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Two forms of notation are used.
First, wines are rated on a scale of 0 to 100 points, credited as follows: 33 for aroma and bouquet; 33 for mouth; 10 for finish; and 24 for overall impression. The resulting scores can be broadly classified along a continuum, with scores in the upper 90s for truly excep-tional wines, wines scoring below 80 being poor, and wines below 75 being unacceptable. A + indicates potential for improvement with age that cannot be judged accurately at this time.
These scores have no inherent value and should be regarded simply as an ordering device to indicate an “objective” ranking of the wines, largely free from context. The scores may be considered to indicate a band of comparability from three to five points. Thus, a wine rated 88 would be comparable to wines rated between 87 and 89 or 86 and 90. A wine rated 89 would similarly be comparable to wines rated between 88 and 90 or between 87 and 91. (My experiences with blind tasting have shown that I rarely vary more than two points in my evaluations of a given wine.)
However, such scores fail to take into account a type of wine’s maximum potential or the context of enjoyment of the wine. For example, a Muscadet may never score 90 points under this system, yet it may be a fine example of a Muscadet. Moreover, in many contexts, considering the accompanying food, occasion, and the company, and 84-point Muscadet, that is, a good Muscadet, may be an impeccable choice of wine, while a 96-point Montrachet would be a totally inappropriate choice. In a like manner, the reader may not always listen to music that is on an equal level, say, with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, but in many contexts, he or she may in fact enjoy listening to the “less great” music more than the Ninth Symphony. Moreover, such scores wrongly imply a broad leveling of comparability, ignoring the fact that the Muscadet and Montrachet are different wines, creating different expectations and should not be judged as comparable to each other.
As a result, I have devised a second set of notations, on an A, B, C … scale to minimize confusion. This second set of notations is based on typicality of the wine and the expectations for that class or appellation of wine. Therefore, an 85-point Bourgogne Blanc may receive a mark of B+, while an 85-point Montrachet, from the same grape and also a white Burgundy, would receive a mark of C-. In some sense, this is a more “subjective” rating than the numerical system because the qualities of the wine are compared against an ideal, a more difficult task. However, I feel that these notations are the more meaningful for the enlightened consumer who can distin-guish more than just white from red. The significance of the various marks can be summarized as follows:
A - An outstanding wine that deserves serious consideration when a wine of this type is sought.
B - A good wine that demonstrates characteristics of its class or appellation.
C - A wine that is acceptable to drink, but other wines that show more character of the class or appellation and better overall quality should be available.
D - A wine that is poor for its class or appellation and may contain some flaws.
F - An unacceptable wine.
I CONSIDER THE LETTER GRADES TO BE BETTER INDICATORS OF QUALITY OF A GIVEN PRODUCER AND A GIVEN WINE THAN THE NUMERICAL SCORES.
Both the numerical and letter grades are independent of the vintage as a whole. Thus, two wines rated 87/B would be judged to be of the same overall quality, even if one was from a very poor vintage and the other from a great vintage.
The grades and scores do not take into account the prices or the relative values of the wines because the market is so changeable.
Where available, I give information indicating the lot of the wine that I tasted so that consumers can be sure they are buying the same wine reviewed. For most European wines, this is the lot number, preceded by an L, which is required by European Union law. The lot number most frequently is printed on the front label, but it also can appear on the capsule, back label, or stenciled on the bottle itself. Some U.S. importers ask that the lot numbers not be added to the wines exported to the U.S. In place of lot numbers, German wines carry an A.P. number, generally found on the main label and can be identified by the last few digits of that number.
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