What is the difference between a $10 bottle of wine with a 90 pt. rating and a $100 bottle of wine with the same rating?
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
A similar question was asked not long ago, so you may want to look back over my past answers. I'm happy to give you my thoughts about your slightly different query, which is particularly interesting...the challenge is to keep my reply brief!
Let's start with the basic fact that scores and ratings are not scientific, nor do they rely on a uniform methodology. Much has been made in recent years of the "100-point scale". It is now so widely employed that we tend to accept it without question as empirical and objective. In fact, such a rating system can be attacked for many reasons, and your question raises but one aspect.
In theory, a 90 rating for a Cotes du Rhone at $10 retail should signify an excellent version - let's leave aside the variable definitions of "excellence" - of that appellation, and a 90-point Chateauneuf-du-Pape should be looked at the same way: as a comparison of that one type of wine with its peers. However, the Chateauneuf should by definition be a much better wine than the Cotes du Rhone, even though they have the same rating. But if you look at ratings in wine magazines, you will find inconsistent application of this principle. In fact, a Cotes du Rhone that is a "perfect" example of its appellation deserves a 100-point score, but such high ratings somehow seem reserved for glamorous bottlings.
One common problem which arises is with varietally-labeled wines; take Cabernet Sauvignon, for example. How should the 100-point scale be applied when there are Cabs from countless regions and countries at all price levels? Can you expect the reviewer to apply the rating with all those examples from around the world in mind? Or, should they only focus on the particular country (US), state (California), or only the specific district (Alexander Valley) when they determine the score? We could go on and on with such nuances. In the end, I believe scores serve only as a rough guide - and as one taster's opinion.
