Except I don't believe that it's possible to calibrate your palate to a panel who's membership may change without you knowing it - which is what the Wine Spectator uses. I can and have calibrated my palate with respect to Parker, and also to that of Steve Tanzer and Michael Broadbent. I've never been able to understand the Wine Spectator's tasting scores.

As for Parker - he's got integrity and vast recall and a highly methodical manner of tasting. But he also surely has his biases, and it's good to understand what they are to determine how that relates what he likes and doesn't like to what I like.