I got an email from Vivino touting a wine today I had never heard of, some pretty bold statements in the email below…
Vivino
Dear Nick,
NEVER before released to the public! For our most discerning Cabernet buyers!
Only offered to the French Laundry and to his loyalists. Reminds me of TOR To Kalon in the early days…(when it was still $100)
100% Cabernet Sauvignon Single Block of Clone 337 Backside of Diamond Mountain 22 months in 40% New French Oak Only 3 Barrels Produced (75 cases) 97/100 Robert Parker (Vintage rating)
Click HERE or forever hold your peace!
Enter Code ‘CAB’ to unlock a confidential price!
Macedon MXVIII “Upper Block” Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
At the Winery $135, At Vivino…"$$"
Winemaker notes: Dense, opaque, purple color with obvious blue fruited extract. The palate is full-bodied with purity of fruit and classic depth. super-richness and almost overwhelming extract and power. This 100% Cabernet showcases acacia flowers, blackberries, licorice, mocha and dare I say, chocolate, with defined cassis fruit. Admire it’s nuance and ripe fruit for the next 8 to 12 years. (11/18)
MACEDON MXVIII
“Applaud the success of great things and be extraordinary while doing it”
In Vivino Veritas,
Director of North American Sales
Then in the editors notes,
(Exclusive Opportunity) Enter ‘CAB’ at Order Confirmation to Unlock Your Credit! Single Vineyard, Upper Block ‘Clone 337’ Cabernet, Reminds me of 100pt Diamond Mtn Volcanic Hill 10 Years Ago! Good Fortune Awaits!”
I’m in no way defending vivino (I’m sure they don’t ship to Texas so I’ve never used them) but what do you find so objectionable?
There are zero cellartracker notes, so it appears to be ‘rare’.
I doubt they would hedge in the details of where it came from, clone or other details.
It does sound like a little puffery.
I did call out using vintage ratings (obviously to confuse the reader into thinking it is a specific wine rating) in the “Old man yelling” thread.
I’d say that what once was considered deplorable is now commonplace, except that deceptive marketing has always been a part of the national landscape.
They seem to be following the old WTSO model by giving their own inflated scores for the wines they’re hyping. It’s a ridiculous range of 95-98 points (from some “certified sommeliers”). I did order some of the Wind Gap closeouts from them at great prices, though.
I don’t see any reference to “certified sommeliers” or a “95-98” point score in the text you copied. The only score you note is the vintage rating, which is . . . true, isn’t it? And even if they did, are you saying that someone called a “certified sommelier” didn’t rate it in that range? What are you saying?
If you sign up for their offers, you’ll see the scores I’m talking about. A recent one I still had in my inbox was for a 2014 Allier Cabernet, which was rated 98 by Christopher Stange, Certified Sommelier. He gives most the wines they offer a score of 97-99. Who knows who he is… I assume someone that works at Vivino. Silly marketing hype…
Yeah, I once went to the bother of responding to a WTSO page which offered some sort of Bordeaux for which they made a big deal about it being labeled “Grand Cru”, with an email politely pointing out that those words mean nothing whatsoever in context,. To their credit(?), they admitted agreement, mentioning however that their statement was of course true, and they thought sounded good…
100% Cabernet Sauvignon