Community Tasting Note
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jmcmchi wrote: 83 points
November 8, 2016 - Looks like cherry pop.
Tastes remarkably good for the price8,435 views
4 Comments
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owr commented:
12/30/16, 3:45 AM - JMCMCHI - you wrote that it was good for the price and then gave the wine an 83 - to me that's a really bad score. Care to elaborate?
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jmcmchi commented:
12/30/16, 10:53 PM - At $8 (US) I am not expecting anything special from Bordeaux, so hence the price comment.
As regards the rating. This was acceptable, not in any way brilliant, so putting it into the 80-84 range - taking, as a basis, the WS scale definition of
"80-84 Good: a solid, well-made wine"
I agree that there is a lot of room for clarification/standardization in rating scales, even apart from the personal taste aspect; to my mind we are more at risk of grade slippage than otherwise with the 100 point scale as opposed, for example, to the 20 point scale used in Europe.
Happy to discuss if you want to PM -
owr commented:
1/2/17, 7:15 AM - As a professional wine writer I use a 5-star system ... I find it a lot easier and not as finite as the 100-point scale, wines should not be graded as an essay.
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jmcmchi commented:
1/2/17, 10:07 PM - In my experience most people outside N America and Australia (and many here) are more comfortable with something other than the 100 point scale - the impression of precision is misleading, at best.
But in my experience, any rating system has its weaknesses; the less levels, the more people try to add a level of granularity by adding halves or colour coding. The 100 point scale is in theory a 50 point scale, but in practice a ~20 point scale (very little rated below 80)
I remember my original struggles with French critics' definition of "un bon vin" and disappointment that it seemed to mean "an acceptable, run of the mill product with correct characteristics of the appellation".
Anything that helps clarity is good for me, so I support your use of a five star scale, as long as the criteria are defined.