Generally, I don't pay a whole lot of attention to the scores. If I find a Spectator/Advocate/Enthusiast review on a wine that I've recently tried, I'll look at their description to see how well it matches up with my own palate, more as an educational tool as I continue to refine my palate. The only place where I "score shop" is in the under $10 category, where there's a lot of garbage to be sorted through. But if I'm spending $30+ on a wine, I don't trust that decision to someone else's palate.

I'm glad that Parker does what he does. Love him or hate him, his reviews sell wine, which gives the otherwise uneducated a place to start. Unfortunately, a good Parker score often gives wineries an excuse to charge a premium. I've had a couple of really great wines that I discovered long before Parker did, but once he gave his stamp of approval the wine jumped quickly out of my price range.