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#389404 - 11-10-2018 08:35:57 Tea Leaves
Marc Hanes Offline
Crazed Wino

Registered: 12-13-2000 08:00:00
Posts: 5639
Loc: Maplewood, NJ
Anyone ever notice that is often the case when a reviewer thinks a wine underperforms s/he mentions facts about the wine rather than provide additional (negative) assessment?

I read this from Galloni (who in my opinion does this big time) on the 2016 Turley Judge Bell Zinfandel:

"A powerful wine, the 2016 Zinfandel Judge Bell Vineyard is built on a core of serious fruit intensity and tannin. I imagine the 2016 will need quite a few years to be at its best, as it is very much tightly wound at this stage. This is one of the more burly wines in this range, at least today. The Judge Bell emerges from a site planted at 1,500 feet above sea level in 1907." 90-93 points [which is crazy low for Galloni these days]

Just an interesting observation, wonder if anyone shares it.

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#389411 - 11-10-2018 11:12:43 Re: Tea Leaves [Re: Marc Hanes]
Florida Jim Offline
Crazed Wino

Registered: 12-24-2000 08:00:00
Posts: 7733
Loc: Banner Elk, NC and St. Pete., ...
Marc,
I don’t read wine reviewers and haven’t for quite awhile (save your notes posted here) but doesn’t everyone try to see the future in the glass they’re drinking?
Best, Jim
_________________________
Jim Cowan

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#389418 - 11-10-2018 14:01:38 Bad Subject Title [Re: Florida Jim]
Marc Hanes Offline
Crazed Wino

Registered: 12-13-2000 08:00:00
Posts: 5639
Loc: Maplewood, NJ
Hey Jim, I'm more focused on the sentence "The Judge Bell emerges from a site planted at 1,500 feet above sea level in 1907." Which strikes me as "filler" in a couple of sentences review. As in, Galloni didn't have much else nice to say so why not mention vineyard altitude...

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#389419 - 11-10-2018 17:14:13 Re: Bad Subject Title [Re: Marc Hanes]
Florida Jim Offline
Crazed Wino

Registered: 12-24-2000 08:00:00
Posts: 7733
Loc: Banner Elk, NC and St. Pete., ...
Originally Posted By: Marc Hanes
Hey Jim, I'm more focused on the sentence "The Judge Bell emerges from a site planted at 1,500 feet above sea level in 1907." Which strikes me as "filler" in a couple of sentences review. As in, Galloni didn't have much else nice to say so why not mention vineyard altitude...


Actually, that is a piece of information I would like to have. Not saying everyone would, but that’s my peculiar bent. For me, site is important.
Best, Jim
_________________________
Jim Cowan

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#389421 - 11-11-2018 15:27:09 Re: Bad Subject Title [Re: Florida Jim]
Marc Hanes Offline
Crazed Wino

Registered: 12-13-2000 08:00:00
Posts: 5639
Loc: Maplewood, NJ
Oh, I agree totally that the information is useful. I always appreciable information like this as well as soil composition, which direction the vines face, trellis type, and so on.

It's more a matter of percentage of total word count. Galloni's full review of the wine is 75 words. Sixteen of which are in the sentence in question, 21% of the total. To me, 75 words is *not* a lot to work with to describe the experience of the wine. I'd need a lot more. So to "sacrifice" 21% for extraneous -- if generally informative and useful -- words would not be happening.

I just think that when professional reviewers throw this stuff in, it's a sign of tepid sentiment towards the wine or perhaps worse they just ran out of things to say about their experience of the wine per se.

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#389423 - 11-11-2018 20:22:29 Re: Bad Subject Title [Re: Marc Hanes]
Florida Jim Offline
Crazed Wino

Registered: 12-24-2000 08:00:00
Posts: 7733
Loc: Banner Elk, NC and St. Pete., ...
Are you noticing this as a pattern or simply an occasional format?
Ifoccasional, I’d think it would be either an effort to add variety or a lack of time.
A pattern might be what you suggest.
Best, Jim
_________________________
Jim Cowan

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