The goal of this thread is to better understand a critic’s palate and how to interpret their wine tasting notes. These are related, but not the same, questions.
Instagram @jaspermorris_insideburgundy
[u]Abbreviated bio from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper_Morris[/u]
Morris founded the successful specialist wine importers Morris & Verdin in 1981. He studied to become a Master of Wine concurrently with Jancis Robinson, MW, and with his sister Arabella Woodrow. After Berry Bros. & Rudd acquired Morris & Verdin in 2003, Morris was appointed BBR buying director. In May 2008, Morris, together with colleagues at BBR, published “The Future of Wine Report”, speculating on the state of the wine industry in the coming 50 years. He retired from the company in July 2017. Having retired from commerce Jasper Morris has embarked on a new career as Burgundy expert and critic, culminating in the launch of the website Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy in September 2018.
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy uses a combination of the following two scales to help distinguish a truly successful wine. The aim is to provide information and to give guidance on which wines are worth buying. For this Jasper Morris has designed a double-headed scoring system: Absolute Scoring on the 100 Point Scale and Comparative Grading out of 5 stars. “5 Stars = An outstanding wine in its category. This accolade will be given very rarely, certainly to less than 10% of wines tasted across the year. A generic Bourgogne might deserve this reward if it merits 89 or 90 points whereas a Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles would need 96 for the same result.”
I enjoy Jasper’s work the most of all the critics working today. Lives in Burgundy and takes the time to explores all parts of greater burgundy. Seems to know everyone there and everyone knows him. Uses social media well with his vineyard walks. Suspect he does better with a British audience, as although he posts here from time to time I don’t see his name mentioned much.
His countless archived zoom classes for 67 Pall Mall are full of info.
He must be the best resource for a burg drinker that doesn’t only drink the top labels.
The insight, experience and information/data he possesses about everything burgundy, is in lack of a better word, just WOW.
These podcast is an easy and very good way to get to know both him and burgundy. I am sure I will never drink most of the wines/vineyards discuss, nonetheless equally interesting and very educative about wine(making)/vines in general.
I have to say I’m not a fan of the podcast format in general, on any topic. I have heard Jasper speak and he’s a very engaging guy. That’s where I got my current sig. I’m sure his depth of knowledge is pretty unparalleled. Maybe WK will get there in two decades. He seems to be well on his way to that. I just bumped this because it seems weird it’s one of the shortest of these critic info threads, given Jasper’s importance, and for any insights anyone may have.
He was beside us last night at Maison Du Colombier entertaining a large group of what appeared to be tourists. Wasn’t able to catch much of the conversation but from the bottles on the table, he deffinitely knows his stuff. It did appear he is very well known and seems to know many people as well.