks in part to fermentation with indigenous yeasts. The lightly dusty peach and pear fruit has a hint of cinnamon spice. The wine lingers in the back palate with impressive and expressive intensity. For food matches use this as you would a Pinot Gris or lightly–oaked Chardonnay.
Lichtenwalter 2019 Joy Block Pinot Noir
50 cases; 14.1% abv; $59
This reserve-level block selection uses a clonal field blend planted in 2005. Drew Voit was the winemaker, using just two barrels for the final wine. It's aromatic, elegant, spicy and lightly high-toned, with bright strawberry and raspberry fruit front and center. The fruit concentration and overall length are impressive. This lovely wine is balanced to perfection and should age gracefully.
Marshall Davis 2018 Seven Hills Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
200 cases; 15.8% abv; $40
Despite the rockin' abv this Walla Walla wine goes down smooth and supple. It coats the palate with a blur of black fruits, high cacao chocolate and coffee grounds. The tannins are ripe and proportionate, with appealing silkiness. Though some might prefer lower alcohol, this makes the case for going with the ripeness that the vintage and vineyard give you. It's reminiscent of very good Napa Valley Cabs, here with the added precision and focus of Walla Walla fruit.
Marshall Davis 2019 Black Label Syrah
100 cases; 15.5% abv; $60
Sourced from the XL Vineyard (part of the high elevation SeVein development) this is well-made in the Walla Walla style—firm, meaty flavors of blackberry, black cherry, a streak of cola and just a hint of anise. It's a fine Syrah, delicious now, well-balanced from start to finish with 6-8 years of prime development ahead.
Sokol Blosser 2019 Estate Chardonnay
869 cases; 12.5% abv; $38
Lightly toasty with crisp apple, a hint of pie crust and a great lip-smacking tang to it. A refreshing and chillable style with a buttery finish. 20% was fermented in concrete egg (nicknamed Huevo) and the rest in oak.
Sokol Blosser 2018 Big Tree Block Pinot Noir
582 cases; 13.5% abv; $72
A complex mix of earth, leather, cherry, tobacco and spice, this wine has terrific aging potential. The new oak percentage (17%) has been kept to a moderately appropriate proportion. Decant for near term drinking, or cellar and revisit it in five years.
Soter Vineyards 2019 Estates Chardonnay
300 cases; 13.2% abv; $60
There is nothing shy about this young wine, which is a pretty pale lemon hue and brings rich flavors of new French oak front and center. With bottle age the tart flavors of citrus rind framing crisp melon, apple and white peach fruit should further balance the palate. For now decanting is recommended.
Soter Vineyards 2019 Estates Pinot Noir
1800 cases; 13.8% abv; $54
Soter produces four tiers of Pinot Noir, the Estates being the newest – a blend of estate vineyards in the Ribbon Ridge and Eola-Amity Hills AVAs. This steely wine has compact black cherry fruit and an impressive frame of iron filings. The impact of the Eola-Amity Hills estate is felt in the underpinning of clean earth and dried herbs. Additional bottle age will bring it into full flavor.
