Ok- so how does one get 50 million wine drinkers to understand that? The distributors? The Wineries? – hmmm- seems to me that the point puffery comes from critics and blogers anyway, so it should be their responsibility to make sure that distributors are reading articles like this so they get what real customers are wanting or are lacking in knowledge. imho.

A final word- The correlation I was attempting to make a correlation between high scores and the SUV driving public. We’ve already agreed that high scores usually accompany very high octane (if you will) big bodied, flabby wines (in a few short years in bottle). These high scoring wines ARE for people who don’t want to think (see Leanu’s piece above) or be conscious of what’s going on around them, i.e most environmentally conscious people DON’T drive huge over bearing SUV’s. They care and think about their purchases. They’re conscious of their purchases. Big wines like big cars appeal to the hedonistic animal in us perhaps. However, this model is unsustainable, similar to the point system.

Harse? Nah. Charlie, as an older cat in this industry, I’m not willing nor do I desire to disrespect your opinion. I state my opinion as a grower, maker and marketer. I do not seek out sales from corporate, for-profit reviewers, not do I sell my wines to wine shops, distributors who dictate the need for scores. Not for anything, Charlie you’ll be hard pressed to find any one person who works harder and longer hours than a youngish Kid who grows it, makes it AND markets it 100% from his small 12′X16′ tasting room. By your comment, I do take exception. I doubt you have bank loans against your role in this business like I do. Do you “lay it on the line” like we do daily? I believe that we without scores or shop placement work HARDER than our number chasing counterparts. It’s easy to hit scores and sell wine. Believe me, I hit a few huge scores in the beginning of my career, until I “saw the light”-er side of wine and how pretty they can be with lower sugars, higher acids arriving at the crushpad. Try and make wines that don’t garner the big points and sell them like we used to do… Hand sell bottle-by-bottle and establish personal relationships with clients. I promise that hand sold wines capture more customer loyalty than numbers or one’s ability to get on a “list”.

Like many in this wine world, we’re frustrated in a system that awards neglect of the fruit and ultimately rewards engineers, not winemakers.

I wish you all could see the condition of the fruit arriving at “cult” wineries crushpads. I have on more than 5 occasions. It’s unbelievable, the absolute decimated condition the clusters were in.