WA: Jeb's SantaBarbara Wine Review

Just read this weekend JebDunnuck’s review of SantaBarbara, mostly of the 2012 vintage:
WA: Jeb’s SBC Reviews

It was pretty predictible in the wines he liked & didn’t like. He, of course, went off-scale for Manfred’s wines, heaping
scores upon them in the 96-100 range.

What I found most amusing in the article was his review of BobLindquist’s Qupe wines:

“While good, I found most of these releases from Qupe to lack depth and richness.”

Well…doh…these are Qupe wines, after all. They’re not about power/extract/richness/blackness. They’re about balance/finesse and ageibility.

He characterizes the Sawyer-Lindquist Viognier '13 (87) as “quaffable, focused and easy drinking that lacks any real character”. This wine, to me, is almost of the level of the Failla AlbanVnyd Viognier, one of the best Viogniers being made in Calif. It (the Qupe) is restrained, relatively high in acidity acidity, and underwhelming…at this point in time. I have little doubt that, w/ 5-10 yrs of age, it will be mightly impressive. But is definitely not a DollyParton Viognier, which Jeb tends to like.

He gives the BienNacido Hillside Roussanne '11 all of 88 pts, dismissing it with “Where’s the beef??”. I think that Bob’s BN Hillside Roussanne is, yr in & yr out, with age, one of Calif’s greatest Roussannes.

He similarily deprecates the Sonnie’s Syrah '11 (89) and the BienNacido X-Block Syrah '11 (89) as a wine that “could use additional ripeness” and admonishes you to drink them in the next 3-5 yrs.

I thought Jeb’s reviews of Bob’s wines to be a total and absolute joke and the work of a rank amateur who has little, if any, experience w/ the Qupe wines as they accumulate some age. Bob’s wines are not about power & extract and over-the-top fruit, but of elegance & balance. They are, in most cases, not very impressive in their youth because of that, but, with age, evolve into some of the finest Calif Rhones that are being made and probably some of the best wines Bob has ever made. Not that I would know…I’ve only followed Bob’s wines from the very start…the '82 PasoRobles Syrah…which was a smoking wine at 20 yrs of age.

Jeb also takes a few shots at AdamTolmach’s wines for their lack of “richness and texture”. He is also “disappointed in these new releases” by LarrySchaffer’s Tercero wines, characterizing them as “mid-weight and superficial efforts”.

There are a number of significant omissions fro Jeb’s reviews: SeaSmoke, Ampelos, Palmina, ClosPepe, MartianRanch, Solminer, Tatomer…wineries that should be included in any serious discussion of SBC wines.

One of the other amusing things in Jeb’s reviews is his incessant use of the term “smoking” in describing wines and wine values. That’s not a commonly used term in the wine lexicon that I can recall.


All in all, Jeb is to be congratulated in this review of SBC wines in that the transition from the “ParkerPalate” to the “DunnuckPalate” appears to be absolutely seamless and folks who highly value the WA’s review of SBC wines will not be disappointed.

Tom

He lives in Colorado so the use of the term “smoking” should come as no surprise.

IMHO, there are two types of people - those whose olfactory bulbs work well, and those whose don’t. Mine don’t, so I need my wines dialed up to get at them. Others, can easily get at subtler wines. I’m not sure if level of ripeness effects complexity, but I’ve found plenty of diversity on the ripe end of the spectrum, so I’m suspicious of claims that the AFWE/IPOB crowd is more enlightened in their wine appreciation. I find high fidelity at all points of the ripeness scale, the lower end however requires a lot of work as I age. I think folks like Jeb, Parker, Laube, and myself, as we get on in years, are doing a disservice to comment on wines made in a lighter style. If you can’t be physiologically objective, it’s probably best to just keep your mouth shut.

Methinks he’s pandering to his new boss’ style, to ‘fit in’

People who buy Qupe don’t do it based on a critic’s score.
2011 was on the cool side in Santa Maria, which means it will be a very classic vintage for fans.

Very well said Jody! Definetely 2 (or more) view points when taste buds are involved. I lean towards the AFWE but used to be on the other side so can relate to what you are saying. I think most wine lovers are on your side of the spectrum, hence the popularity of the Wine Advocate. I also agree that people on one side should not bash others on the other side - plenty of great wine for all!
How about a tasting publication with 2 different visions when visiting/tasting a wine region?

Even though I don’t agree with his palate at all, I actually like it when a critic takes a strong subjective position as long as it is consistent.

The Ojai PNs and whites are awesome. Very fragrant and with nice medium bodied and lively palate impression. They also seem less sought after now that they’ve become more civilized.

For the longest time, it was “rockin!’” that peppered Jeb’s tasting notes.

Furthermore, does anyone take these scores and tasting notes seriously?

Tom,

Feel free to call me ‘Mr. Superficial’ from now on . . .

Well, Pat…the WA is widely recognized as the World’s most influential wine publication and Parker the World’s most
influential wine critic. Just count the appearances on shelf talkers in most wine stores.
Tom

Actually highest score usually gets the shelf talker space - who reviewed it, for the most part, is irrelevant to most consumers.

I did love how Jeb used the exact same tasting note for all Tantara wines.

I don’t know. I think the main thing is that the critic needs to be consistent. I get your point, but it should be obvious from reading Jeb’s reviews which wines you like and which you don’t. Even if it is a contra indicator.

I do have some skin in this game. That issue you speak of features two of our wines. One is a bigger, bolder wine that I felt Jeb would like. It has that style and received 93 points. We have another wine this year that is made n a different style. More cool climate, less alcohol, less fruit, more minerality, etc. I would have been surprised to see equal scores although I feel they are both well made. Jeb gave it an 89. While I am sure that will have marketing implications when the wines are released, to me that validated my respect for Jeb and his consistency. That’s why it is important to know about the critic be it wine, movies or art. It is a subjective experience.

BTW, people ask me all the time which wine I like better and I say, they are like my children. I love them both. However, on any given day, I certainly have a favorite…

I should have added “on this board”, as I agree with your take Tom and I assume many/most here do too.

I get the critic-should-be-consistent argument, but I think it can be taken too far. One thing I gave Parker credit for, he had his preferred style (and his love of this style grew over time), but he was able to grok quality across a variety of styles (at least in the past) and he seemed very skilled at seeing a wine’s potential even in its primordial youth. This takes skill, experience and an open mind, and I don’t get those qualities from new critics on the WA by and large (nor from Parker as much as of yore).

What about the “off the hook” aromas?

Nice to see you rail against injustice Tom. I don’t read the bird cage liner/fish wrap myself and would suggest that you not give them your support either, though we both know that won’t solve a damned thing. Just as Stephen King far outsells every author praised in the NYT Book Review, just as The Bieber outsells Paul McCartney, well, you get the idea. Bombast over grace. All you can do is look at the bright side-what little there is-more for you and me and at a lesser price. These folks made a conscious decision to not whore themselves out. I hope they are not bitter. Keep in mind that at one time Adam Tolmach was making some pretty big syrahs and pinots and chose to dial things down.
I prolly read too much into things, but I think someone is this thread is suggesting that at your ripe old age, you should naturally be inclined to the bruisers.

Jeb Dunnock has always had a palate that aligned with Parker, from the first time he started reviewing Rhone wines. He is who he is. I don’t think he’s pandering to Parker but rather that Parker chose him because they had virtually identical tastes.

He likes Jamet, a producer that Parker always seemed to hate.

I’d noticed, Loren, that Jeb had reviewed your wines in there as well.

I pretty much agreed w/ Jeb’s reviews on many of the wineries. Jaffurs, BrewerClifton, etc. all seemed pretty much my take on the wines.
But his review of the Qupe’s seemed way out of whack and seemed to reflect a lack of experience w/ Bob’s wines. The scores he awarded them
is probably pretty much right-on…for this point in their life.. However, the scores awarded to a wine is not where they are at the point of time in which they are
tasted, but the score when they actually reach their peak of maturity. And I think Jeb’s low scores on Bob’s wines reflect a real lack of experience on how Qupe wines
evolve w/ age. A paucity of experience that Parker also has, as well.

Of your two wine, Loren, do you think the 93 will always be a better wine than the 89…when it reaches its peak down the road…whenever that may be?? Or is the 89 a more
ageable wine??
Tom