|

SCORE
100-98: Profound quality! These wines reveal a surreal
combination of fruit, power, opulence, and a lasting
impression in the mouth, while showcasing depth and
complexity that is rarely found. Wines rated at this level
are extraordinarily complex, rare, and long-lived. Few wines
reach this level.
SCORE 97-96: All of the key characteristics are
found, beautifully integrated, and impressively pronounced.
Wines at this level are amazing in quality showcasing some
impressive lingering of flavors.
SCORE 95-94: Combines a compelling combination of
complex aromas, fruit-mass, and depth of fruit. At this
level wines are beautifully structured, harmonious, and
sublime, leaving a lasting impression of flavor and pristine
elements.
SCORE 93-92: A harmony of delicious flavors with
excellent balance of fruit and tannin. Not as potent as
higher rated wines but sound in quality. Wines at this level
are still complex in aroma and flavor. This quality offers
great appeal and depth.
SCORE 91-90: Reveals deep aromas, with enough
integration of sweet fruit and tannin to create a terrific
drinking experience. At this level the taster will not find
any austere or over-extracted flavors. These wines are
attractive in aroma, deep in fruit, and full of delicious
charm. Here, the wine is balanced and super-clean in the
back-end.
SCORE 89-88: Outstanding wines of lighter-texture and
fruit-mass. There is a tendency to be silky-textured, and
deep to-concentrated on the palate, with generous fruit and
solid structure. These will always be a charming wine to
drink and cellar.
SCORE 87-86: An easy drinking, straight-forward
effort, with less fruit and concentration than the
upper-score ranges. They still posses a solid structure, and
display enough depth of fruit and complexity. In some cases
the wines tend to be silky-textured, and tart to ripe in
fruit intensity. At this level wines are cellar-worthy and
still provide pleasurable drinking. In some cases the wines
can reveal some flaws, but can boast enough fruit and depth.
SCORE 85-84: These tend to lack interest as the wine
starts to show tart to plump-fruit, and a lack of balance in
flavor and tannin. They can be dominated by earthy aromas
with less complexity of flavor than higher-rated wines.
Here, the wine is attractive to the taster but does not
provide the same attachment and dimension of flavor found in
other wines at a higher-level.
SCORE 83-82: These lack either dimension or fruit
intensity. They typically possess earthy/vegetable flavor,
and usually offer only plump aromas and mouth-filling
texture.
SCORE 81-79: These have major flaws and show one or
more of the following deficiencies: extremely herbaceous in
flavor: lacking a big portion of fruit-intensity: unbalanced
with high-acidity: severely astringent and gritty on the
back-end. Wines in this range are best suited for
consumption in the first two years after bottling.
SCORE 78-below: Unacceptable, lacking in each
important component. While void of flavor, they lack
charming characteristics, and pleasurable qualities. Wines
at this range are unsuitable for consumption and offer
little or no hope to the taster.
|