I have often found that I’ve preferred wines with lower scores. Of course, this can never be generalized (and under normal circumstances, quite the opposite is true). However, I have deduced that in many instances, the size of a wine - i.e. the overall scale in relation to extract, body, concentration of fruit…the BIGGER the wine is - tends to contribute to higher ratings. I have tasted many wines that merit a 96-point score from a respectable and experienced critic that possess the same level of intensity, balance, complexity and length as a wine that merits a 93-point score from the same critic. And I have concluded that in many of these cases, the differentiating factor in the scoring variance is a wine’s size and power. This rationale may help explain why there are far more 99-point wines from Australia than there are from Burgundy.
For those of us with a preference for wines that possess a bit more grace, elegance and sophistication as opposed to power and body, then it’s entirely possible for a slightly lower score to suggest that you may prefer it over a similar wine with a higher rating. Note that it’s always important to read the description of the wine and to couple that information with the rating, since the description will likely give tidbits on the wine’s character, but too often people equate a higher score to a better wine...not so!
I recently tried both the 1995 and 1996 Grand Puy Lacoste (Paulliac) and found that I had a definitive preference for the 1996 (RP 93) over the 1995 (RP 95). Because of their relative value in a sea of expensive Bordeaux, these two wines have been relentlessly compared to each other with varying conclusions. While both wines are quite powerful, the 1995 clearly has the upper hand in this regard, but lacks the nuance, sophistication and class of the 1996. There is a slightly higher level of acidity and less body, which to me, brings the wine to a greater level of balance and harmony. The 1996 Grand Puy Lacoste ($110) is really a delightful wine: intensely aromatic, impeccably balanced, very complex and quite sophisticated. In my humble...expert opinion, it’s got the upper hand over its older sibling and as the score suggests, less is more.
