What's your score distribution?

[NoahR]

If 85 and below isn’t worth drinking, and almost nothing rates beyond 95 in a meaningful and reproducible way, why not rescale to 0-10, 0 being “85 or below”, 5 corresponding to 90, and 10 being a “95 or above”. This takes into account the inherent superiority of our wine choices, given that most Wine Geeks would consider an 89 to be below average for what they typically drink. Anything in low 80’s is basically 70’s jug wine or Boone’s anyway. Or is it really reasonable to assume that the crappiest muck we’ve drunk in the past is still somehow better than 80% of the commercially available wine out there?

[Robert.A.Jr]

@Craig Gleason

If people are making good buying decisions, their average score should be high, right? It’s not grade inflation, it’s sampling selectively.

Dead on!

My scoring is pretty tight and typically in that 89-93 range for a large chunk of what I drink, but like you note, I am very selective about what I buy. I will score quite high for distinctiveness, so I do note that some of my scores for wines like Joguet Franc de Pied, Thivin, Sociando, Rougeard (new to me, but right in my wheelhouse), are much higher than CT average.

My lowest score of recent note is 2005 Ch. Lascombes, sub-70, which to me means, why bother? My highest a scores recently have been some mature Clape and Allemand, all above 95.

[T_Melloni]

I do not write a tasting note or score every wine I taste. Other than Richard Jennings, I doubt many others do.
So my notes and “score” will tend to be more memorable wines, or, occasionally, wines tasted in a group setting. Given that a more memorable wine that inspires me to write a tasting note will be a better wine (and by that, I mean one that is well made, enjoyable, and inviting), the “scores” I give are going to be on a higher scale.

In other words, I do not always rate wines, but when I do, I generally rate them at or above 90 points.

[b_castner]

@alan weinberg

0-1 since I use the Zanotti binary system.
0 = not worth drinking
1 = worth drinking.

Similar to mine:

Sucks

Doesn’t suck

[GregT]

@T. Melloni

I do not write a tasting note or score every wine I taste. Other than Richard Jennings, I doubt that many others do nobody does. So my notes and “score” will tend to be more memorable wines, or, occasionally, wines tasted in a group setting. Given that a more memorable wine that inspires me to write a tasting note will be a better wine (and by that, I mean one that is well made, enjoyable, and inviting), the “scores” I give are going to be on a higher scale.

In other words, I do not always rate wines, but when I do, I generally rate them at or above 90 points.

You mean you just like to enjoy a glass of wine? You don’t drink so that you can post?

My world is crashing down.

BTW, what Corey said is spot on. Someone sees a high score. He buys the wine because it has a high score. He tastes it and talks about how good it is. To show independence, he scores it a point higher or lower.

On occasion however, you feel like you got screwed because how can such crap be 94 points. Then there’s an overcompensation down. Works the other way too. Average ends up back around 91.

[Glenn_L_e_v_i_n_e]

@Anthony Hall

@alan weinberg

0-1 since I use the Zanotti binary system.
0 = not worth drinking
1 = worth drinking.

+1 almost

0 = not worth drinking
1 = worth drinking
2 = I want to drink a lot more of this

Hall modification is a win.

[Richard_T_r_i_m_p_i]

@Gary Ahearn

Is the rare Double Yum the same as a train smash of yum yum?

“For he’s gone and married Yum-Yum
Yum-Yum!
Your anger pray bury, for all will be merry, I think you had better succumb -
Cumb-Cumb!
And join our expressions of glee!
On this subject I pray you be dumb
Dumb-dumb!
Our notions, though many are not worth a penny, the word for our guidance is ‘Mum’
Mum-Mum!”
(W.S. Gilbert)

RT

[John_Kight]

@Robert B.

The lowest score I have given out is an 80. It was really a horrible experience. I am not a fan of black pepper and the wine tasted like a glass of liquid black pepper.

Was it Syrah?

[andy_velebil]

@Craig Gleason

If people are making good buying decisions, their average score should be high, right? It’s not grade inflation, it’s sampling selectively.

Correct,
For my buying and drinking pleasure I buy things which I would score in the low to mid 80’s up to 100 points. The majority being around the 87-97 point range. Lower scores are daily drinkers and things I open when I have non-wine folk over and yet still want something I wouldn’t mind drinking. Higher scores it gets harder as there aren’t many wines into this level of high score and they tend to be a bit expensive for an everyday drinker.

[SteveC]

A through F. Average rating is a B-/C+. Very, very few As, 10% A-, 20% Fs, although I seldom write notes on those wines, and they tend not to be wines that I purchase. If I know a wine is good, but not in my wheelhouse, I usually won’t rank it. I will make notes, but not rank it.