Thanks Matthew for the feedback and recommendations on the list. I have to say that personally I never trust a James Suckling rating. I basically assume he's rating on a scale of 90-100 at this point. He once rated an extremely inexpensive Spanish wine 93 points so I was curious to try it. It was undrinkably unbalanced. The alcohol was overwhelming and harsh, the flavors were unpleasant and I say this as someone who lives in Spain and loves Spanish wines. It was just a bad wine. There are lots of great inexpensive Spanish wines but this wasn't one of them. It's frustrating because due to his highly inflated scores wine sellers regularly feature his ratings rather than more credible critics, so you're left with a bunch of unreliable overblown figures. I understand they do this because it sells wines and I presume he does this because the highest score is the one people will be most likely to see advertised so his name is everywhere but I really hope more people realize how unreliable and unhelpful his scores are so that we can see more serious attempts to rate wines available. Ratings are already a flawed system but he really undermines their credibility even further. I think what bothers me most is, like you said, he has 30 years of experience with Wine Spectator. He knows wine, which leads me to conclude that he's being deliberately misleading.
He's not even the highest scorer in the industry too... Yes, ratings are a problem as scores are REALLY inflated. In the late 80s and early 90s producers tell me about celebrating after getting a mid-80s score from WS. Wine quality has definitely improved but to what degree? I am glad to see that people on this channel are really starting to question critic scores. It's really about your own palate and to me a score is just s snapshot of how well that wine performed during a moment in time... Good wine always changes, not to mention bottle and storage variations.
I agree. I have noticed that his points are generally to points or more higher than most other proffesional tasters and i have had the same experince. For instance an inexpesive pinot noir from chile he rated 93 points. In my opinion not even close. I have had several othet experinces with his ratings. So many wines has his ratings on their bottles. I suspect he get money from rating poor wines high. But i dont know if its true or not. I have much higher regards of Jeb Dunnock. Lisa Perroti. Antonio Galloni and Neil Martin. I only very rarely see there scores on bottles. Luca Marroni is much worse though. He constantly rates inexpensive overextracted fruit bombs 99 points
@@drmatthewhorkey who scores higher than suckling? I have yet to see anyone be as generous as him. LPB came close, and sometimes Jeb but generosity wise nobody beats suckling
Really great to see so many Rieslings in the list. Be interesting to get your thoughts on some of our excellent Rieslings here in Oregon. I think it expresses our unique terroir even better than pinot. Brooks does some amazing Rieslings-- then again I may be just a bit biased since we are one of their growers : )
Great video! Love the values you suggested to try the house style. I really like Suckling’s reviews, because his taste aligns more with mine, and i use to love his challenge of going to wine stores, and giving them a budget and seeing if they were all 90 points or better.
I actually found that series addictive… then a huge blog post came out that he was charging stores and SAQ in Canada a lot to come and score. Became a fun little internet back and forth. Regardless, I liked the videos and he does know Italian wine well
An entertaining and educational video. Yes JS is a divisive figure in the wine critic world; but like Robert Parker before him, not everything he does is wrong or off. He does seem to overscore (too highly) his wines, I think you have to shave off 5-10 points of his scores depending on the producer or region. But helping bring attention to evolving wine regions is a good thing, but it also drives up prices; the proverbial two edged sword. I am not a 100% sure on this point, but if I remember correctly Stuart Pigott reviews Rieslings and other German wines for JS, so it's a case of some that's been in Germany for decades reviewing German wines. I don't know how much JS personally knows about German wines. Mixed reaction to this video, haha! As a Riesling head it's great to see non-Mosel regions/producers get some well deserved recognition and attention; very happy about that. I agree that often Ortswein in Germany has a pretty high QPR if you can't afford Erste Lage or GG. Finally Austria gets some love as well! On the other hand probably very few of us will drink wine that costs more that 500 U.S.$ a bottle; but your recommendations for more affordable alternatives is appreciated. Keep these videos coming!
I can’t rememeber if Stuart still reviews Rieslings for JS… I thought he might have left. JS has been in wine for decades, I’m sure he knows his Rieslings. He does score on the high side for me but I am not one to take scors as gospel.
@@drmatthewhorkey you could be right about Stuart Piggott not being a part of JS's team anymore. I am very keen amateur, not an industry insider. If JS is so into Rieslings then he deserves more of my and other wine geeks respect.
Thx. We're opening a small import company bringing Tuscan wines to the states and it's good to know that James Suckling is accessible to get a rating on our wines.
Great and thanks for the useful 2 in 1 point of view. You are right about James Suckling. It is a brave thing to score wines high, social pressure pushes reactions downward. Your honesty is clear. One thing about great wines, 1945 Musigny, 1864 Le Montrachet, 1971 D'Yquem, 1947 Chambertin! Unscore-able! Great Old Chateau Latour! Humans (me) just bow and cry. -- 100 points should not be such a rare score. It shows the timidness of humans. There should be more lower scores too. Fear of making yourself vulnerable to critical reaction leads to mediocre scores. Everybody likes the "medium" high area for personal safety. It's OK to be wrong about how great something seems. It is called apprecitation. Pride in Looking down on anything is a real problem. It would be great to hear you talk about the little differences that distinguish one wine from another more than just assessing heirarchies? Just sayin? Great taster and explainer!
Wowwzaas those are wines you’ve tasted?? That’s some serious serious stuff. I agree with you on the pride point. I will try to articulate more during tasting videos. Sunday was a similar situation, the wine that finished second was a tad oaky for me but I could mot deny the structure, quality, and finish and hope that came across clear.
Found your channel a few weeks ago and really think our taste is exactly the same, love it haha. Personally I am also not a fan of künstler too much, tried all of their line up and not my cup of tea. What I like about JS is the coverage of “different” producers, I usually use this as a basis to do more research and visit those wineries that interest me, living in Frankfurt I can access all German wineries within 2h. Agree with you as always that Ortswein of great producers offer a fantastic value! Last I want to tell you about my favorite producer who is not on peoples radar yet too much, Eva Fricke in Rheingau, her lineup starting Ortswein are outstanding really, especially the wines from Lorch sites. It’s pretty impossible to buy those wines online even here but I highly recommend you to visit her when you come to Germany next time :)
Thanks so much… Jeallouussss you are in the home of great Riesling. I have tried Eva’s wines before actually. Also I agree with you on JS, his coverage allows you to reach out and expand and explore yourself which should be the name of the game in wine.
I am here in the comment section typing this on my 100 point keyboard. I am actually over a 100 on this video. Drink it now, or put it in the cellar - by the way I have a big cellar in my house in Tuscany. Ps. It wasn't me who invented the 100 point system, although many people think that I have.
It’s cool to hear personal stories about the man the myth the legend! Being willing to review up and coming wines to let them get imported/distributed is great ❤
Nice video! Impressive how you review a 100 list in just a few minutes and keep it interesting on top. Good job! James Suckling is a good man. A real expert, a legend and has a good heart. Yes, his scores are on the high side. Everyone who follows the industry knows it. Deduct 3-5 points and you get to the “more realistic “ score, if there is such a thing. Taste is so individual. Sucklings descriptions, knowledge and relationships are priceless. So much better than WE or WA. Only the Spectator is more reliable.
Thanks for the comment. I actually had the content shot already when you commented and then decided to go full on with the video once I saw your remark.
@@drmatthewhorkey that’s great, I didn’t understand that 😅 As for the video, I agree with you about wines in this video being somewhat more premium and expensive. On another note, It would be nice to get also your personal top 20 2022 value for money wine or something like that by the end of the year.
You will get a personal list video by the end of the year! Your comment did give me reassurance to go ahead with the video, I was on the fence whether to edit it or not.
I often lean towards James Sucklings rating when deciding which wines to buy. This is because I have found a good match with the 'taste' of Suckling reviews and my own taste. However, I always subtract 2 points from the score, as I also find them to be on the high side..
Good preview, thank you. Especially for listing the cheaper alternatives! I don't follow RP ratings at all, maybe only in a sense that if I am drinking wine for RP gave 98-100, I know that I had to pay $100+ extra for the bottle just because RP's rating. Yet there can be equally good wines without any score, or much lower score. So it's even better steer away from high RP scores just to avoid of being ripped off. Also allocations of these wines are harder to get as everyone then wants them, so better to search for hidden gems, and when you find such you don't even tell anyone.
Great video. As an American living in Germany is nice to have easy access to all these Rieslings. As far as reviewers go(including yourself) I try the wines you all recommend but base my collectinghabits on whether I agree with your scores. Mr. Suckling and his crew do a good job based on my taste so I tend to buy based on his recommendations but not solely. If you are a wine collector then of course you have to use several reviewers if you want you collection to go up in value. Even though he gave the 2016’Hill Of Grace 100pts I’ve actually been trying to get my hands on the 2015.
Niccee and lucky you!! Every time I go to Germany, I try to drink as much Riesling as possible. Good call on self-assessment. I do like scores but DO NOT take them as gospel, they are a snapshot of how that wine shows at that moment in time and they can always be changing. I solely score on the channel as to where I can put the wine in a hierarchy during blind tastings. I am also not ashamed to make it aware that I have preferences too - like Sangiovese hahaah.
Great video. I got my hands on two bottles of the 2012 Hill of Grace. It has a reputation for a reason, stunning, perfect balance, amazing structure and just delicious fruits. Just starting to show bottle maturity, amazing wine. JS was the first critic I “followed “. But like any critic, you should use them to help inform you, not necessarily influence you. I have styles I like, and I explore a lot, so my palate changes. And he, like most critics, get exposed to a LOT of producers and wines that I may never that I’ll seek out that may not ever make it to my local shelves. Foradori rocks! I just got some of her Pinot Grigio…..a beautiful amber wine!
Agree scores are wild. Konstantin will say “this is a really nice wine!” Then give it an 84, which is technically correct by definition… but I never see anything in a store marked less than 88 😂😂
Really great to see so much Riesling, and thanks for mentioning them. I tried the Emrich-Schönleber Halenberg GG 2021 a few weeks ago at a wine fair and liked it, even though way too young. But I also got to try the 2010 and that was spectacular, soft but still concentrated and very complex. Out of the 15-20 young GGs I tried I found Kühling-Gilot Pettenthal 2020 and von Winning Ungeheuer 2020 the best to drink right now. I am not skilled enough to say which ones have most potential, though... Watched the video while sipping von Winning Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad (erste Lage) 2021, a delicious wine and a steal at 19€ here in Germany. Now come to think of if, Suckling didn't have any Riesling from Pfalz nor nor Mosel, did he? Pretty interesting.
Have had the 2015 Henschke Hill of Grace. Has a 1 oz pour of it at Wine Bar George at Disney Springs. Perfection in a glass , bear wine to date Ive ever tasted. Bouquet wafting from the glass with just 1 oz pour. Flavors of black olive, dark fruit, red fruit on palate. Incredibly delicious, elegant, balanced. Definition of iron fist in a velvet glove. It’s worth every penny of its sky high price.
I do Matthew and I did drink them. Almost all of them. Now I can't anymore. Price isn't OK. I value price/quality. And reviews that are not about wines only a few can afford.
James consistently scores too high on cheap okay wines which really infuriates me as seller because people (who very often just see a name and a high score) will base their purchase on his word and rating. The store I work in often puts scores from Robert Parker, Jancis, Decanter and Falstaff on the plaques for the wine description which I'm not too fond of but usually these 100-point system scorers are a bit more honest. I've also seen Tim Atkin's scores on some wines that we sell, is he reliable in your opinion?
I agree with you, it seems like most wines get JS90. I’ve never gotten the 20 point scale, I feel like it leaves a lot of room for ambiguity, it’s almost like everything gets 15.5 or 16 hahaha
Dang, might have to drop your channel when you say they should drop Napa cabs over Bordeaux. Maybe it's not a bad choice anyways if your favorite varietal is Riesling. Nothing wrong with that, but I probably need to focus more on channels with someone that prefers reds, particularly cab/Bordeaux.
I have a practical question - how do you remember all the wines you have tasted off the top of your head? I have probably tried a couple hundred each year since getting into wine, and unless they were one of my all time favorites/tasted in a really memorable place or otherwise really unique, I have to consult my Vivino app to remember what all I’ve tried. I imagine you taste many more hundreds, maybe even thousands of wines a year - how do you remember them all?
I taste thousand per year. When I was writing I kept better notes. I don’t have to now that I focus on video. I used to log them on Vivino but not anymore. Also when you taste thousands of wines a year or you only have to remember the memorable ones
@@drmatthewhorkey I am still so impressed you can look at a list of 100 wines and talk so intelligently about so many of them off the top of your head! I would at least need my Vivino tasting notes!
Today is the last day of my 1 month long business trips to Germany, had quite a few Rieslings, although I didn't have the time to seek out ones of the same caliber as presented in the video. I am having the Kung-Fu Girl right now though, it's not bad. Another interesting and relaxing video, I didn't realize how much I missed just having a relaxing glass of wine and watching TH-cam, the simple pleasures of life, lol.
Ahhhh a month in Germany!! I’d be swimming in Riesling during those business dinners hahahaha. Yes Kung Fu girl is solid, just a nice daily sipper. Glad you’re back and comfy
I prefer JS's interviews to his wine scores. I am not a big fan of league tables. I have a big difference of opinion with a friend about Riesling; he thinks Germany produces the best and I know that Alsace does. I really don't get get German rieslings: they are ok but not exciting to me. I bought half a case of mixed Mosels and Rheingau 2020 recently; I have drunk two with friends and they were so-so. I have put the others deep in the cellar and hope they develop interest before I open the next one. Not tried many Austrian riesling. I can't speak about Napa Cabs as I haven't drunk one for many years but Bordeaux is still fantastic value, as long as you steer clear of the top classed growths. For example, we will be round at friends for Christmas dinner and I insisted that I provide the main course wine. The meat is roast beef, so I have gone for a Cantemerle, 2012. I agonised between that and Mas de Daumas, Gassac, '13 and a Cote Rotie, '13 but the claret will win the day - I think. Anyway, thanks for another thought-provoking and enjoyable video: you are putting a lot of work into these clips - much appreciated.
Wow you are coming in HOTTT!!! hahaha I personally love German Riesling and to me, they are number one with the variety. Again, that's my own palate and everyone is different and I don't judge. I agree with Bordeaux being a ridiculous value for money region, especially in vintages like 2018 and 2019, there is good stuff all over. That Christmas dinner menu sounds EXCELLENT... Thanks for acknowledging the work, it takes a LONG TIME to put together what seem like such simple videos.
I see "Riesling alert", I click! And, you are entirely correct; find a talented producer and buy their "village" bottlings. These give you good flavor at a reasonable price. Buy a grand cru bottle for special occasions. 👍
I am still team Erste Lage, as I think it offers the ultimate balance between price, Wine quality, age ability, and drink ability. More Rieslint content to come!
If one knows that JS , scores 2-3 pts higher than most anyone in the wine review business, then you are in great shape. Unfortunately most don't know. That is why , a big producer having scores of 94-96 by most credible reviewers, love JS, to come in, and outscore all/ ka ching, Ka ching.!
For Saint Emillion Grand Cru I tried L’assegu 2018 that I found on sale for mid $40s, and it was one of my favorite wines of the year 🎉🎉 Super full-bodied and grippy but really smooth tannins, and one of the longest finishes 😮
Can’t complain about a list with a lot of rieslings ! That’s for sure . And also some very nice white like Kumeu ! So , Mr Sucking did a nice list this year. About the ratings , I agree that he is a high scorer … but I find my taste more similar to his than to the Parker wines … cheers !
Irony among Napa being #1 is that most winemakers loathe him. As one winemaker said to me “how do you know if James Suckling has a house in Tuscany (might be another region but it’s somewhere in Italy)? He’ll waste no time in telling you.” He’s apparently super full of himself in tastings and loves to brag about his place. Not much different from most tasters though like former WS James Laube literally said “do you know who I am?!?“ to the Screaming Eagle winemaker at the taste of Oakville before (and he couldn’t care less). I’ve only heard good things for a very small number of tasters lol.
Hahahhaha being on trips with a lot of ‘taste makers’ I always like to look at producers’ faces as people spew out tns and things about wine. I bet you have some GREAT stories about the ‘big name’ critics being so close to Napa
I pay attention to any score, but those from James Suckup have to be taken with many grains of salt. 1. If you’re always tasting expensive, big name brands, they’re going to be good (if a bit soulless/textbook) regardless, so what does it matter if he gives something a 94 or a 98. 2. He has no choice but to be generous, because he has too much riding on the gravy train. (To be fair, I think all the mags suffer from this to some extent, but Suckup is an especially egregious case.) 3. I look at WA and Jeb scores bc I’m a fan of concentrated, hedgefund bro-style reds, but then cross check with Jancis to make sure the wine has class and and nuance.
Hahahah your hedgefund bro-style reds comment CRACKED me up!!! I do find I go to WA for insite on Bordeaux and California. Your other comments on the gravy train, I addressed them in this video: th-cam.com/video/8axlDi8rx3g/w-d-xo.html
Also, I’m liking your videos more and more. I much prefer these easy going, confident riffs to the overly enthusiastic, goofy uncle takes. YMMV. Keep it up! And how about some double blind tasting of supermarket wines.
To be fair it’s a video that includes St Emillion, it isn’t solely about the region. You can get more on SE Grand Cru here: th-cam.com/video/Rcujz-To5g0/w-d-xo.html
Interestingly James' bar is the only one of the hip wine bars in HK which I found served wine in good condition. Everywhere else I found a deconditioning problem. Which was a bit tragic, as many of the wine establishments are lovely and try hard. When I was there they had giant bottles, doubles mags, of the Luce open - it was a tasting. Being surrounded by large format Luce bottles is my idea of a wine nightmare!
hhahahahah I am not a big fan of that wine either... I just don't get it. His wine bar is legit, has bottles from his personal collection. When did you go there???
@@drmatthewhorkey Just before the pandemic. I was sad about the heat damage problem in the other wine places. In one place the owner and the wine programme guy were so proud of their excellent allocation. Talked about how hard it was to get a wide selection of Radikons. When I tasted, they were heat damaged. I couldn't say anything of course. Similar story everywhere. Except the Suckling bar.
@@drmatthewhorkey the radikon situation was in 121BC. That was actually my favourite place. In La Cabane the wine was damaged too. Wine industry still doesn't get that you can't keep wines at room temperature. That's worth a video actually. Ordinary customers buy wine off the shelf. I think this is the single biggest unspoken issue in the wine industry.
I recently opened a bottle of the 2019 BVPR, just for an initial evaluation. I’m glad I’m not a professional wine critic. This Cab came across to me as unfocused and lacking charm. I was looking forward to the famed “Rutherford dust” that JS found in abundance. I experienced the elusive dust in the 1968 BVPR. I didn’t find it in my 2019, but I can only assume “it will emerge.” I would say to approach with caution.
You asked so here I go. I always felt JS was compromised by the Wineries, owners his tasting notes are boring, although i liked watching him on TH-cam. As far as his write ups i never bought a bottle from something he recommended, very non inspirational. On the other hand Robert Parker would write up a wine that I would purchase. I think of Wine i think of Robert Parker, he is a journalist he inspired me to try wine that I never would've tried. Guitarist Jimmy Page was the same thing to me with picking up the guitar and playing it. They inspire you. Points are points, Notes are Notes but you as a wine taster and journalist have to be sold then be able to write on it. I bought wine books because of Parker not his points but on his journalism. He is unmatched. Can you look and smell a wine for 15-20 minutes and not even taste it yet? Parker had that ability not cause of points but because of his journalistic ability to persuade us wine consumers. Most of you lack that. It is more than just having a nose, a palate or the gift of a great QPR.
Wow, Parker to Page??!!! There’s no dount what Parker did for wine esp in America. I actually am a big fan of his tasting notes too. I do respect him because he was ok with being disliked by producers. He did have his preferences and that’s fine. There was a 60 minutes doc on him many many years ago and it is excellent.
I used to play for eight years or so but gave it up. My favorite guitar I owned was a Martin D-15. I will pick up guitar again at some point in life… I hope you enjoy, 2016 was a great year. It should be smashing with some pizza or tomato based pasta. Thanks again
@@drmatthewhorkey One thing i enjoyed about his notes was he followed the concept of what you see in the glass, smell in the bouquet and taste. Many pick the wine up and bring it right up the their mouth without ever looking at the color, legs with certain type of light, then smelling the wine and describing it in detail. Then letting the wine hit your palate. Something i could follow. Lol
Maybe… but Suckling is a true wine lover and his lists often include Riesling. I often see him pairing reds with local food which I commend because it can be challenging.
For me, James Suckling is a kiss of death. I stay away from wines rated by this guy. I apologize if it sounds harsh, but I was fooled more than once. NO MORE. I understand taste is subjective and this is just my opinion.
No offense taken... Everyone is open to their own opinion in wine. I do like that his site showcases a lot of Aussie/NZD and South American wines. I don't take his scores as gospel though hahaha
I find Sucklings ratings to be all over the place. I’m fairly broke so most of the under 15 dollar bottles of wine I buy (if they are reviewed) are reviewed by James suckling. Rates all over the place, some 91 point wines are awesome, some 90+ are disgusting.
@@drmatthewhorkey yessir born in Ann Arbor originally currently in Virginia which has very promising wine coming out of the state, especially out of Shenandoah Valley and Charlottesville. I would absolutely love to see an episode about wine of Virginia. Love the content.
Surprised how many Rieslings were in the list. Not really a fan of Suckling, I think he gives out 95-100 ratings WAY too often. I stick to WS as my source for top ratings as they are much stingier with them. The one hit I put on WS is their lack of ratings for certain varietals.
I've been burned by James Suckling and just really not liked some of his recommendations before so I realized it's just not a good way to pick wine. Better to find a reviewer who's pallet is closer to your own if you want help finding bottles. If I see a high James Suckling score I will assume it costs more than it probably should, and doesn't guarantee I'll like it. Which basically means the high score from him means I'm less likely to even try it.
JS scores are hits and misses for me. Overall mostly hits except his 98 and 99 scores. IMO these scores are a bit over the top and very few wines IMO again actually deserve 98's and 99's. I follow a few youtubers like yourself and I put your scoring in the top 3.
Ahhhhh wowzasss that is nice. Don’t forget that we all make mistakes and overlook things when tasting (I know I’ve made plenty of mistakes). I am the opposite of you, JS 90 pts I don’t always take seriously. When he goes over 95 I find the wine is pretty exciting. But hey, we all have our internal scale.
As an wine lover with "normal" income, reading this list ( and others this year ) is giving me a sour "windowshopping on Rodeo Drive" feeling. Considering on how the global economy is going , the current state of affairs around the world... I am wondering if most of these "critics" are completely losing touch with the majority of the consumers. I mean, the overall average price here is around 200$ !!! One asks the question then: are the prices this high because the producers have to break even with the critic "investment" ?? How do such ridiculous prices on the "top 100" encourage potential new winedrinkers, what is the message behind? Fork our your life saving to enjoy good wine? I'd rather go to my trusted local wine vendors and listen to their advice, find AMAZING wines up to 30 EUR that could give these so called top 100 a serious challange. Screw critics. Pretentious twats...
Wine Critics are in a funny place for sure. Your strategy about asking a local wine shop is GREAT, I even made a whole video about it. I feel like you can drink world class wine, among the best in the world at $25-50 if you know what you’re looking for or have a good shop owner to guide you
I personally think mister Suckling is a joke and it amazes me that he continues to be relevant in the wonderful world of wine. During his tasting video's he desperately avoids making any solid comments on the nose, taste and mouthfeel of the wines. He just spews a bunch of, what he would like to be conceived as profound adjectives and moves on to the next bottle. Pricing seems to be the most important factor driving his scores. Also, this list is screaming 'look at me, bringing Riesling to the masses, like I did with Supertuscans'. I must admit, his lifestile is not something I would be extremely sad about experiencing myself, so my opinion might be somewhat tainted. Nonetheless this was an enjoyable video, I also appreciate that you recommended some of the entry-level wines.
I think all these lists and all these publications are full of **** 😅 where are incredible wines of Jura? Sancerre? industrial wine is a sinking ship and these big boy publishers are captains on these ships 😅
@@drmatthewhorkey Is Sancerre not widely available? I thought that it was quite a well-known wine but perhaps it's unfashionable. Regardless, it's not a wine style that will collect the big scores.
imo the inflation of 98/99/100 point ratings is disappointing. I agree to the fact winemaking in general has improved over the last decades; but when I compare f.x. Bordeaux wines from the 80s or 90s or even the iconic 59 and 61 vintages, where a mid or high 90 point rating of RP was given to outstanding wines which even today are really impressive, to the wines of today, when almost half of the wines (not having half of the same potential) are getting those ratings from different commentators... then I think there is something wrong. ...I do not even talk about this clown named Luca Maroni, who has not the slightest idea what a good wine is and nonetheless is mentioned by every wine merchant - that does really no good to wine making at all!
Luca 🫣😬😬… I heard he does have a great palate though. Yes, I wonder at what point will scores not matter anymore. I can’t think of a better system though.
@@drmatthewhorkey I agree - the 100 points system is good! What some people do with it is bad. So... you must know the taster and only look at those you have found trustworthy. ...takes quite some time to find out though
My issues with James Suckling is his descriptions sound more like cringe poetry and not very useful 9 out of 10 times. Nothing against him or his experience but he lays it on pretty thick. I found Peter Koff's descriptions and assessments far more helpful.
Highest notes,highest prices following behind ,wine word is becoming boring,unnecessary luxury and for few.Sad reality,those notes doesn’t help the majority of people who really love wines.Drink wines,notes scores.
Yes Mathew,fortunately!Thats exactly what I have been doing in my trips to wine places,looking for small,family and mostly not famous winemakers who really makes wonderful wines at a real,decente,correct and still affordable prices,despite being wonderful ones and delivering the same amount of pleasure and “magic”.Congratulations for your channel 👏👏🍷🍷🍷
Scores are mostly irrelevant in all reality. You’re trusting someone else’s palate and without the scores broken down into specific categories that add up to 100 it’s utterly unhelpful. Drink wine, decide whether or not you love it, simple as that
@@drmatthewhorkey Personally I’ve had many expensive wines and all the wines in between and I always come back to enjoying a $9-$20 bottle of Vinho Verde on a hot summer day, a $30-$60 GSM or $40-$120 bottle of Brunello/Chianti Riserva with dinner, and a Riesling or Torrentés or Chenin Blanc after all is said and done for the evening. Also enjoy a Tawny, Cava, Prosecco, or an exceptional bottle of Tempranillo from time to time. Many people wouldn’t agree with my palate and so if I ranked wines on a scale of 100 we’d potentially see differently. I feel the same with several of these wine journalists palates, some are closer to mine and others are miles apart, it’s always best just to taste the wine yourself and see what you think 😉👍🏼
Agreed a lot. I always say that (depending on market location) 25-50$ can get you some of the best wines in the world if you kno what you’re looking for… Totally agree on crisp Vinho Verde during a hot summer day
Lose the damn Dry Cleaner Bell sounds, really annoying - your hyperactivity is hard enough to listen to, you know what you are doing you don't need the noise and giggles.
He consistently scores about .2 to high (to get attention?) and on top of that he seems to plug some wines with his grading and reviews them in a way that suggests he's been paid (or othewise incentivised).
I do usually take 2 points off his scores. All I know is that people that have submitted wines for scoring were not charged, there are a lot of things that could happen but I don’t wanna speculate. I do know it’s a nice fee for producers to he at his events.
@@drmatthewhorkey Thanks for your reply and I appreciate your content. I don't really know what to make of the reviews of JS but the fact that his company reviews so many wines, has a tendency to overscore and these scores are cited so often is a problem in my opinion. It casts doubt on all scores. It’s hard to call it out, and in a bullish wine market it works for the sellers and reviewers. In a bearish (edit) market it makes people doubt the whole industry. (although I do not see a bearish market coming).
Inform yourself well about the type of wines that Maroni prefers. High residual sugar, fruit driven often lacking in freshness. Furthermore, he has a consultancy company with which he suggests to producers which analytical parameters the wine must have in order to be liked... to him who must judge it 😂🤔. He is probably the most sincere critic of all considering that his theory of "vino frutto" explains it from the beginning, with Maroni take it or leave it. Personally I have stopped following all these characters for many years, I only trust my palate, is rarely wrong.
You got it right! Your palate is all that matters, I have a video coming up on it. I heard Maroni is a fabulous taster, I just think his scores are a bit ridiculous hahaha
Matt, thanks for the video. Love your energy and desire to help those interested in learning. I started an Instagram for my family and friends which has helped me to research more about different wines. But I have enjoyed taking pics of the wines as well. I know it's hard. Keep it up, @merman381
I review wine and have a few different social media sites and I have to say that James Suckling and I very seldom agree on what a good wine is. People have to keep in mind that reviewing wine is very subjective and while your palate might agree with mine, it might not agree with someone elses. People just love to jump on a bandwagon and that is a big issue here in referance to Mr. Suckling. He has developed a name and his name as you basicaly just proved, can make or break a wine or a winery or vineyard. When I first began reviewing wine I would se the stickers on a bottle every once and a while saying that James Suckling rated this wine at 93 points. At first that was a guarantee that I would buy the wine until I began noticing that as I said, our palates just did not agree. When I see the stickers now I just laugh and move on as I won't waste my money on the wine. I think it is amazing to see vineyard owners and winemakers bend over backwards to please this man and I get it. One last comment. If you get the chance, please check out (taste) the 2019 Details By Sinegal, Cabernet Sauvignon, I reviewed (desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2022/10/2019-details-by-sinegal-cabernet.html) it and thought it was amazing. As for the link, I hope you leave it up because I don't sell anything on any of my social media. I am just a guy who tries his best through personnel experience to review wines for the average person. I make no money off of ANYTHING I post nor do I make any money on any of my social media accounts.
I don’t think that a single reviewer these days makes or breaks a vineyard. This is just MO from talking to producers and seeing the diversity of critics these days. I do like his taste although I still think he scores a bit on the high side. Thanks for the link
Thanks Matthew for the feedback and recommendations on the list. I have to say that personally I never trust a James Suckling rating. I basically assume he's rating on a scale of 90-100 at this point. He once rated an extremely inexpensive Spanish wine 93 points so I was curious to try it. It was undrinkably unbalanced. The alcohol was overwhelming and harsh, the flavors were unpleasant and I say this as someone who lives in Spain and loves Spanish wines. It was just a bad wine. There are lots of great inexpensive Spanish wines but this wasn't one of them. It's frustrating because due to his highly inflated scores wine sellers regularly feature his ratings rather than more credible critics, so you're left with a bunch of unreliable overblown figures. I understand they do this because it sells wines and I presume he does this because the highest score is the one people will be most likely to see advertised so his name is everywhere but I really hope more people realize how unreliable and unhelpful his scores are so that we can see more serious attempts to rate wines available. Ratings are already a flawed system but he really undermines their credibility even further. I think what bothers me most is, like you said, he has 30 years of experience with Wine Spectator. He knows wine, which leads me to conclude that he's being deliberately misleading.
He's not even the highest scorer in the industry too... Yes, ratings are a problem as scores are REALLY inflated. In the late 80s and early 90s producers tell me about celebrating after getting a mid-80s score from WS. Wine quality has definitely improved but to what degree?
I am glad to see that people on this channel are really starting to question critic scores. It's really about your own palate and to me a score is just s snapshot of how well that wine performed during a moment in time... Good wine always changes, not to mention bottle and storage variations.
I agree. I have noticed that his points are generally to points or more higher than most other proffesional tasters and i have had the same experince. For instance an inexpesive pinot noir from chile he rated 93 points. In my opinion not even close. I have had several othet experinces with his ratings. So many wines has his ratings on their bottles. I suspect he get money from rating poor wines high. But i dont know if its true or not. I have much higher regards of Jeb Dunnock. Lisa Perroti. Antonio Galloni and Neil Martin. I only very rarely see there scores on bottles. Luca Marroni is much worse though. He constantly rates inexpensive overextracted fruit bombs 99 points
Luca 🫣
His ratings are as his last name states. Sucks.
@@drmatthewhorkey who scores higher than suckling? I have yet to see anyone be as generous as him. LPB came close, and sometimes Jeb but generosity wise nobody beats suckling
James took my place at The Wine Spectator when I left in 1981. Grateful to Bob Morrisey for starting the publication and bringing me on board.
Ohhh wow, thanks for commenting!
Love this format. Giving more value orientated suggestions is right on the money.
Thank you so much, I am glad you enjoy them!
Almost 10K! It will be a big achievement.
Thank you sir, just trying to catch up to you!
Thanks for sharing this. Better list imo than spectator's. Not usually on the same page as Suckling, but I do appreciate the main likes Riesling!
I like all the Rieslings!! Different lists but Suckling’s does favor established producers IMO
Really great to see so many Rieslings in the list. Be interesting to get your thoughts on some of our excellent Rieslings here in Oregon. I think it expresses our unique terroir even better than pinot. Brooks does some amazing Rieslings-- then again I may be just a bit biased since we are one of their growers : )
Ahhh soo cool, you went from being an Aggie to a Duck?? 😅. I must sdmit that I don’t know Oregon Riesling well.
Two words for Riesling and Pinot Noir in Oregon… “Dundee Hills” 😋
Great video! Love the values you suggested to try the house style. I really like Suckling’s reviews, because his taste aligns more with mine, and i use to love his challenge of going to wine stores, and giving them a budget and seeing if they were all 90 points or better.
I actually found that series addictive… then a huge blog post came out that he was charging stores and SAQ in Canada a lot to come and score. Became a fun little internet back and forth. Regardless, I liked the videos and he does know Italian wine well
An entertaining and educational video. Yes JS is a divisive figure in the wine critic world; but like Robert Parker before him, not everything he does is wrong or off. He does seem to overscore (too highly) his wines, I think you have to shave off 5-10 points of his scores depending on the producer or region. But helping bring attention to evolving wine regions is a good thing, but it also drives up prices; the proverbial two edged sword.
I am not a 100% sure on this point, but if I remember correctly Stuart Pigott reviews Rieslings and other German wines for JS, so it's a case of some that's been in Germany for decades reviewing German wines. I don't know how much JS personally knows about German wines.
Mixed reaction to this video, haha! As a Riesling head it's great to see non-Mosel regions/producers get some well deserved recognition and attention; very happy about that. I agree that often Ortswein in Germany has a pretty high QPR if you can't afford Erste Lage or GG. Finally Austria gets some love as well! On the other hand probably very few of us will drink wine that costs more that 500 U.S.$ a bottle; but your recommendations for more affordable alternatives is appreciated. Keep these videos coming!
I can’t rememeber if Stuart still reviews Rieslings for JS… I thought he might have left. JS has been in wine for decades, I’m sure he knows his Rieslings.
He does score on the high side for me but I am not one to take scors as gospel.
@@drmatthewhorkey you could be right about Stuart Piggott not being a part of JS's team anymore. I am very keen amateur, not an industry insider. If JS is so into Rieslings then he deserves more of my and other wine geeks respect.
Thx. We're opening a small import company bringing Tuscan wines to the states and it's good to know that James Suckling is accessible to get a rating on our wines.
Good luck bringing in those wines!
Great and thanks for the useful 2 in 1 point of view. You are right about James Suckling. It is a brave thing to score wines high, social pressure pushes reactions downward. Your honesty is clear. One thing about great wines, 1945 Musigny, 1864 Le Montrachet, 1971 D'Yquem, 1947 Chambertin! Unscore-able! Great Old Chateau Latour! Humans (me) just bow and cry. -- 100 points should not be such a rare score. It shows the timidness of humans. There should be more lower scores too. Fear of making yourself vulnerable to critical reaction leads to mediocre scores. Everybody likes the "medium" high area for personal safety. It's OK to be wrong about how great something seems. It is called apprecitation. Pride in Looking down on anything is a real problem. It would be great to hear you talk about the little differences that distinguish one wine from another more than just assessing heirarchies? Just sayin? Great taster and explainer!
Wowwzaas those are wines you’ve tasted?? That’s some serious serious stuff. I agree with you on the pride point. I will try to articulate more during tasting videos. Sunday was a similar situation, the wine that finished second was a tad oaky for me but I could mot deny the structure, quality, and finish and hope that came across clear.
Found your channel a few weeks ago and really think our taste is exactly the same, love it haha. Personally I am also not a fan of künstler too much, tried all of their line up and not my cup of tea. What I like about JS is the coverage of “different” producers, I usually use this as a basis to do more research and visit those wineries that interest me, living in Frankfurt I can access all German wineries within 2h. Agree with you as always that Ortswein of great producers offer a fantastic value! Last I want to tell you about my favorite producer who is not on peoples radar yet too much, Eva Fricke in Rheingau, her lineup starting Ortswein are outstanding really, especially the wines from Lorch sites. It’s pretty impossible to buy those wines online even here but I highly recommend you to visit her when you come to Germany next time :)
Thanks so much… Jeallouussss you are in the home of great Riesling. I have tried Eva’s wines before actually.
Also I agree with you on JS, his coverage allows you to reach out and expand and explore yourself which should be the name of the game in wine.
You discussed a number of my favorites as well! Ridge, Cos, Kumeu River and CUNE are very worthy IMO.
Hahah you have a VERY refined palate sir...
Enjoyed watching this - Very fair appraisal and entertaining style! Well done Matthew.
Thanks Chris!
I am here in the comment section typing this on my 100 point keyboard. I am actually over a 100 on this video. Drink it now, or put it in the cellar - by the way I have a big cellar in my house in Tuscany. Ps. It wasn't me who invented the 100 point system, although many people think that I have.
Hahhahahahahha that was a good one... #quickwitted
100 pts comment
🤣🤣🤣🤣
It’s cool to hear personal stories about the man the myth the legend! Being willing to review up and coming wines to let them get imported/distributed is great ❤
Ahhh you’re a rare Suckling fan… A lot of people in wine aren’t crazy about him 😂
Don't you think he's just carrying on Parkers baton ,Matthew?
No critic today is as powerful as Parker was in his prime
Nice video!
Impressive how you review a 100 list in just a few minutes and keep it interesting on top.
Good job!
James Suckling is a good man. A real expert, a legend and has a good heart. Yes, his scores are on the high side. Everyone who follows the industry knows it. Deduct 3-5 points and you get to the “more realistic “ score, if there is such a thing. Taste is so individual. Sucklings descriptions, knowledge and relationships are priceless. So much better than WE or WA. Only the Spectator is more reliable.
Thanks a lot! He is def more wine geeky than WE. He does cover some places that WA does not, which I love.
I'm so glad I contributed somehow to this video with my suggestion! Keep up the great job you're doing, it'll pay off!
Thanks for the comment. I actually had the content shot already when you commented and then decided to go full on with the video once I saw your remark.
@@drmatthewhorkey that’s great, I didn’t understand that 😅 As for the video, I agree with you about wines in this video being somewhat more premium and expensive. On another note, It would be nice to get also your personal top 20 2022 value for money wine or something like that by the end of the year.
You will get a personal list video by the end of the year! Your comment did give me reassurance to go ahead with the video, I was on the fence whether to edit it or not.
I often lean towards James Sucklings rating when deciding which wines to buy. This is because I have found a good match with the 'taste' of Suckling reviews and my own taste. However, I always subtract 2 points from the score, as I also find them to be on the high side..
Ahhhh interesting take! I feel the same way for the most part (wines over 92)… Wines at 90 I find are just ok… that’s just me
@@drmatthewhorkey Good thing then that there are lots of wines rated over 92 points by Suckling ;-)
Good preview, thank you. Especially for listing the cheaper alternatives! I don't follow RP ratings at all, maybe only in a sense that if I am drinking wine for RP gave 98-100, I know that I had to pay $100+ extra for the bottle just because RP's rating. Yet there can be equally good wines without any score, or much lower score. So it's even better steer away from high RP scores just to avoid of being ripped off. Also allocations of these wines are harder to get as everyone then wants them, so better to search for hidden gems, and when you find such you don't even tell anyone.
Such a small percentage of wines made actually get scored by these publications, you are right, there are a lot of gems out there
Agreed
Great video. As an American living in Germany is nice to have easy access to all these Rieslings. As far as reviewers go(including yourself) I try the wines you all recommend but base my collectinghabits on whether I agree with your scores. Mr. Suckling and his crew do a good job based on my taste so I tend to buy based on his recommendations but not solely. If you are a wine collector then of course you have to use several reviewers if you want you collection to go up in value. Even though he gave the 2016’Hill Of Grace 100pts I’ve actually been trying to get my hands on the 2015.
Niccee and lucky you!! Every time I go to Germany, I try to drink as much Riesling as possible. Good call on self-assessment. I do like scores but DO NOT take them as gospel, they are a snapshot of how that wine shows at that moment in time and they can always be changing. I solely score on the channel as to where I can put the wine in a hierarchy during blind tastings. I am also not ashamed to make it aware that I have preferences too - like Sangiovese hahaah.
Again a great video. Very informative. Thanks a lot, I really like the way you talk about wine.
Thank you
Just picked up a few bottles of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte’s 2015 vintage. Super excited to open one and store the others for a few more years!
Niceeee
Great video. I got my hands on two bottles of the 2012 Hill of Grace. It has a reputation for a reason, stunning, perfect balance, amazing structure and just delicious fruits. Just starting to show bottle maturity, amazing wine. JS was the first critic I “followed “. But like any critic, you should use them to help inform you, not necessarily influence you. I have styles I like, and I explore a lot, so my palate changes. And he, like most critics, get exposed to a LOT of producers and wines that I may never that I’ll seek out that may not ever make it to my local shelves. Foradori rocks! I just got some of her Pinot Grigio…..a beautiful amber wine!
Ahhh nice you have good taste!! Thanks for giving me a virtual taste of Hill of Grace hahahahah.
Agree scores are wild. Konstantin will say “this is a really nice wine!” Then give it an 84, which is technically correct by definition… but I never see anything in a store marked less than 88 😂😂
You are very right… critics keep pushing scores higher which pushes pressure on everyone to go higher
Really great to see so much Riesling, and thanks for mentioning them. I tried the Emrich-Schönleber Halenberg GG 2021 a few weeks ago at a wine fair and liked it, even though way too young. But I also got to try the 2010 and that was spectacular, soft but still concentrated and very complex. Out of the 15-20 young GGs I tried I found Kühling-Gilot Pettenthal 2020 and von Winning Ungeheuer 2020 the best to drink right now. I am not skilled enough to say which ones have most potential, though...
Watched the video while sipping von Winning Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad (erste Lage) 2021, a delicious wine and a steal at 19€ here in Germany. Now come to think of if, Suckling didn't have any Riesling from Pfalz nor nor Mosel, did he? Pretty interesting.
Ohhhh nice both of those Rieslings are killer… You’re going to see Rieslings from that producer you are sipping on in an upcoming video ;)
Have had the 2015 Henschke Hill of Grace. Has a 1 oz pour of it at Wine Bar George at Disney Springs. Perfection in a glass , bear wine to date Ive ever tasted. Bouquet wafting from the glass with just 1 oz pour. Flavors of black olive, dark fruit, red fruit on palate. Incredibly delicious, elegant, balanced. Definition of iron fist in a velvet glove. It’s worth every penny of its sky high price.
Thanks for the two penny’s worth of tasting noted then 😬
Always minus 4 to 5 for
James 's scores.You'll get the accurate points.IMO
Hhahahah... I always take 2-3 points off. When things start to get to 95, I usually think he's right and it's a pretty serious wine.
The scores are just a frame of reference. I do like the format of this video and appreciate the better value alternatives
Agreed and thanks a lot for watching!
I'm drinking wine for over 40 years now and I take your advice and opinion over his any day.
Wowwzzasss that is a huuuuge compliment. Man, you remember the days then when any average Joe could
afford the iconic wines.
I do Matthew and I did drink them. Almost all of them. Now I can't anymore. Price isn't OK. I value price/quality. And reviews that are not about wines only a few can afford.
Have always struggled with NZ Chardonnay, will try pick at that high scorer! Awesome vid thanks for the alternative reco’s
Thanks TB!! Kumeu River is an EXCELLENT producer
James consistently scores too high on cheap okay wines which really infuriates me as seller because people (who very often just see a name and a high score) will base their purchase on his word and rating. The store I work in often puts scores from Robert Parker, Jancis, Decanter and Falstaff on the plaques for the wine description which I'm not too fond of but usually these 100-point system scorers are a bit more honest. I've also seen Tim Atkin's scores on some wines that we sell, is he reliable in your opinion?
I agree with you, it seems like most wines get JS90. I’ve never gotten the 20 point scale, I feel like it leaves a lot of room for ambiguity, it’s almost like everything gets 15.5 or 16 hahaha
Tim Atkins I don’t read so I can’t comment on that.
The Smith Haut Lafite Blanc is simply stunning 👌
Agreed
Dang, might have to drop your channel when you say they should drop Napa cabs over Bordeaux. Maybe it's not a bad choice anyways if your favorite varietal is Riesling. Nothing wrong with that, but I probably need to focus more on channels with someone that prefers reds, particularly cab/Bordeaux.
Everyone has their own palate… You can do as you wish but there are some Napa Cab and morr Bordeaux blend blind tasting videos coming
I have a practical question - how do you remember all the wines you have tasted off the top of your head? I have probably tried a couple hundred each year since getting into wine, and unless they were one of my all time favorites/tasted in a really memorable place or otherwise really unique, I have to consult my Vivino app to remember what all I’ve tried. I imagine you taste many more hundreds, maybe even thousands of wines a year - how do you remember them all?
I taste thousand per year. When I was writing I kept better notes. I don’t have to now that I focus on video. I used to log them on Vivino but not anymore.
Also when you taste thousands of wines a year or you only have to remember the memorable ones
@@drmatthewhorkey I am still so impressed you can look at a list of 100 wines and talk so intelligently about so many of them off the top of your head! I would at least need my Vivino tasting notes!
I’ve visited and met a lot of producers which burns them into memory
Lustau’s Palo Cortado is fantastic. Such great complexity and very food friendly and the Fino is great.
Agreed and they are both so affordable and offer a lot of bang for buck!
Today is the last day of my 1 month long business trips to Germany, had quite a few Rieslings, although I didn't have the time to seek out ones of the same caliber as presented in the video.
I am having the Kung-Fu Girl right now though, it's not bad.
Another interesting and relaxing video, I didn't realize how much I missed just having a relaxing glass of wine and watching TH-cam, the simple pleasures of life, lol.
Ahhhh a month in Germany!! I’d be swimming in Riesling during those business dinners hahahaha. Yes Kung Fu girl is solid, just a nice daily sipper. Glad you’re back and comfy
I prefer JS's interviews to his wine scores. I am not a big fan of league tables.
I have a big difference of opinion with a friend about Riesling; he thinks Germany produces the best and I know that Alsace does. I really don't get get German rieslings: they are ok but not exciting to me. I bought half a case of mixed Mosels and Rheingau 2020 recently; I have drunk two with friends and they were so-so. I have put the others deep in the cellar and hope they develop interest before I open the next one. Not tried many Austrian riesling.
I can't speak about Napa Cabs as I haven't drunk one for many years but Bordeaux is still fantastic value, as long as you steer clear of the top classed growths. For example, we will be round at friends for Christmas dinner and I insisted that I provide the main course wine. The meat is roast beef, so I have gone for a Cantemerle, 2012. I agonised between that and Mas de Daumas, Gassac, '13 and a Cote Rotie, '13 but the claret will win the day - I think.
Anyway, thanks for another thought-provoking and enjoyable video: you are putting a lot of work into these clips - much appreciated.
Wow you are coming in HOTTT!!! hahaha I personally love German Riesling and to me, they are number one with the variety. Again, that's my own palate and everyone is different and I don't judge. I agree with Bordeaux being a ridiculous value for money region, especially in vintages like 2018 and 2019, there is good stuff all over. That Christmas dinner menu sounds EXCELLENT...
Thanks for acknowledging the work, it takes a LONG TIME to put together what seem like such simple videos.
I see "Riesling alert", I click!
And, you are entirely correct; find a talented producer and buy their "village" bottlings. These give you good flavor at a reasonable price. Buy a grand cru bottle for special occasions. 👍
I am still team Erste Lage, as I think it offers the ultimate balance between price, Wine quality, age ability, and drink ability. More Rieslint content to come!
Thanks for the video!
Thanks for watching!
Did the Marathon du Medoc as part of the Pichon Baron team this year and had this wine with lunch after. Phenomenal stuff!
Ohhh now that's my kind of running!! LOL
If one knows that JS , scores 2-3 pts higher than most anyone in the wine review business, then you are in great shape. Unfortunately most don't know. That is why , a big producer having scores of 94-96 by most credible reviewers, love JS, to come in, and outscore all/ ka ching, Ka ching.!
LOLOLOLOLOLOLL kaaahhh chinnng.. chinnnggg
For Saint Emillion Grand Cru I tried L’assegu 2018 that I found on sale for mid $40s, and it was one of my favorite wines of the year 🎉🎉 Super full-bodied and grippy but really smooth tannins, and one of the longest finishes 😮
18’ was a great vintage in Bordeaux.
I have been stocking up on 18 and 16 😇👍🏻
Same I'm collecting Bordeaux red wine from 2018. Currently got a few bottles of leoville barton.. flipping good stuff
Can’t complain about a list with a lot of rieslings ! That’s for sure . And also some very nice white like Kumeu ! So , Mr Sucking did a nice list this year. About the ratings , I agree that he is a high scorer … but I find my taste more similar to his than to the Parker wines … cheers !
Yes I lean to his palate a bit more and was glad to see a healthy list of Rieslings.
The 2019 BV is an outstanding cab, honest you need to give it a try.
It was a great vintage in Napa for sure!
Irony among Napa being #1 is that most winemakers loathe him. As one winemaker said to me “how do you know if James Suckling has a house in Tuscany (might be another region but it’s somewhere in Italy)? He’ll waste no time in telling you.” He’s apparently super full of himself in tastings and loves to brag about his place. Not much different from most tasters though like former WS James Laube literally said “do you know who I am?!?“ to the Screaming Eagle winemaker at the taste of Oakville before (and he couldn’t care less). I’ve only heard good things for a very small number of tasters lol.
Hahahhaha being on trips with a lot of ‘taste makers’ I always like to look at producers’ faces as people spew out tns and things about wine. I bet you have some GREAT stories about the ‘big name’ critics being so close to Napa
I pay attention to any score, but those from James Suckup have to be taken with many grains of salt. 1. If you’re always tasting expensive, big name brands, they’re going to be good (if a bit soulless/textbook) regardless, so what does it matter if he gives something a 94 or a 98. 2. He has no choice but to be generous, because he has too much riding on the gravy train. (To be fair, I think all the mags suffer from this to some extent, but Suckup is an especially egregious case.) 3. I look at WA and Jeb scores bc I’m a fan of concentrated, hedgefund bro-style reds, but then cross check with Jancis to make sure the wine has class and and nuance.
Hahahah your hedgefund bro-style reds comment CRACKED me up!!! I do find I go to WA for insite on Bordeaux and California. Your other comments on the gravy train, I addressed them in this video: th-cam.com/video/8axlDi8rx3g/w-d-xo.html
Also, I’m liking your videos more and more. I much prefer these easy going, confident riffs to the overly enthusiastic, goofy uncle takes. YMMV. Keep it up! And how about some double blind tasting of supermarket wines.
That is a good idea. Perhaps in 2023… I actually like Peter’s rants and don’t get tired of them.
Can't wait for your St Emillion video!
To be fair it’s a video that includes St Emillion, it isn’t solely about the region. You can get more on SE Grand Cru here: th-cam.com/video/Rcujz-To5g0/w-d-xo.html
I would say that the henschke"Hill of Roses", is the wine you should try when young over thr Hill of Grace! :) much more worthwhile
Thanks for the hot tip!
Brilliant video .. hope to meet Suckling soon too!
Thanks! I think he's always at his events that he does in the USA and Asia.
@@drmatthewhorkey Bangkok next 😉
Interestingly James' bar is the only one of the hip wine bars in HK which I found served wine in good condition. Everywhere else I found a deconditioning problem. Which was a bit tragic, as many of the wine establishments are lovely and try hard. When I was there they had giant bottles, doubles mags, of the Luce open - it was a tasting. Being surrounded by large format Luce bottles is my idea of a wine nightmare!
hhahahahah I am not a big fan of that wine either... I just don't get it. His wine bar is legit, has bottles from his personal collection. When did you go there???
@@drmatthewhorkey Just before the pandemic. I was sad about the heat damage problem in the other wine places. In one place the owner and the wine programme guy were so proud of their excellent allocation. Talked about how hard it was to get a wide selection of Radikons. When I tasted, they were heat damaged. I couldn't say anything of course. Similar story everywhere. Except the Suckling bar.
ahhh you went to La Cabanne first!
@@drmatthewhorkey the radikon situation was in 121BC. That was actually my favourite place. In La Cabane the wine was damaged too. Wine industry still doesn't get that you can't keep wines at room temperature. That's worth a video actually. Ordinary customers buy wine off the shelf. I think this is the single biggest unspoken issue in the wine industry.
I do think this is a problem! Thanks for the suggestion. I need to tie this into a video theme
I recently opened a bottle of the 2019 BVPR, just for an initial evaluation. I’m glad I’m not a professional wine critic. This Cab came across to me as unfocused and lacking charm. I was looking forward to the famed “Rutherford dust” that JS found in abundance. I experienced the elusive dust in the 1968 BVPR. I didn’t find it in my 2019, but I can only assume “it will emerge.” I would say to approach with caution.
It may with time as the fruit fades :)
Last week I opened my first Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz 2015. Which is my first Henschke.
Ohhhhh how was it???
You asked so here I go. I always felt JS was compromised by the Wineries, owners his tasting notes are boring, although i liked watching him on TH-cam. As far as his write ups i never bought a bottle from something he recommended, very non inspirational. On the other hand Robert Parker would write up a wine that I would purchase. I think of Wine i think of Robert Parker, he is a journalist he inspired me to try wine that I never would've tried. Guitarist Jimmy Page was the same thing to me with picking up the guitar and playing it. They inspire you. Points are points, Notes are Notes but you as a wine taster and journalist have to be sold then be able to write on it. I bought wine books because of Parker not his points but on his journalism. He is unmatched. Can you look and smell a wine for 15-20 minutes and not even taste it yet? Parker had that ability not cause of points but because of his journalistic ability to persuade us wine consumers. Most of you lack that. It is more than just having a nose, a palate or the gift of a great QPR.
Wow, Parker to Page??!!!
There’s no dount what Parker did for wine esp in America. I actually am a big fan of his tasting notes too. I do respect him because he was ok with being disliked by producers. He did have his preferences and that’s fine. There was a 60 minutes doc on him many many years ago and it is excellent.
I used to play for eight years or so but gave it up. My favorite guitar I owned was a Martin D-15. I will pick up guitar again at some point in life…
I hope you enjoy, 2016 was a great year. It should be smashing with some pizza or tomato based pasta. Thanks again
@@drmatthewhorkey One thing i enjoyed about his notes was he followed the concept of what you see in the glass, smell in the bouquet and taste. Many pick the wine up and bring it right up the their mouth without ever looking at the color, legs with certain type of light, then smelling the wine and describing it in detail. Then letting the wine hit your palate. Something i could follow. Lol
hahahahha I am not big on color except to identify age... When I am drinking casually though, color makes no difference to me hahah
I think if a wine has a score on it
There should be a short tasting note attached to it on why that theater gave me t that score.
Hahahaah usually shelf talkers do have them. But I see when people are buying they usually just go right for those two digits…
grosset polish hill is their most expensive riesling. springvale is similar.
and, great show dmh.
mjr
tokyo
Thanks a lot! I don’t know their whole portfolio off the top of my head. I remember having their aged Semillon a few years ago and really liking it
I wonder if James suckling is drinking more Riesling coz of the food he eats in hong Kong? Local Cantonese food is perfectly matched with Riesling?
Maybe… but Suckling is a true wine lover and his lists often include Riesling. I often see him pairing reds with local food which I commend because it can be challenging.
For me, James Suckling is a kiss of death. I stay away from wines rated by this guy. I apologize if it sounds harsh, but I was fooled more than once. NO MORE. I understand taste is subjective and this is just my opinion.
No offense taken... Everyone is open to their own opinion in wine. I do like that his site showcases a lot of Aussie/NZD and South American wines. I don't take his scores as gospel though hahaha
I find Sucklings ratings to be all over the place. I’m fairly broke so most of the under 15 dollar bottles of wine I buy (if they are reviewed) are reviewed by James suckling. Rates all over the place, some 91 point wines are awesome, some 90+ are disgusting.
Yea at that price range it can be a gamble although there are some gems to be had around $15, esp white wine. I see you’re also from Michigan
@@drmatthewhorkey yessir born in Ann Arbor originally currently in Virginia which has very promising wine coming out of the state, especially out of Shenandoah Valley and Charlottesville. I would absolutely love to see an episode about wine of Virginia. Love the content.
Surprised how many Rieslings were in the list. Not really a fan of Suckling, I think he gives out 95-100 ratings WAY too often. I stick to WS as my source for top ratings as they are much stingier with them. The one hit I put on WS is their lack of ratings for certain varietals.
WS is a bit tougher with scoring for sure. My gripe is that their articles are not interesting anymore.
I've been burned by James Suckling and just really not liked some of his recommendations before so I realized it's just not a good way to pick wine. Better to find a reviewer who's pallet is closer to your own if you want help finding bottles.
If I see a high James Suckling score I will assume it costs more than it probably should, and doesn't guarantee I'll like it. Which basically means the high score from him means I'm less likely to even try it.
You are right that at the end of the day, your palate is most important in addition to finding someone with similar taste to you.
Rings Späteburgunder 2020 Pfalz, wow.
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The lack of Pinot picks is disturbing
There are quite a few more but I didn’t go over all of them…
Suckling minus 3 to 5 points = a more accurate rating imho.
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All the beast of the beast whines of Earth!
🤣😂 at least the Rieslings on the list are legit
JS scores are hits and misses for me. Overall mostly hits except his 98 and 99 scores. IMO these scores are a bit over the top and very few wines IMO again actually deserve 98's and 99's. I follow a few youtubers like yourself and I put your scoring in the top 3.
Ahhhhh wowzasss that is nice. Don’t forget that we all make mistakes and overlook things when tasting (I know I’ve made plenty of mistakes). I am the opposite of you, JS 90 pts I don’t always take seriously. When he goes over 95 I find the wine is pretty exciting. But hey, we all have our internal scale.
As an wine lover with "normal" income, reading this list ( and others this year ) is giving me a sour "windowshopping on Rodeo Drive" feeling. Considering on how the global economy is going , the current state of affairs around the world... I am wondering if most of these "critics" are completely losing touch with the majority of the consumers.
I mean, the overall average price here is around 200$ !!!
One asks the question then: are the prices this high because the producers have to break even with the critic "investment" ??
How do such ridiculous prices on the "top 100" encourage potential new winedrinkers, what is the message behind? Fork our your life saving to enjoy good wine?
I'd rather go to my trusted local wine vendors and listen to their advice, find AMAZING wines up to 30 EUR that could give these so called top 100 a serious challange.
Screw critics. Pretentious twats...
Wine Critics are in a funny place for sure. Your strategy about asking a local wine shop is GREAT, I even made a whole video about it. I feel like you can drink world class wine, among the best in the world at $25-50 if you know what you’re looking for or have a good shop owner to guide you
I personally think mister Suckling is a joke and it amazes me that he continues to be relevant in the wonderful world of wine. During his tasting video's he desperately avoids making any solid comments on the nose, taste and mouthfeel of the wines. He just spews a bunch of, what he would like to be conceived as profound adjectives and moves on to the next bottle. Pricing seems to be the most important factor driving his scores. Also, this list is screaming 'look at me, bringing Riesling to the masses, like I did with Supertuscans'. I must admit, his lifestile is not something I would be extremely sad about experiencing myself, so my opinion might be somewhat tainted. Nonetheless this was an enjoyable video, I also appreciate that you recommended some of the entry-level wines.
Hahahahah this is a common sentiment in the wine world. I also don’t love his TNs but he does go through a ton of wines
I think all these lists and all these publications are full of **** 😅 where are incredible wines of Jura? Sancerre? industrial wine is a sinking ship and these big boy publishers are captains on these ships 😅
Those wines are WAAYY too geeky and not widely available enough to be on the lists...
@@drmatthewhorkey Is Sancerre not widely available? I thought that it was quite a well-known wine but perhaps it's unfashionable. Regardless, it's not a wine style that will collect the big scores.
imo the inflation of 98/99/100 point ratings is disappointing. I agree to the fact winemaking in general has improved over the last decades; but when I compare f.x. Bordeaux wines from the 80s or 90s or even the iconic 59 and 61 vintages, where a mid or high 90 point rating of RP was given to outstanding wines which even today are really impressive, to the wines of today, when almost half of the wines (not having half of the same potential) are getting those ratings from different commentators... then I think there is something wrong. ...I do not even talk about this clown named Luca Maroni, who has not the slightest idea what a good wine is and nonetheless is mentioned by every wine merchant - that does really no good to wine making at all!
Luca 🫣😬😬… I heard he does have a great palate though. Yes, I wonder at what point will scores not matter anymore. I can’t think of a better system though.
@@drmatthewhorkey I agree - the 100 points system is good! What some people do with it is bad. So... you must know the taster and only look at those you have found trustworthy. ...takes quite some time to find out though
I personally think suckling gets paid to mark up his scores. I’ve seen him give 92 points to 5-7$ wines that taste like trash.
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Me too
Agree with you, Luce has not soul…
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Can someone fill me in on this? Why is it bad?
Damn! I live in Germany and don’t like Riesling😂👋
Waaahhhhh I'll take all of those Rieslings off your hands hahahah
I got send some sampels from Charles Smith and i can tell you all reds was undrinkable his Substance Chardonnay was mediocer at best.
Gotcha, are you in retail?
My issues with James Suckling is his descriptions sound more like cringe poetry and not very useful 9 out of 10 times. Nothing against him or his experience but he lays it on pretty thick. I found Peter Koff's descriptions and assessments far more helpful.
He did work at WS so the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree 🤭
Peter is hilarious and I love how he tells it like he feels, something that is not always done in the wine writing world.
Highest notes,highest prices following behind ,wine word is becoming boring,unnecessary luxury and for few.Sad reality,those notes doesn’t help the majority of people who really love wines.Drink wines,notes scores.
Good thing there are plenty of gems out there to be found!
Not scores*.
Yes Mathew,fortunately!Thats exactly what I have been doing in my trips to wine places,looking for small,family and mostly not famous winemakers who really makes wonderful wines at a real,decente,correct and still affordable prices,despite being wonderful ones and delivering the same amount of pleasure and “magic”.Congratulations for your channel 👏👏🍷🍷🍷
Obrigado!
Any Portuguese wine that costs me 10€ are better ….much better!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Portuguese wine
Live from the bomb shelter
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WoW not sure about this list. I guess this is according basic american wine consumer. No risk and authenticity here
Good wines but there are a lot of safe choices for sure
Scores are mostly irrelevant in all reality. You’re trusting someone else’s palate and without the scores broken down into specific categories that add up to 100 it’s utterly unhelpful. Drink wine, decide whether or not you love it, simple as that
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@@drmatthewhorkey Personally I’ve had many expensive wines and all the wines in between and I always come back to enjoying a $9-$20 bottle of Vinho Verde on a hot summer day, a $30-$60 GSM or $40-$120 bottle of Brunello/Chianti Riserva with dinner, and a Riesling or Torrentés or Chenin Blanc after all is said and done for the evening. Also enjoy a Tawny, Cava, Prosecco, or an exceptional bottle of Tempranillo from time to time.
Many people wouldn’t agree with my palate and so if I ranked wines on a scale of 100 we’d potentially see differently. I feel the same with several of these wine journalists palates, some are closer to mine and others are miles apart, it’s always best just to taste the wine yourself and see what you think 😉👍🏼
Agreed a lot. I always say that (depending on market location) 25-50$ can get you some of the best wines in the world if you kno what you’re looking for… Totally agree on crisp Vinho Verde during a hot summer day
Lose the damn Dry Cleaner Bell sounds, really annoying - your hyperactivity is hard enough to listen to, you know what you are doing you don't need the noise and giggles.
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He consistently scores about .2 to high (to get attention?) and on top of that he seems to plug some wines with his grading and reviews them in a way that suggests he's been paid (or othewise incentivised).
I do usually take 2 points off his scores. All I know is that people that have submitted wines for scoring were not charged, there are a lot of things that could happen but I don’t wanna speculate. I do know it’s a nice fee for producers to he at his events.
@@drmatthewhorkey
Thanks for your reply and I appreciate your content. I don't really know what to make of the reviews of JS but the fact that his company reviews so many wines, has a tendency to overscore and these scores are cited so often is a problem in my opinion. It casts doubt on all scores. It’s hard to call it out, and in a bullish wine market it works for the sellers and reviewers. In a bearish (edit) market it makes people doubt the whole industry. (although I do not see a bearish market coming).
I think in general, consumers are trusting scores less and less altho they still do matter
@@drmatthewhorkey True
Inform yourself well about the type of wines that Maroni prefers. High residual sugar, fruit driven often lacking in freshness. Furthermore, he has a consultancy company with which he suggests to producers which analytical parameters the wine must have in order to be liked... to him who must judge it 😂🤔. He is probably the most sincere critic of all considering that his theory of "vino frutto" explains it from the beginning, with Maroni take it or leave it. Personally I have stopped following all these characters for many years, I only trust my palate, is rarely wrong.
You got it right! Your palate is all that matters, I have a video coming up on it. I heard Maroni is a fabulous taster, I just think his scores are a bit ridiculous hahaha
Matt, thanks for the video. Love your energy and desire to help those interested in learning. I started an Instagram for my family and friends which has helped me to research more about different wines. But I have enjoyed taking pics of the wines as well. I know it's hard. Keep it up, @merman381
Thanks so much and good luck on your journey!
I review wine and have a few different social media sites and I have to say that James Suckling and I very seldom agree on what a good wine is. People have to keep in mind that reviewing wine is very subjective and while your palate might agree with mine, it might not agree with someone elses. People just love to jump on a bandwagon and that is a big issue here in referance to Mr. Suckling. He has developed a name and his name as you basicaly just proved, can make or break a wine or a winery or vineyard. When I first began reviewing wine I would se the stickers on a bottle every once and a while saying that James Suckling rated this wine at 93 points. At first that was a guarantee that I would buy the wine until I began noticing that as I said, our palates just did not agree. When I see the stickers now I just laugh and move on as I won't waste my money on the wine. I think it is amazing to see vineyard owners and winemakers bend over backwards to please this man and I get it. One last comment. If you get the chance, please check out (taste) the 2019 Details By Sinegal, Cabernet Sauvignon, I reviewed (desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2022/10/2019-details-by-sinegal-cabernet.html) it and thought it was amazing. As for the link, I hope you leave it up because I don't sell anything on any of my social media. I am just a guy who tries his best through personnel experience to review wines for the average person. I make no money off of ANYTHING I post nor do I make any money on any of my social media accounts.
I don’t think that a single reviewer these days makes or breaks a vineyard. This is just MO from talking to producers and seeing the diversity of critics these days. I do like his taste although I still think he scores a bit on the high side. Thanks for the link