tastings / philosophy and protocol


CONTENTS Laying Down


174


2023 Burgundy: Abundant Variability Introduction and notes by Sarah Marsh MW


196 Laying Down


2020 Barolo: More than Comfortable? Introduction by Andrew Jefford; additional notes from Susan Hulme MW and Michael Palij MW


208 Savor


Oregon Pinot Noir: Staying True to the Pinot Ideal Introduction by Andrew Jefford; additional notes from Anthony Rose and David Williams


WHAT MAKES OUR WINE TASTINGS DIFFERENT?


Tastings are always central to our magazine. Every collector or consumer of fine wine wants to know what to buy, learn how already-released wines are developing, and what to expect in terms of quality, typicity, and value. Nothing offers more comfort than a reliable tasting note


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nd yet we know that there is no uniquely correct way of conducting tastings, which may be blind or open; involve one or more tasters; award scores out of five, 20, or 100—or, indeed, not score them at all. Different formats each have their strengths and weaknesses, and different lessons are learned from them. That’s why we employ several formats, bringing our own distinctive and rigorous tasting protocol to them all.


Blind tasting At The World of Fine Wine, we use the “single blind” protocol for our blind


tastings: Only the identity of the producers is hidden. Three tasters —normally one acknowledged specialist and two experienced generalists—work their way through the wines, simultaneously entering their comments and scores straight into a computer database. To guarantee the accuracy and integrity of the process, there is no conferring among the tasters; nor do we permit scores or comments to be altered subsequently. Rather than settle for anonymous and/or composite notes, which we regard as unsatisfactory, we attribute all comments and


THE WORLD OF FINE WINE 100-POINT SYSTEM


50–74 Disagreeable or faulty wine 75–79 Sound but dull or boring wine of no character or appeal 80–84 Enjoyable, simple, and straightforward wine 85–88 Good wine, but with no outstanding features 89–92 Very good wine, with some outstanding features 93–96 Outstanding wine of great beauty and articulacy 97–100 Great wine of spellbinding beauty and resonance, leaving the drinker with a sense of wonder


HOW THE OLD WORLD OF FINE WINE 20-POINT SYSTEM RELATES TO THE NEW WORLD OF FINE WINE 100-POINT SYSTEM


OLD SYSTEM 0 7 12 14 15 16 17 17.5 18 18.5 19 19.5 20 NEW SYSTEM 50 70 80 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 99 100 Our rating system is specially calibrated for fine wine by contributing editor Andrew Jefford.


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