After a work-induced hiatus from wine that lasted several years, I’m back. I went nearly a decade without subscribing to eBob, Tanzer (now Vinous with Anthony Galloni who, when I checked out was part of eBob, if I remember right), Jancis, or anything else. So, I’ve checked back in, updated my subscription to eBob and to Vinous and have been catching up on vintages and such.
So – I was looking at vintage charts, comparing eBob and Vinous for Piemonte. Here’s what I see:
eBob rates 2014 Barbaresco at 79 points – second only to 2002 as worst vintage in forever.
Vinous rates 2014 Barbaresco at 95 points, describing it as, ‘A cold, late-ripening season with ideal Fall weather produced taut, mid-weight Barbarescos endowed with striking aromatic presence, finely sculpted fruit and lively acidity, all of which give the wines considerable energy. Barbaresco did not suffer the hail that was so problematic in Barolo. Two thousand fourteen is shaping up to be an exciting vintage for Barbaresco. It is a vintage that will especially appeal to classically leaning palates.’
Help me understand how this is remotely possible. I’ve listened to a over a half dozen interviews Levi Dalton has done with Barolo and Barbaresco producers and their comments mirror Vinous – that Barbaresco produced good wines in 2014 and that it was a comparatively tough year in Barolo.
I’m genuinely out of the loop the last decade… totally checked out. Who are the voices you can trust these days? I really like Ian d’Agata and generally find our tastes aligned in Italy. I always trusted Tanzer and similarly could always relate to his reviews. Vinous’ website is much more engaging than eBob. Is Bob just checking out?
And, while I am at it – what is Wine Enthusiast? What’s their approach? Are their reviews independent? And Wine Spectator? Are they as inconsistent/unreliable as they were 10 - 20 years ago? What about Suckling? I have a general feeling there and don’t want to say it for fear of writing something libelous. I don’t drink Burgundy unless someone else is bringing it – so I don’t pay much attention to Meadows.
I’m just a little bewildered with what has happened in the wine critic space over the past decade. I’ve been drinking my wine and paying no attention whatsoever to the world of wine. Who do you trust and why?
And, what happened to eBob and who is right on 2014 Barbaresco? How does one professional critic think a recent Barbaresco vintage is one of the worst in the past 30 years and another think it’s a classic vintage? Is Vinous shilling? Has Parker lost it?