I certainly agree that Jeb and Galloni did not acquire any kind of special status because they now charge for their reviews. But, as I tried to make clearer in the second part of my response, that’s not really the point. The democratization of the wine world via (among others) this forum is in many ways wonderful, but can also produce an unwieldy cacophony of voices, of which the loudest are often not particularly well informed.
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At risk of being repetitive, Jeff L a great read and free but it seems like almost every wine he tastes is 95 points++++ so hard to discern. Jeb way inflated as well and seems to want to get shelf space where wine is sold with the highest rating. (To be clear, I do not know this to be fact, just an impression). John Gilman has a different palate and not afraid to give low scores. Vinious and Wine Advocate probably best middle ground.
My advice is get short trial subscription to several and then pick
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I subscribe to JD, WS, Vinous, WA and now Lisa’s new site. I like them all for different reasons. I do agree with the comments that WS is more of a wine lifestyle magazine at this point. It always amazes me that they do seasonal tastings that leave out so many big names. SQN comes to mind whenever they do a CA Rhone varietal review, as an example.
I really like JD’s site and writing. Plus, it helps knowing you are supporting a really good guy.
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I was thinking the same when I read the Rhone issue. My theory is they are not allowed at some of these addresses that we are missing.
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I’ve been a big fan of Lisa Perotti Brown’s The Wine Independent over the past year. It’s early days for what she’s building, but the articles are beautiful, concise deep dives into producers. More Napa/BDX focused, as another poster mentioned, but definitely worth checking out.
I think Dunnuck is fair, though as some have mentioned, his style likely tends toward the darker, deeper, riper.
Vinous gets a vote from me, as well. They write great articles by vintage/region, and seem to have a pretty good handle on scoring. Galloni is discerning when it comes to vintage variation by producer, where as some critics always seem to score given producers within a one to two point score range, regardless of vintage, style change etc.
Jancis is a great reference, but less a score-centric catalogue, in my opinion.
Lots to choose from out there. Worth subscribing for a month and seeing what you like.
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Yohan and I have actually divided Champagne between us! So you will be hearing from us both.
I’m working on a big report on the Aube which is taking me longer than anticipated because most of the producers were never reviewed before in TWA, so all the wines and their data have to be created from scratch… well, because of that, and Bordeaux EP, and any number of other things too. But that will be followed in short order by a big round up on the rest of Champagne.
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I look forward to reading more from Yohan. Thus far, I haven’t tasted most of the wines he has written about.
When do you anticipate that your Aube report will be available?
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Next month I think. Will be publishing a lot next month.
Broadly speaking, I’ll be doing the growers and Yohan the big houses, but with a bit of intentional trespassing on either side so we keep up with developments.
Please create a Champagne-only subscription tier!
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While I don’t subscribe to Dunnuck, I have to say I love that he puts pH and ABV in his BDX notes.
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Didn’t know this and wish more critics/publications did this. ABV and pH are often very informative for me.
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Following any single reviewer for point scores is a mistake, even if you feel like your palate matches the reviewer. Notes should tell you more. Every critic has off days. The order of tasting makes a difference, and wines change with oxygen exposure.