The Berlin Tasting - Musings

I had the pleasure of being invited to "The Berlin Tasting" this month and have been thinking about it a lot since. What is it, you ask?

Well...(to get really geeky for just a moment), back in 1976 Stephen Spurrier put on this little wine tasting to force California wines to compete with French wines. The California wines came in first place, both white and red, putting California on the proverbial map. (If you want a cheesy visual, go rent the movie "BottleShock".) The Chilean wine market is now trying to accomplish the same thing by hosting "The Berlin Tasting", which is matching Chilean wines, not only against French wines, but against top Californian and Italian wines as well. Their first effort was a success, held in 2004, placing one of their wines in first place. As a result, they have been touring the tasting around the world over the past few years, attempting to elicit the same results again and again.

So, they finally made their way to the U.S.A., stopping in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Held at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills, all walks of wine professionals were invited. Ten wines were poured blind and the tasters given thirty minutes to vote for first, second and third place. The wines were revealed and to everyone's surprise in Los Angeles, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. 2006 was the victor. Ironically, this is the wine that won first place in the 1976 Tasting of Paris as well.

Long story short: I also voted the S.L.V. in first place, not because I knew it was Californian, but because I thought it was Lafite-Rothschild. (I actually thought the Lafite was Chateau Margaux - silly me...) Honestly, I was miffed at myself for picking the Californian wine. I spoke with some of my colleagues and they had felt the same. So, I promptly placed an order to carry some at Jar. How could I not have this amazing Bordeaux-styled wine to share with others?

Now - the part that really burns my bottom - the critics gave this wine an 82 WS and and 85 RP. I continue to denounce ratings, but still keep track of them. This was really baffling to me. How can a room full of wine professionals place a wine in first place that is a "below average" wine? It's moments like these that really solidify my belief that wine ratings (in the numerical sense) are ineffective. Might I also mention that the Sassicaia, which scored a 97 by RP, was placed seventh out of ten.

I can't believe I'm going to bat for Stag's Leap Wine Cellars right now...

But the good news is that thanks to the critics hating this wine, we are seeing price drops at the retail and restaurant level. The S.L.V. might have been about $100, but it's down to about $70 now. A steal at the price, if you're deciding between that and a $600 bottle of Lafite-Rothschild 2006. Take it from me: at ten percent of the price, save the money and drink the S.L.V.

So, as I'm stocking my bottles of S.L.V. 2006 and wondering if I will ever find the chance to revisit it, please keep in mind that critical scores are not everything. Read the reviews and paint the flavor profile of the wine in your head. Based on the words, not the number.

I guess this counts as my first rant. Thanks for listening.