Wine Education 101 – Wine Reviews

(Editor’s note: I began writing this blog on Friday.)

Earlier today Wine Spectator released their wine of the year. Here are their Top 10 wines for 2008:

1. Casa Lapostolle, Clos Apalta Colchagua Valley 2005, $75, 5,987 cases made.
2. Château Rauzan-Ségla, Margaux 2005, $100, 10,000 cases made.
3. Quinta do Crasto, Douro Reserva Old Vines 2005, $40, 1,500 cases imported.
4. Château Guiraud, Sauternes 2005, $57, 9,165 cases made.
5. Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe, Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 2005, $55, 15,830 cases made.
6. Pio Cesare, Barolo 2004, $62, 7,000 cases made.
7. Château Pontet-Canet, Pauillac 2005, $100, 20,830 cases made.
8. Château de Beaucastel, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005, $95, 15,000 cases made.
9. Mollydooker, Shiraz McLaren Vale Carnival of Love 2007, $90, 2,596 cases made.
10. Seghesio, Zinfandel Sonoma County 2007, $24, 68,000 cases made.

This list is part of Wine Spectator’s The Top 100 [Wines] Of 2008. The full list will be released on Monday. Although I did not include them here, the list also includes tasting notes and reviews for each of the wines. This list is the most read and closely scrutinized wine review of the year.

The timing of the release of the annual list couldn’t be better since it allows me an opportunity to voice my thoughts on the subject of wine reviews while illustrating some points using an actual list. Here are some things a novice wine drinker should keep in mind when reading wine reviews:

• The only opinion on wine that should matter to you is your own. Would you really care about someone’s opinion concerning the superiority of black cherry Kool-Aid to  orange Kool-Aid? As intimidating as the subject of wine can be initially, once you understands the basics you will quickly find out that most of your wine snob acquaintances are, in the words of wine critic Gary Vaynerchuk, “a bunch of douche bags” (his words, not mine).
• The most read wine reviews from from the print media are The Wine Spectator (James Molesworth, Bruce Sanderson, & James Laube are my personal favorites), The Wine Advocate, and Wine Enthusiast. Online there are two important sources of information. They are THIS BLOG and Gary Vaynerchuk’s Wine Library TV. Other noted wine critics include Jancis Robinson (The Financial Times), Oz Clarke (author), and John Brecher & Dorothy Gaiter (Wall Street Journal).
• All of the above critics bring something unique in their wine opinions to the table. They also bring their personal taste and biases. If you find one who has taste similar to yours then a quick way to discover new wines you will enjoy is to read them regularly – duh.
• The Wine Advocate is synonymous with its founder Robert Parker who is probably the most famous and influential wine critic in the world although I should be passing him in popularity at any moment. The Wine Advocate is famous for not accepting advertising dollars. They do this to differentiate themselves from The Wine Spectator who they would have you believe are opinion slaves beholden to their advertising clients. In some wine circles it is popular to disparage The Wine Spectator by referring to it as The Wine Speculator. I have actually studied this and it is a myth. If you compare the reviews of both publications there is a very small variance in scoring. I never noted a difference of more than five points and in over 80% of the cases the reviews were within two points. Tell me this novice wine drinker, do you really think you can tell the difference between an 88 point and an 86 point wine?
• Most wine reviews do not apply to casual wine drinkers. How many of you are going to invest $100+ in a bottle of wine? If you do and and the bottle needs to be aged do you have a proper place to store the bottle? (Please note a dry, dark closet does not constitute proper storage.) If there were less than 3,000 cases either imported or made are you really going to be able to find a bottle at your local wine shop? In the case of the list published above, three of my wine shops had the Seghesio in stock the day it was released as part of the list. All three were sold out within an hour of opening. It is for all of these reasons that many of you should be reading this blog. For the most part, I only review everyday value wines.

With all of that said, as many of you already know I went to the Sip Around the World event last weekend and sampled about thirty wines. All of these wines can be found in the Memphis market. The following list are some of the more notable wines I sampled (all prices are estimates):

• Crowd Favorite Award (Red):337, Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, $15 – Although this was not my favorite wine of the evening, it was a runaway hit with many other drinkers. This is definitely an everyday wine which you would not want to age. It is rather light for a cab and would almost be described as medium-bodied in weight. Kind of simple, but enjoyable. Black fruits (black currants, blackberries, black cherries) with some floral and spice notes. 
• Crowd Favorite Award (White): Fess Parker, Santa Barbera County Chardonnay 2006, $18 – This wine is usually panned by wine critics (WS scored it 82), but just like most of the crowd, I liked this wine a lot. Unlike a lot of California chardonnays it was not full-bodied or overoaked. Yes, it is simple, but I loved the citrus flavors combined with a hint of butter.
• Personal Favorite Award (Red): Chateau Belregard-Figeac, St. Emilion 2005, $13 – Here is your french wine lesson of the evening. Basically all french wines are blends. Right Bank Bordeaux wines are primarily Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blended in to give it a bit more body. Left Bank Bordeaux wines are primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc blended in to soften them. Although I generally prefer left bank Bordeaux wines, this right bank Bordeaux was out of this world — especially considering its price. I will definitely be stocking up on this little gem. Although it did exhibit many of the red fruits (cherry, raspberry, and red currants) you would expect in any Merlot, it also had a good bit of earthiness and spice which made it taste more like a Southern Rhone grenache-based wine.
• Personal Favorite Award (White) – Ipsum, White 2007, $9 – This is a great everyday bottle of wine. It is a blend of 60% Verdejo and 40% Viura grapes. The fruit notes include apples and pears. Picture a very good sauvignon blanc without gooseberry (also described as cat pee for you novices). Light and airy and great for fish, chicken, and light white-sauce pasta dishes.
• Off-the-Beaten-Path Award – Toad Hollow, Eye Of the Toad Pinot Noir Rose, $10 – Roses have taken a beating in most knowledgeable wine circles. We have white zinfandel to thank for that. However this “white pinot” continues to be one of my very favorite summer wines. Picture strawberries with spice notes.
• Some other wines I enjoyed were: Matua, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007, $12; Chateau Moulin De Tricot, Margaux 2004, $12; Cornerstone, Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, $64; Domaine les Pallieres, Gigondas 2005, $30.

Now get out there and Vici Vino!