We believe that scoring wine can some times be like scoring art. In many respects it is really up to you, the consumer (of art or wine), to decide what you like so assigning a score can seem silly to some people. Before we get to our tasting note and scoring methodology some background is necessary.
Some Basic Information
While no one at Pulling The Cork, at least not yet, is a professional wine critic or certified sommelier, we have a lot of experience with wine, tasted and written tasting notes on over a thousand wines and have a significant passion (some might say obsession) with wine. When we score a wine and write a tasting note it is not, as the saying goes, our first rodeo.
PTC thinks the best kind of wine is the kind of wine you like and drink. But like every product on the market, wine has a set of standards by which it can be evaluated. This is especially true when comparing varietals (the type of grapes used to make a specific wine). Since each has certain characteristics that are widely accepted as varietally correct you can compare one Cabernet Sauvignon to the next.
Varietal correctness is a long topic in and of itself so we won't go into too much detail here. Simply stated, varietal correctness is when the wine exhibits the characteristics most often associated with the grape varietal based on the part of the world and region where it was grown and nurtured into wine. Mostly, we can only evaluate a wine for varietal correctness when it is a single varietal wine (made from only one type of grape - blends aren't held to the same standard). That is not to say a wine can't branch out and be unique but too much uniqueness for the varietal is not usually a good thing.
Tasting Notes (we lead with this because we think it most important)
While scores provide a simple and efficient means of communication about a wine they are lacking in many respects. Besides the fact that there is some disagreement over the best scoring systems and who is qualified to give scores there is the the issue of subjectivity and subtle differences in scoring. For example, Pulling The Cork may score a wine an 89 and someone else may score it a 91. Who is to say who is right and what the difference is in those two points? Hard to tell unless there is a detailed and well written tasting note.
Oh yes, the tasting note. What REALLY matters is the tasting note.
The set of descriptors, commentary and impressions of the wine's essence is vastly more important than the score. Properly written and descriptive tasting notes give the reader the opportunity to vicariously (yeah, big word - we had to look it up too) experience the wine through the words of the taster. A tasting note reveals how the wine compares against others of the same varietal (their peers), tells us something about when to drink the wine (drink it now or let it sleep to gain maturity) and gives a glimpse into its character and personality.
At Pulling The Cork we believe a tasting note is incomplete unless it also includes information on the history, geography and background about the vineyard (terroir), varietal, region, wine maker and winery. This critical information helps to pull it all into context. The value of a tasting note lies in detailed description.
Scoring - How We Do It
We do assign a score as it is widely accepted and easy to get a quick read but the score is out of context unless viewed through the lens of the tasting note. That said, here is our scoring methodology (pretty much the 100 point scale made standard by many wine critics).
50 Points Just For Showing Up
A wine automatically gets 50 points for showing up in a bottle and being on our tasting table. That might seem like a lot of points but, regardless of who you are, if you are in the business of making wine you are putting your life, sweat, soul and passion into it. We think that is worth the 50 points.
Up To 5 Points For Color
A wine can get up to 5 points based on its color and the way it looks. To some degree this is not unlike a beauty contest minus the swimwear competition. If it is a single varietal we look for varietal correctness in the color. Other factors that influence the color are where the grape is grown, the age of the wine at the time it is poured and some wine making techniques. With modern technology this is harder to screw up then ever so most wines do well here.
Up To 15 Points For Aroma, Bouquet or Nose (pick a term, we don't care)
We can tell a lot about a wine when we stick our nose in and inhale. The intensity, complexity and balance of the aromas are evaluated and described here. The more intense, complex and balanced (along with varietal correctness if applicable) the better the score.
Up To 20 Points For Flavor and Finish (what it's like in the mouth)
Finally it's in our mouth! Much like the aroma, it is all about intensity, complexity and balance here. We are also looking at the mouthfeel (light, medium or heavy - think of skim, 2% and whole milk) and finish (how long and how intensely the wine lingers on the palate). While it is in our mouth we are also discovering and evaluating the acidity (think the after taste from citrus fruits) and tannins (the backbone of the wine providing structure and ageability - also what some people are referring to when they say it is chalky or fuzzy in their mouth). Again, varietal correctness weighs in here if it is a single varietal wine.
Up To 10 Points For Overall Quality and Potential To Age Well
It can get a bit subjective here as well because scoring a wine on overall quality can sometimes be a person to person endeavor. At PTC we score overall quality based on how a wine stacks up against its peers as well as the wines potential to get better and improve with ageing. For example, if a wine has the structure in place to age for another 10-20 years then the marks for ageing potential go up. 15 years from now that same wine may only have another 3-5 years of life left in it before it begins a decline in quality so it may score lower at that time. If appropriate, we always talk about this in our tasting notes to try and describe how much longer we think it will age and when it might be best to drink.
Add these all up and you get a score somewhere between 50 and 100 with the scale for evaluating the score something like this:
Extraordinary (96-100 points)
Outstanding (90-95)
Very Good to Excellent (85-89)
Good (80-84)
Average (75-79)
Below average (70-74)
Avoid (50-70)
Wrapping It Up
Ok, all that stuff aside, what really matters most is what you think about the wine when you drink it. We just want to help you better understand what is available, introduce you to some wine and wine makers you might not know about and prepare you for what you might expect if you choose to buy, drink or cellar any of the wines we talk about.
