Tasting Note/Score Structure

[Bradley Bogdan]

Inspired by the mention in the Lurkers thread, I totally agree there should be a thread for discussion about how we go about assembling our thoughts and impressions into a note and a score.

So, what's everyone's secret formula?


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[John M.]

I made the following to help the newbies in my Port Club...I found that the list of flavors helps the brain correlate the taste. Plus all you've got to do is circle or check something so a lot less writing for those disinclined.

[Andy Velebil]

I made the following to help the newbies in my Port Club...I found that the list of flavors helps the brain correlate the taste. Plus all you've got to do is circle or check something so a lot less writing for those disinclined.

John,
That's a really easy to understand format for newbies.

[Glenn E.]

That's a great reference, John!

I've found that it's easier for me to get a general impression first and come up with a trigger word. Like "this is really excellent" or "this is pretty good." I have created a table that converts those words into score ranges, and that's how I get to a final score.

Code: Select all

Word       Score Range
Okay/Meh     80-83
Fine/Good    84-86
Very Good    87-89
Excellent    90-93
Outstanding  94-96
Magnificent  97-99
Perfect      100

I realize this is effectively just a 20-point scale, but not quite. I've rated below 80 before, but those don't really need to be on my chart. Anything below 80 is "Poor" or worse. 80-86 also encompasses "average" somewhere, but I tend to use "okay" and "fine" more often.

I also usually have to explain that perfect doesn't mean perfect. It's just the most convenient word to use to describe a 100 rating for me. What 100 really means is that it has altered my perception of Port (positively) in some way. It's a mind-blowing experience.

Also, at least for me, Outstanding is as high as you're going to get with what I refer to as mechanical perfection. The winemaker has done everything right and there are no noticeable flaws. Another way to think about it is that you really can't think of any way to improve the wine. But for some reason, it's just not... singing. To get to that Magnificent level, the wine has to speak to you. It has to be better than the sum of mechanical perfection. Magnificent are the Ports where I just sit there because I can't find the words.

The ranges are effectively there just to give me room to rank Ports within a trigger word. There is a noticeable difference between a 94 and a 96 to me, but they're both still what I'd call Outstanding. The same is true for the other ranges as well... it's mostly to help me at a big tasting.

Ultimately, what I really have is a 7-point scale from "okay" to "perfect" (or 8 if you want to add "0" for poor and below). It makes it pretty easy to assign scores once I'm done taking a tasting note.

[John M.]

Apparently I cannot upload the Excel file...if anybody wants my TN Cheat Sheet P.M. me with your email.

[Scheiny S]

what if one's experience is limited? i don't think i've yet had a perfect or magnificent Port, though i've had some i dislike, some i like, and some i like a lot. and as for things i like a lot, i don't know if they're particularly good examples of their style or if there's something off that i happen to like. how do you guys recommend newbies deal with subjectivity like that? is it a disservice to the TN to assume "The best i can rate something is 91."?

also, John, i PMed you with my email address. i would love a copy of your TN Cheat Sheet, thanks!

[Bradley Bogdan]

what if one's experience is limited? i don't think i've yet had a perfect or magnificent Port, though i've had some i dislike, some i like, and some i like a lot. and as for things i like a lot, i don't know if they're particularly good examples of their style or if there's something off that i happen to like. how do you guys recommend newbies deal with subjectivity like that? is it a disservice to the TN to assume "The best i can rate something is 91."?

also, John, i PMed you with my email address. i would love a copy of your TN Cheat Sheet, thanks!

Not a disservice at all. Calibrating your scoring to something recognizable to others takes time and tasting at least a dozen or two examples of that kind of wine (in this case Port). Ultimately though, scores are a wildly subjective thing, and people that might put real credence in your opinions on a wine will also put in the effort to read your opinions on a few others to understand whether you tend to be generous, stingy, like a certain style/producer or not etc. So long as you settle into something that's useful for you and reasonably consistent, you'll be able to use your old notes/scores as a good reference, regardless if your scale is identical to someone like Glenn's, or you work on a scale of 0-20, or if you have a much wider spread, etc.


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[John M.]

what if one's experience is limited? i don't think i've yet had a perfect or magnificent Port, though i've had some i dislike, some i like, and some i like a lot. and as for things i like a lot, i don't know if they're particularly good examples of their style or if there's something off that i happen to like. how do you guys recommend newbies deal with subjectivity like that? is it a disservice to the TN to assume "The best i can rate something is 91."?

also, John, i PMed you with my email address. i would love a copy of your TN Cheat Sheet, thanks!

#1. Be bold. Everyone was a newbie at one time. Don't worry about the score as much as your written notes and impressions. Scores are relative to the individual; you may dislike cherries and I love them so if I see cherry I'll think I will try it despite your score (unless its a 76 or lower)

#2. Be earnest. If you give it your best effort, no one here will give you a hard time or think less of you--just the opposite. We all know how hard it is the first few times.

#3. There is no fail, wrong or incorrect note.

[LOUISSS J]

what if one's experience is limited? i don't think i've yet had a perfect or magnificent Port, though i've had some i dislike, some i like, and some i like a lot. and as for things i like a lot, i don't know if they're particularly good examples of their style or if there's something off that i happen to like. how do you guys recommend newbies deal with subjectivity like that? is it a disservice to the TN to assume "The best i can rate something is 91."?

also, John, i PMed you with my email address. i would love a copy of your TN Cheat Sheet, thanks!

I hope i understand what you said. I give you an example :
When i was starting to score port (wine, beer, etc.) i put a 90 (my wife did the same) to a Taylor Fladgate tawny 10 years. I had a really good experience and i had not a lot of score to compare. Now if i drink this port again i put between 82 and 85 (maybe 86 if its a really good day). My wife score about 80 and 84... she scored the Single harvest 1964 87 (and for me 92). So with experience in scoring and experience with many port your standart change.
When i put a score thats purely based on the pleasure that the port give me. So it could be a great day and the port will maybe have a better score of 1, 2 or maybe 3? I can give a better score if the port have a high quality (well made... like ruby VS. vintage) but if the pleasure to drnk it is the same the score will be similar.
Another example : I drank a chateau Léoville Barton 1998 one night and it was average (probably because it was too close. I opened the bottle and drink it in 2 hours). I scored it 84. About one week later i opened a regular bottle (about 15-20$) and it was good ..i gave a 84. Both bottles had the same score but the quality was obviously higher for the Leoville. I felt that Leoville did not gave me the pleasure it can give me...but the regular wine gave me all it can. I had the "same pleasure" but for différents reasons.
So that's why i keep my score for me cause that's too personnal. If i tell all my score i will confuse (or get angry) a lot of people.

[Moses Botbol]

I have done port tastings with several on this board, a few of them multiple times and I find that my scores are inline with other members. Could be a 2 point spread, but we shared a similar sentiment about the ports. Even those who do not drink as much VP as we do had scores in similar context. WOTN is pretty unanimous.

On the top top end, I can be a little stingy. I should have rated "100" a few times, but called it at 98... If I rate 96+; it might as well be 100.

[Scheiny S]

here i am, tasting notes in hand! but where should i post them? in the Tating Notes subforum or should i post my TN on my Dow's LBV in the Virtual Tasting Room?

[Andy Velebil]

here i am, tasting notes in hand! but where should i post them? in the Tating Notes subforum or should i post my TN on my Dow's LBV in the Virtual Tasting Room?

Virtual Tasting room please. I'll split them out into the tasting note forum later for ease of finding and reference.


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[Al B.]

This is a question which I get asked quite often. I usually take it back to basics. Fundamentally all I want to know from a score is whether the person writing the tasting note:
(a) enjoyed the port
(b) would drink the port again

One of the guys in the UK scores using a scale of "good-, good, good+" etc. That works well.

Another writes a tasting note and includes the price paid for the bottle. His score runs along the lines of "Stock up; Buy at £XX; Buy at discount; don't buy but drink again often; drink again occasionally; drink in desperation; don't drink again"

With experience comes the ability to remember tastes and structures and to compare them against each other. That naturally leads to being able to convert scores to a fully numeric scale.

[Scheiny S]

I made the following to help the newbies in my Port Club...I found that the list of flavors helps the brain correlate the taste. Plus all you've got to do is circle or check something so a lot less writing for those disinclined.

John, I've lost this file and can't seem to download it again. Would you please post it again? Thanks so much!

[John M.]

Hey Scheiny---Trying to send you a PM and not going thru. Please send your email address.