Scoring wine

Quality assessment

For wines tasted in cask or tank a description is used rather than a number, for I feel that no wine should be given a definitive score before it is finished. My pre-bottling assessment should be taken an impression of quality based principally on structure and extract and where possible the finer nuances.

The reader should be aware that some wines will inevitably 'show' better than others at the time of tasting, given the complications of tasting a wine going though malolactic (particularly applicable to the white wine in the next issue, given that the malolatic of the 2004s was late for many producers), but also the great difference, in terms of accessibility for judging, that just a few days can make to the same wine tasted on its lees, after racking, and after adding sulphur dioxide.

The judgements include an assessment of typicité and fulfilment of appellation level. A premier or grand cru which falls drastically below expectation could conceivably be marked down to 14, and be outstripped by an excellent village wine which over delivers for its AC level.

Evaluation	Equivalent score	Key points qualified
Outstanding	20	This should be a perfect wine within the context of the vintage. It should show great finesse and intensity on the nose. It should combine flair with perfect structure, serious complexity and superb potential for ageing.
Very fine	19	A notch below outstanding. Very fine with excellent extract and potential for ageing, but without the X factor - that extra level of finesse, elegance, depth or intensity which would lift it to outstanding.
Fine	18	A premium wine with fine structure. This level upwards in Pinot Noir should also exhibit an increasingly fine quality in tannins and texture.
Particularly good	17	Appealing harmony, firm concentration, decent definition and some complexity. Less layered than the wines above. This for example might be an outstanding village wine, or an agreeable, but not especially distinguished premier cru.
Very good	16	Expect to see increasingly well defined typicité from this level upwards and the capacity to develop (over the short term in this case).
Good	15	Correct but undistinguished. Good quality fruit, balance and skilful handing in the cellar, fulfilling reasonable expectations of appellation level and character but without the intensity and finesse of higher scoring wines.
Very Attractive	14	A modest but attractive wine, similar to the quality below - it may lack dimension, but has a more distinctive character.
Pleasant	13	Pleasant wine, but with no distinguishing character. Probably very accessible, with modest intensity, decent varietal character and pleasing fruit.
Very sound	12	Marginally better than the basic minimum
Sound, but simple	10	Simple. The absolute minimum quality expected. Exhibiting sound winemaking, but lacking depth.
Disappointing, faulty etc	Below 10	Faulty, unbalanced, lacking concentration or something discordant or unpleasant