A Note About Our Wine Ratings

As my partner, Bill Lennan, and I moved from posting just a few notes about currently released wines and into the review and posting of hundreds of tasting notes featured at wine events, we have added a rating scale with numbers. The WE-C Rating Scale indicates the following:

(97-99) - Collector's wines to save for special occasions*
(90-96) - Outstanding wines for balance, length, aroma & flavor
(85-89) - Excellent wines capable of giving great satisfaction
(80-84) - Good to very good, well-made wines
(01-79) - Perfect "occasion" wines - when considering price, the foods being served or the personal tastes of your companions

However, it is the text of the tasting notes, not the numbers, that will indicate our judgement of the character, appealing qualities and usefulness of each wine. Numbers don't describe a wine - any more than they would describe the qualities that a particular man or woman has to offer - but the popularity of rating numbers (ever since Robert Parker started terrorizing Bordeaux winemakers with them in the '70s) is undeniable.

In recording these tasting notes I apply the judgement I have brought to thousands of tastings and wine competitions over my years as a professional wine critic.

If the ratings may appear to be relatively high, it is because these reviews are of wines showcased in events where the wineries are displaying their most appealing products or are from private tastings where I have selected the wines for their potential promise. While contemporary winemaking has advanced to the point where it is hard to find an unpalatable wine on retail shelves, these reviews are focused on the wines that stand above the crowd and are memorable.

You will also find frequent references to the setting in which you might serve these wines or suggestions of the foods with which you would serve them. This feature stems from a personal belief on my part that such reference will often be prove to be a far more useful form of description than whether a wine smells like "currants" or "blueberries". . . .
Earl Singer

* Note 1: Wines flagged as 'Collector's Wines' are, first of all, Outstanding wines. The 'collectors' ranking means they also have qualities that add to their value as wines to bring out for special occasions -- and, this will be noted in the review notes. These wines require proper cellaring conditions in order to improve in the bottle and the patience to wait for that perfect occasion. On the other hand, sometimes you just want to experience something special and indulge yourself.

Note 2: We do not sell wine nor do we have an interest in any winery, store or distributor who does sell or promote wine brands. All reviews are impartial regarding the producer.

Note 3: While occasionally a tasting note will appear for a wine tasted as a "barrel sample" However, these wines are not rated because a barrel sample is essentially an unfinished wine that may vary to some degree from a finished wine. [nr] is used before the name of the wine, in such cases.

Note 4: Some wine buyers, even some experienced wine enthusiasts, fall into the error of believing that wines of a higher price will deliver a more enjoyable sensory and social experience. Price essentially reflects the expense of producing a particular wine and, especially, the wine's rarity - these are not qualities that guarantee sensory delight.

Note 5: My professional wine writer/critic career began through writing a store newsletter for friends who opened a wine store/wine bar. This career then took a quantum jump when Charles Olken and I created the subscription wine review publication Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine. Now writing exclusively on the WEB, my partner, Bill Lennan, and I have the goal to provide a useful publication for both consumers and professionals within the wine industry.