TexaS Wine Journal. Category Report Merlot

Transcription

1 TexaS Wine Journal Category Report Merlot

2 About Journal RatingS Journal ratings are about building awareness for Texas wines under the objective lens of a panel of professional judges. Through consensus, as opposed to the voice and opinions of a single judge, we can create a more comprehensive guide. Texas Wine Journal ratings are based on tastings by the Journal s panel; of which a five-judge quorum is required. All wines are tasted under single blind conditions and organized based on peer group (meaning that the same types of wines are tasted against each other and the producers names are not known). Price is also not a known factor when the panel meets. Each producer receives notice of his or her wine s rating prior to any rating being published. Raings will be held in confidence if the producer chooses not to allow its publication. The exception to this rule is if a wine rates in the top five of its respective category. The rating will also be included as part of the population of ratings to be analyzed for trends within the category and year-to-date break downs. Only wines scoring 80 points or higher will be published. Wines that are considered flawed or atypical are re-tasted. All wines evaluated and rated are done so on a standardized form based on a 20-point scale. The 20-point score is converted to a 100 point score using the same conversion method that Decanter Magazine uses. In addition, a consumer rating will be provided in the form of Recommended and Highly Recommended wines. January

3 Type Of Data We Track Wine Score (20-points and 100-points) Category Average Single Wine Deviation: A measure of panel consensus for a single wine Average Deviation Across Category: The average deviation between a single wine and the category average - An average calculation across each wine s individual deviation Panel Consensus: Represents how well the panel tastes as a judging body - A deviation calculation of category averages across all judges Typicity Across Category: A Measure of typicity (consistency in style) - A deviation calculation across all averaged wine scores Appellation Tracking: Breakdown of Texas AVAs Vineyard Tracking Merlot 2014 Category Average: 14.75/20 (82 Points) Texas vs. The World: A seperate category that places the top rated Texas wine from a given category in a blind tasting of world wines Year-to-Date Breakdown Average Deviation Across Category: 0.94 Typicity Across Category: 1.15 Panel Consensus: 0.41 January

4 Score Breakdown Extraordinary. Superior character and style Excellent. Noteworthy character and highly recommended Very good. Wine with special qualities and potentially a great value depending on price Good. Solid wine with above average character Average. Straightforward with little distinction beyond being soundly made. Wine Storage Wines are cellared in the bonded and air conditioned space of Vinovium Partners located at 401 Ranch Road 620 North, #C2, Lakeway Texas, January

5 Category Report The Merlot category featured 12 wines (10 producers and 4 single vineyards) that came from grapes sourced from across the state; six (57%) were appellated Texas, two (25%) from the Texas Hill Country and four (18%) from the Texas High Plains. The prices of the wines submitted ranged from $17 to $38 and included the following: 1 from the 2009 vintage, 2 from the 2011 vintage and 9 from 2012 vintage. Producers Featured In The Merlot Category Becker Vineyards Bluff Dale Vineyards Kiepersol Estates Landon Winery Lewis Wines Llano Estacado Lost Oak Winery Messina Hof Winery Spicewood Vineyards William Chris Vineyards The Top 5 Rated WineS 1. William Chris Vineyards, THP, Hunter 2012, 16/20-86 points, $38 2. Becker Vineyards, Texas, Reserve Merlot, 2012, 16/20-86 points, $19 3. Messina Hof, Texas, Reserve Merlot, Double Barrel /20-86 points, $22 4. Kiepersol Estates, Texas, Merlot, /20-86 points, $17 5. Lewis Wines, Texas, Merlot, /20-86 points, $27 January

6 After each category is tasted and rated the scores across the panel are averaged, which allows us to track the consensus across a wide range of palates and thus produces a final rating that is more objective and comprehensive; even when category and panel deviations are considered. To that point, 58% of the wines rated were defined to be Very Good wines by Journal definitions (scoring points), 17% were rated Good wines (scoring points), 25% were Average wines (scoring points) and 0% were Below Average (74 points or less). RatingS Breakdown Extraordinary (95-100) - 0 total Excellent (90-94) - 0 total Very Good (85-89) - 7 total, 71% TX, 29% THP Good (80-84) - 2 total, 50% THC, 50% THP Average (75-79) - 3 total, 33% TX, 33% THC, 33% THP Poor (<75) - 0 total *THC - Texas Hill Country THP - Texas High Plains January

7 Single VineyardS Every 0.25 deviation points on a 20-point scale is equivalent to roughly 1.0 point on a 100-point scale 1. Bingham Family Vineyards acres 2. Granite Hill Vineyard - 25 acres 3. Newsom Vineyards acres 4. Spicewood Estate Vineyard - 32 acres Vintage Breakdown total (8%) - 100% Very Good total (17%) - 100% Very Good total (75%) - 44% Very Good, 22% Good, 33% Average January

8 2014 RatingS Breakdown (across all categories) Extraordinary (95-100) Excellent (90-94) Very Good (85-89) Good (80-84) Average (75-79) Below Average (<75) Wines Rated In Wines Rated To Date 77 Number of Categories Rated This Year 4 9 of Average Panel Consensus To Date 0.55 Producers That Submitted Wines 47 Number of Categories Rated To Date 4 Average Submissions Per Producer 2 Hours Spent Ratings Wines To Date 42 January

9 In ConcluSion The Merlot category averaged out to 82 points The Journal Recommends 9 wines or 75% All of the top 5 wines were appellated Texas, which suggests, as it did in the Red Blends category, that fruit from a combination of Texas AVAs makes a better wine than sourcing fruit from a single AVA. Again, the question is why? Not a single wine scored above 86 points. Why? Is it because of the small population size, an indication of Merlot characteristics in Texas or a combination of both? The population size of the Merlot category is small when compared to the White blends, Red Blends, Caber net and Tempranillo categories. At what point does the population size represent an accurate picture of the category? We observed a nor mal distribution curve in the Cabernet and Red Blend categories for the 2012 vintage that had 15 and 14 total wines respectively. January

10 Our CollaboratorS The Texas Wine Consortium (the Consortium) is a nonprofit launched in April 2012 with the mission to inform, educate and promote Texas Wines to the trade, consumer and prospective industry partners. The Consortium aims to be the go-to source for data and information about the industry, a leader in the development of quality standards as well as cellaring the largest library of Texas wines with which to use for educational and awareness purposes; of which the Texas Wine Journal is included. By industry professionals, for industry professionals, the new SOMM Journal serves as an educational tool for on- and off-premise hospitality professionals as well as those looking to further their understanding of wine and spirits. Under the guidance of Meridith May, Publisher and Editorial Director for the nation s most-red beverage industry publication, the The Tasting Panel Magazine, Somm Journal s team of top-shelf contributors includes internationally renowned wine writers, sommeliers and authorities. The SOMM Journal is a bi-monthly publication that has a distribution list of 50,000 beverage professionals throughout the United States and an ever growing international audience. Vinovium Partners was organized in 2012 and permitted in 2013 as a Bonded Wine Cellar / Wine Blender (TTB) and a G permit winery in Texas (TABC). Our business model is a négociant model, where through the power of consolidation we are able to provide one-stop-shop capabilities for a varying degree of end customers. Our goal is to become the premier seller and marketer in Texas of fine wines packaged in recyclable commercial kegs and in recyclable consumer-oriented, aseptic packages. Vinovium Partners inventories and cellars all wines for the Texas Wine Journal. The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas is a membership nonprofit using their passion for wine and food to better the health and well-being of our community by hosting public wine and food events, educational opportunities and the finest wine auction in the Southwest funding culinary scholarships, educational grants and other deserving causes. The Foundation provides the Texas Wine Journal a home each month to conduct panel tastings. January

11 Our CollaboratorS Continued Texas Hill Country Wineries is a not-for-profit community organization that preserves and promotes the healthy and value added lifestyle of Texas Wines. THCW contributes to the quality of life in and around the Texas Hill Country s nationally recognized wine trails and events. They represent 32 unique and independent wineries committed tpromoting industry advancement and consumer awareness through event and agricultural programs. The mission of the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, Inc. is to promote the production and appreciation of premium grapes and fine wines from Texas, and to represent a unified state industry with common marketing, governmental and educational goals. Texas Wine & Trail Magazine is a multifaceted magazine that offers ACCESS TO THE MOST INFLUENTIAL WINE VOICES IN THE STATE. The publication is dedicated to showcasing the amazing diversity of Texas wine culture and growing the success of the Texas wine industry. November

12 A PartnerShip At Work January May

13 Support the Journal. Contribute. Submit What You Can With Your Next Submission 2015 Tasting Schedule Submission Deadline February 17 - Viognier and Roussanne...February 13 March 10 - Syrah...March 6 April 21 - White Blends...April 17 May 19 - Dry Rose & Other Mediterranean White Varietal...May 15 June 23 - Blanc Du Bois...June 19 July 21 - Red Blends...July 17 August 18 - Sangiovese...August 14 September 22 - Merlot...September 18 October 20 - Other Mediterranean Red Varietal...October 16 November 17 - Tempranillo...November 13 December 15 - Cabernet Sauvignon...December 11 January

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