When it comes to wine scores and judging, the topic is somewhat polarizing within the ranks of industry professionals. Generally speaking, the perceived quality of any wine is subjective and highly individualistic. What one person might view as an otherworldly and outstanding bottle might be completely dismissed and loathed by someone else. Every palate is different and unique. It is for these reasons, combined with the inevitable application of personal biases, that wine scoring can be seen by many as a BS science. In the very least, it is an imperfect process for sure.
However, why do we, as humans, review, rate or judge anything at all? If personal opinion is the only thing that mattered in the world, it would be reasonable to assume that there would be no critics, no movie reviews, no product endorsements, no restaurant recommendations and so on. Whether it is fickleness, vanity, insecurity, or something else entirely, it seems that we are creatures that need constant reassurance in everything we do. We need confirmation that we aren’t alone in a belief or a stance — we need a pack to back us up; otherwise, we might be on an island by our lonesome. After all, standing on a soapbox with nobody else agreeing with you can feel very isolating.
Related to the wine industry, many people will say that a good wine is simply a bottle that you enjoy drinking — and that is a factual, 100% true statement. Wine can also be considered an art form, so to put a quantitative score on something that is entirely within the eye of the beholder is a hard thing to do. Yet, why do wine scores and judging exist? Again, it goes back to needing reassurances. If you are an artist, receiving praise from your audience feels good and provides vindication for the effort you put forth. On the flip side of that, a consumer will naturally want something more if there is a desire from others to want it as well. Overall, if we as individuals feel something is good, we want others to confirm that our feelings don’t just exist in some solitary existence.
For us at Ricci Vineyards, we were no exception to feeling somewhat skeptical and apprehensive about outsiders critiquing our wines. We believe our wines are good — so why bother in getting confirmation from anyone else? Well, sometimes it just feels necessary to receive validation from others; that our own biases aren’t clouding reality. With that, for the first time ever we decided to submit some of our 2024 wines to be judged in the 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition has been around for a while (their inception was in 1983, in fact) and is considered one of the largest and most respected wine judging events in the country. Somewhere between 900 to 1,000 wineries submit entries on an annual basis and over 5,000 individual wines are entered into the competition. If we were going to tip our toe into the world of wine judging, this seemed like good water to swim in. Focusing on our yet-to-be-released 2024 vintage, we submitted two different Chardonnay offerings and two different Pinot Noirs respectively. After a brief period of nervous anticipation, the results of the competition came through and needless to say we were pleasantly surprised. While both Chardonnays seemed to be well-received and obtained silver medals (the judging scores in medal tiers and not points), ultimately it was our pinots entered that received the highest acclaim and praise. Our 2024 Los Carneros Pinot Noir received a gold medal award in its class, and the 2024 Pommard Clone Pinot Noir was awarded a double-gold medal — one of the highest distinctions that could be given for an individual wine.
With awards and medals now in hand, what is the grand takeaway from this process? That is up to each individual to decide. If points, scores and awards impress and sway someone to the point of convincing them to try a wine they otherwise wouldn’t, then maybe we have accomplished our mission. The 2024 vintage of Ricci wines, and in particular the 2024 Pommard, are great wines. We knew that prior to entering this competition but now some wine experts agree with us. Although we don’t take the results of this competition lightly, as having the respect and approval of peers is huge; we also realize that a great wine really depends on personal preference. We are proud of what we are doing and hopefully our supporters enjoy what we put forth as well. Rest assured more good things are on the way.
