tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post7511740155283869018..comments2024-03-18T04:47:16.199-07:00Comments on The Gray Report: Wine Spectator defends its 99 rating of 2007 Napa CabsW. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-68207003619166435742011-12-08T12:09:44.030-08:002011-12-08T12:09:44.030-08:00Blake,
Some here are saying that you are being ni...Blake,<br /><br />Some here are saying that you are being nitpicky. Some are even more vehement than that. I could not disagree with them more, at least in terms of general sentiment. A '99 point rating for an entire vintage has and will continue to have a substantial commercial impact upon the past/present/future pricing and demand for 2007 Napa Cabs. That rating imparts a "Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-13722591238863380322011-03-16T09:08:32.118-07:002011-03-16T09:08:32.118-07:00It's like that Spinal Tap bit, 99 (points) is ...It's like that Spinal Tap bit, 99 (points) is one better than 98. Which in turn is one "better" than 97. That's all it CAN mean.ericleehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11445783945134653022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-78263657867827970482011-03-14T19:14:07.365-07:002011-03-14T19:14:07.365-07:00Steve: I don't know if you're still readin...Steve: I don't know if you're still reading this, but I'm astounded that you -- ESPECIALLY you -- think I'm nitpicking the difference between a 95 and a 99. Since the lowest anyone goes anymore is 80, that's a 20% difference. But it's more than that psychologically; 95 is excellent, but 99 is near perfect. Do you not take these distinctions seriously?W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-15807882923718887232011-03-14T08:18:08.928-07:002011-03-14T08:18:08.928-07:00I am looking at 2007 like 1997. These are beautifu...I am looking at 2007 like 1997. These are beautiful wines for drinking early, I do not think these are wines to cellar. I do not feel that this is a near perfect vintage. This was a good vintage and a vintage where a wine maker would have had to make monumentous mistakes not to produce a drinkable wine. I personally have rarly agreed with Laube on his vintage ratings, for whatever that is worth.Maratene'shttp://www.maratenes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-21825544667668369912011-03-14T02:36:22.430-07:002011-03-14T02:36:22.430-07:00Wine Spectator plays the role of entertainer to th...Wine Spectator plays the role of entertainer to the audience. This magazine also enlightens customers about new wine related products available in the market.online wine sales Australiahttp://www.howardparkwines.com.au/shop/default.aspxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-62813977691645013672011-03-11T12:06:17.444-08:002011-03-11T12:06:17.444-08:00I also rated Napa 2007 Cabs highly, at 95 points. ...I also rated Napa 2007 Cabs highly, at 95 points. The wines were luscious and approachable from the get go. What's wrong with that? Yes, maybe 99 is a little too high, but you're being nitpicky here. These high scores, 95-99, are simply a way to telegraph readers that if you buy a 2007 Napa Cabernet and you don't have access to a specific review, you can be pretty sure you're Steve Heimoffhttp://steveheimoff.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-73651607076257737892011-03-11T08:44:19.532-08:002011-03-11T08:44:19.532-08:00Greg: I'm not sure what your point is, but mov...Greg: I'm not sure what your point is, but movie and music criticism is slowly moving toward the 100-point scale because that's what review aggregators use, and as far as I'm aware there's no backlash or uproar over it. <br /><br />You can't really compare art criticism to wine, music or movie criticism because a Picasso isn't a product that I can personally buy.W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-15529817301486055342011-03-11T06:41:39.829-08:002011-03-11T06:41:39.829-08:00"The Picasso was good but not his best work. ..."The Picasso was good but not his best work. I didn’t care for the colors but I must say that the frame was very nice ... I would rate it 86 pts"<br /><br />"Star Wars was visually pleasing but not Lucas’s best work. I much preferred American Graffiti, which had a better storyline and had cool cars from the 50’s which remind me of my father. ... 84 pts”Greg Cronenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-33821002470204197272011-03-10T01:54:00.275-08:002011-03-10T01:54:00.275-08:00Based on weather data from Carneros, Oakville, Ang...Based on weather data from Carneros, Oakville, Angwin (Howell Mountain) and Calistoga (Source: WRCC), 2007 was by no means a warm vintage. From April to August it was a textbook vintage with temperatures and rain volumes nearly identical to the norms. September and October, on the other hand, were significantly cooler than normal, with mean high temps 4 to 5°F below the long term averages. <br />Peter O'Connorhttp://www.wine-ev.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-52204005623092567042011-03-09T19:22:53.868-08:002011-03-09T19:22:53.868-08:00My feeling is that customers will drink better NV ...My feeling is that customers will drink better NV Cab from 2007 because of all the 50% off sales. They'll perceive a better vintage at their normal price points.<br /> However, i'm not seeing 'best wine ever' from NV wines I'll know well. <br />2017 will tell but my guess says "very good" not "almost perfect." Not in the same class as 2000 Bordeaux or 1998 Ausitn Beemanhttp://www.understandingwinehd.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-87238888463391559712011-03-08T19:25:28.481-08:002011-03-08T19:25:28.481-08:00Fair enough, but as you think WS got it wrong, how...Fair enough, but as you think WS got it wrong, how do you think the vintage should be rated (not on the 100-point scale). Clearly, you do not think that 2007 was not a great growing year that resulted in widespread high-quality wines.kschlachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12810309689429676303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-67376531530107903432011-03-08T18:02:13.861-08:002011-03-08T18:02:13.861-08:00Anon: I'm afraid you are confusing an easy vin...Anon: I'm afraid you are confusing an easy vintage with a great one.W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-2348059797392682592011-03-08T17:28:22.796-08:002011-03-08T17:28:22.796-08:00"* "We look at the growing season, to es..."* "We look at the growing season, to estimate potential" -- This is usually important in France, where there's a real chance that grapes in many regions will not get ripe enough to make good wine. It's much less important in California, where sufficient ripening isn't the issue."<br /><br />This is simply not true. California is susceptible to fall rains that canAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-74132396230168189682011-03-08T15:42:14.384-08:002011-03-08T15:42:14.384-08:00CWP: I won't, sorry. I didn't set out to d...CWP: I won't, sorry. I didn't set out to do that, and won't for several reasons. <br /><br />Matthews is correct that Laube has tasted a lot more Napa Cabs of those vintages than I have. If he rated the '07s something like 95 points, I would never have questioned him, regardless of what I experienced at a comparative vintage tasting curated by Napa Valley Vintners. I wouldn't W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-79841808310733911132011-03-08T14:30:15.912-08:002011-03-08T14:30:15.912-08:00If you make an imprecise comment..I guess that it ...If you make an imprecise comment..I guess that it would be aesthetically and intellectually more pleasing to say that the '07 vintage is excellent and, with good grace and provenance,anyone with their eye on the ball will make at the very least supremely drinkable and, at best, classic truly age worthy wines. Saying that a vintage is 96 or 99 points is..sigh..a little fatuous and risks Winohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14442003020746602848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-60930652793503053482011-03-08T08:07:48.128-08:002011-03-08T08:07:48.128-08:00As a "reluctant user of the 100-point scale,&...As a "reluctant user of the 100-point scale," what would you reluctantly rate 2006, 2007, and 2008 Napa Cabs?kschlachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12810309689429676303noreply@blogger.com