Is 87 the New 90?

Is it me, or has the standard for wine rating and scoring shifted over the past few years? It seems that the magazines and online reviews have become much more stingy about handing out 90+ scores.

In the long term, this is no doubt a good thing for both wine makers and consumers. The 90 point plateau has in some ways become the consumers excepted criteria to identify a very good wine, when the critics have been telling us all along that an 85 point wine was "very good".

Consumers must realize that 80 point wines are almost always drinkable and enjoyable, even if they don't display the depth or individuality of a 90 point wine. Depending on the price of the wine, an 83 point score could very well represent a fantastic value!

That being said, I wish the critics would just get their heads out of their asses and give my wines the 95+ points that they all deserve (right!).

Reserve Syrah Tasting

Last week the Edna Valley Vineyard winemaking team held a blind tasting of "high scoring" Syrahs (all 2005 vintage) from around the world. We included our Reserve Syrah to determine how it matched against the formidable competition. The following wines were tasted:

Matetic "EQ" San Antonio, Chile $27.00: 91 (WS) 90 (RP) 90 (ST)
Montes Folly Chile $70.00: 94 (WS) 92 (ST)
Alban Vineyards Reva Edna Valley $88.00: 94 (WS)
D'Arenberg The Dead Arm McLaren Vale, Australia $55.00: 95 (RP)
Edna Valley Vineyard Reserve Syrah $45.00 (no scores yet)
Schild Estate Shiraz Barossa Valley, South Australia $24.00: 93 (WS)
Lagier Meredith Mount Veeder, Napa Valley $55.00: 95 (RP) 92 (WS)

Our Syrah placed 4th out of 7, not bad considering we constantly get "ripped on" by the big magazines with scores in the mid to high 80's.

The group favorites were the Alban at 1st place and the Montes at 2nd. Both huge wines with very expressive extra-ripe fruit components. Both also showed a multitude of minor flaws, barely at threshold, adding complexity and depth.

Also worthy of note: the Montes had... by far... the coolest packaging I have ever seen. Huge thick bottle with a very deep wide punt (yes punt), and the coolest label ever artist Ralph Steadman.... awesome (see below for 2003 version)!