tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post8943734924337525484..comments2024-03-18T04:47:16.199-07:00Comments on The Gray Report: Wine Spectator got the 2007 Napa Cab vintage wrongW. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-35313172822188418092011-03-08T15:30:25.695-08:002011-03-08T15:30:25.695-08:00Bryan: I understand the group think problem, but i...Bryan: I understand the group think problem, but in this case most of us tasted quietly and discussed afterward. In any case, it was a hard-headed, opinionated group.<br /><br />As to your second point, I completely agree.W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-18071561967950057092011-03-08T13:25:33.510-08:002011-03-08T13:25:33.510-08:00"For those of us who have done some comparati..."For those of us who have done some comparative tasting of Napa Cabernet vintages -- and that now includes more than 40 leading critics in three countries -- we're not laughing with you."<br /><br />Be careful of the Group Think phenomenon here. Sometimes the first person to say something can influence the perspective of the others who are listening.<br /><br />Also, vintage Bryan Maletishttp://FatCork.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-70593510301897677852011-03-07T07:28:28.794-08:002011-03-07T07:28:28.794-08:00Blake,
Rating a vintage is not an easy task, as a...Blake,<br /><br />Rating a vintage is not an easy task, as any honest critic will acknowledge. <br /><br />Making a blanket judgment on the basis of sampling a few wines, even a few dozen wines, on a single occasion is, in my opinion, an act of hubris.<br /><br />At Wine Spectator, we look at the growing season, to estimate potential; interview winemakers, to gain perspective; survey the results Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-65809730351840909212011-03-06T19:35:12.794-08:002011-03-06T19:35:12.794-08:00I don't think you can paint an entire vintage ...I don't think you can paint an entire vintage in broad strokes. In The Spectator's defense, people like to read about it and honestly how many pay attention three, five, twenty-five years later? Personally, i look for the individual quality of the brand - you can't treat a region like the SP500. It is a non-issue for me as a writer. I actually did have several comments about Eric'Doug Wilderhttp://www.wildernapavalley.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-31222324592188948472011-03-05T18:55:57.715-08:002011-03-05T18:55:57.715-08:00As a retailer, I'm finding that the 2007 Napa ...As a retailer, I'm finding that the 2007 Napa Valley Cabs are producing some of the finest wines ever in the $15-$40 price point. And that is among wines where I have great familiarity.<br />When you couple that with the multitude of 2007 that have been bumped from $50 to $20 because of the economy, customers are experiencing better Cabs that they would normally taste.Austin Beemanhttp://www.understandingwinehd.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-47787573894460695092011-03-04T07:45:46.647-08:002011-03-04T07:45:46.647-08:00I think the 2007 vintage is alot like 1997. They a...I think the 2007 vintage is alot like 1997. They are beautiful to drink early. As for the score for the vintage. WS is as usual favoring over ripe vintages. I have tasted a great number of 07 Napa Cab and the vintage as a whole is good, but I do agree that many of them are hollow. They are wines built for critics who favor a particular style of Napa Cab.Maratene's Fine Winehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09935178166527019795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-52772908148343752972011-03-04T04:28:42.725-08:002011-03-04T04:28:42.725-08:00Purely anecdotal evidence but it supports your pre...Purely anecdotal evidence but it supports your premise (and my personal opinion of the 2007 vintage) At a wine event in my hometown, a half-dozen Napa winemakers were pouring their wares (mostly 2007 vintage). I asked each to compare their own 2007 and 2008 vintage wines and, to a person they said they liked their own 08s better! That's a powerful statement when it is delivered by a winemakerFred Alianohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16867762472330660849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-23920186446628752872011-03-03T05:48:42.118-08:002011-03-03T05:48:42.118-08:00Far be it from me to defend the Wine Spectator OR ...Far be it from me to defend the Wine Spectator OR vintage ratings, but at the 2009 Premiere Napa barrel tasting, the '07 cabs were by and large spectacular: great fruit but also great harmony and depth. If that's the basis for the 99, I can see it.<br />Maybe the time spent in oak since then explains why you and I were among those who found the '07s underwhelming at last week's Bill Wardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-81855958512974649062011-03-03T03:48:32.911-08:002011-03-03T03:48:32.911-08:00It would be interesting to know what systematic cr...It would be interesting to know what systematic criteria are employed by WS (and WA) to assert that a vintage is 99 points (?!). For it doesn’t make much sense, to me, that one or two reviewers can assign one single score to a vintage made of tens of thousands of wines, produced from different varieties, in different styles & techniques, from dozens of regions and thousands of wineries; basedPeter O'Connorhttp://www.wine-ev.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-62427562024616926232011-03-02T17:46:25.626-08:002011-03-02T17:46:25.626-08:00Steve, I am with you on the 07 Napa Cabs. I rathe...Steve, I am with you on the 07 Napa Cabs. I rather liked most that I tasted, so far. And I taste many wines every day. I certainly do not think 07 was a 99 point vintage, but as has been said many times before, it was hard to make really bad Cab in Napa in 07. <br /><br />Blake, you do not identify the "British critic," although being in the business, I have an idea of who it is. InMarlene Rossmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-33163078026650128692011-03-02T15:20:50.063-08:002011-03-02T15:20:50.063-08:00Steve: Let me put you on the spot, then. If you ha...Steve: Let me put you on the spot, then. If you had to rate the '07 Napa Cab vintage, what would you rate it?<br /><br />And at what point would you say a vintage rating is so high that it should be noticeable to all reasonably experienced tasters? I don't know if I have an exact answer to that question, but I know it's a few points below 99.W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-34020530561204039292011-03-02T15:18:03.245-08:002011-03-02T15:18:03.245-08:00David: Very interesting point. Perhaps private-lab...David: Very interesting point. Perhaps private-label Napa Cabs -- largely made from declassified bulk juice -- will be excellent in '07; that could be something to watch for value seekers. (Won't be me; in the value price range, there are other things I'd rather drink.)<br /><br />Andy: It's an interesting point about Napa's variety. I'm a big fan of some non-Bordeaux W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-53487561099757722722011-03-02T15:16:31.718-08:002011-03-02T15:16:31.718-08:00I rather liked the 2007 Napa Cabs. They were flesh...I rather liked the 2007 Napa Cabs. They were fleshy and approachable, and what's wrong with that? I also think what 1WineDude said is important: How many wines must a wine critic taste, before he can declare the vintage? Answer: Lots. For instance, that British critic who found the wines "hollow": how many did she taste? What are her qualifications? So just because Asimov and one orSteve Heimoffhttp://steveheimoff.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-1703290458088324942011-03-02T13:53:05.199-08:002011-03-02T13:53:05.199-08:00its Andy...sorry, couldn't figure how to leave...its Andy...sorry, couldn't figure how to leave my name. I agree, but they also rate this vintage highly for other varietals and sites as well. And, in some respects, I do not think its really proper (for WS or anyone else) to compare the validity of "vintage ratings" for Bordeaux (where they grow basically 3 varietals [7 total] compared to Napa, where pretty much anything goes. IAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-84696769291669658062011-03-02T13:50:42.742-08:002011-03-02T13:50:42.742-08:00Blake,
Great post. My impressions last week were ...Blake,<br /><br />Great post. My impressions last week were the same as yours (and similar to Asimov's). To me, too many of the wines were "uniform, monochromatic wines with little finesse.” <br /><br />Across the board, I found the 06s and 08s more interesting. Not necessarily better, but certainly more unique. (And thus, more worthy of my money.)<br /><br />That said, we were drinking David Whitehttp://www.terroirist.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-61865346521384212572011-03-02T13:34:19.118-08:002011-03-02T13:34:19.118-08:00Anon: The problem is, Spectator's 99-point rat...Anon: The problem is, Spectator's 99-point rating was purely for Napa Valley Cabs. See John Kelly's comment up top.W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-57927254458671911332011-03-02T13:28:40.371-08:002011-03-02T13:28:40.371-08:00The thing that I liked about 2007 is that almost e...The thing that I liked about 2007 is that almost everything has been great from almost everywhere in the state (unlike 08...many awesome wines but there is some picking and choosing, esp with pinot and Zin...)-- I make and help make wines (both home and professionally) from Lodi, Amador, El Dorado, Sonoma, Napa, Suisun and Clarksburg so my basis for comparison is pretty solid. While of course I Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-35414252182033851352011-03-02T12:59:43.507-08:002011-03-02T12:59:43.507-08:00Brad: I'm not saying there aren't great wi...Brad: I'm not saying there aren't great wines. Those exist even in the most poorly rated vintages (there are some 1998 Napa Cabs drinking beautifully right now, but that's an entirely different story.)<br /><br />What I'm saying is that the '07s don't clearly stand out as better than the '06s and '08s when tasted side by side, and in more cases than not of a W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-34709065917887744012011-03-02T12:39:27.372-08:002011-03-02T12:39:27.372-08:00I don't know about 99 point vintages. Our 2007...I don't know about 99 point vintages. Our 2007 was balanced from day one. Everything fell into place in the cellar.BradKhttp://www.georgrafaelvineyards.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-1505370856259256922011-03-02T11:04:01.608-08:002011-03-02T11:04:01.608-08:00John: Very good points, both of them. I also wonde...John: Very good points, both of them. I also wonder how much of the vintage applause came from barrel samples rather than finished wines.<br /><br />Joe: I'm not prepared to say after that many wines that '07 was a good, bad, or average vintage for Napa Cabs. But a 99-point vintage? Think about the '05 Bordeaux -- THAT's a 99-point vintage. There simply isn't this much W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-60229919455223213422011-03-02T10:53:25.688-08:002011-03-02T10:53:25.688-08:00Generally in agreement with you on this, bro. Of ...Generally in agreement with you on this, bro. Of course, it could be argued that we've not tasted the majority of Napa Cabs, and so the sample pool on which we base that assessment is too limited for the assessment to be accurate.<br /><br />BUT...<br /><br />I know what I like, and I think I like the 08s better. Just sayin'.1winedudehttp://www.1winedude.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-28999234256367529402011-03-02T08:42:47.688-08:002011-03-02T08:42:47.688-08:00As in many of these highly-touted vintages, pundit...As in many of these highly-touted vintages, pundits appear to have fallen prey to the myth of the "perfect" growing season. The weather was "perfect" so the wines should naturally follow suit, right? Well, if the reactions of you and others at this single tasting hold up over a few more similar evaluations, apparently not. <br /><br />The problem with these sweeping plaudits (John M. Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18343670865804216103noreply@blogger.com