Robert Parker
 

I don't recall a general discussion about him on FT, so I am curious as to what my fellow FTers think about him, his reviews, and how vintners make wine to make RP stimulated.

Awhile back I was at (let me just call it "exclusive unnamed winery for a small group private tasting") and the tourman explained exactly how "RP sat here, and tasted here, and we all got wet, blah blah blah." (Not an exact quote :eek: ;))

The eventual tasting ended up being ok - I liked what I had, but I could tell that the palate they were trying to please was in the style of high RP scores. This isn't to say I don't like everything he likes. I like plenty of it. I just find it troublesome that in my not so humble and really uneducated opinion that many vintners are making vino to get the high RP (or perhaps WS) score, not necessarily what they would do but for the scoring system.

I find myself drinking more and more small winery product and relatively unknown imports, spending less, and enjoying them more than my vino lushismo of the past.

Discuss, if you care.

I too much prefer the smaller wineries, most of the ones we have a lot of product from are in the 3,000 to 4,000 cases a year range. I also know that some wineries will try to hide their stuff from Parker, they don't want him wandering through asking to taste something they are not ready to taste yet, or don't like his reviews.

Personally, I don't usually go with the reviews, I prefer my own tastes. I honestly do not know the ratings Parker has given my favorite wines. I do know that sometimes it's a high number, and other times it's not. But no, I neither buy or base my thoughts on the scores, I much prefer to taste and make up my own mind. I've had some high seventy something rated wines I loved, and I've had some high 90 rated wines I was not thrilled with.

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Great thread... and even better subject... :eek: :eek: :eek:

I think there is no need to personalize this... In my view its actually about calibrating your palate. It may be Parker, or Wine Spectator... or your local wine merchant. Find someone that has a palate that you respect and then calibrate it to your own taste. Once you find someone that "works" for you... then follow him/her. Its not an easy process, but it is worth it. Think of it like finding the right shrink, or the perfect spouse... :D

I occasionally read his (and other critics) reviews to see what they say they taste in wines. Having worked in the biz, you do get a huge amount of people who want high scores, the "scorewhores" basically. Same type of people chase labels too, they want Rombauer Chard and Silver Oak Cab. They need to be told what to consume and they want the bragging rights to show off to their friends.
As far as winemakers Parkerizing wines, it could be that they want validation, their bosses pressure them for those scores, or they simply like hugely extracted wines..Obviously his style is popular, or we've been collectively led to believe it's popular. Sometimes I genuinely agree with him, other times I scratch my head and just figure I'm not as educated as he in terms of finding the elements he's writing about.
I always figured we should drink what we like and keep an open mind. I have no trouble admitting I like a wine from a winery that makes 500,000 cases as much as I might like a wine from a tiny little 2500 case lot.

Ethics debate
 

From the Tuesday Wall Street Journal.

By DAVID KESMODEL

For decades, wine critic Robert M. Parker Jr. has championed a rigid system of ethics, paying for all of his travels to wineries and shunning gifts from the trade. "It is imperative for a wine critic to pay his own way," Mr. Parker wrote in his latest book, published last fall.

But Mr. Parker, it recently has been discovered, hasn't held some fellow writers at his influential newsletter, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, to the same standard.

Last September, when critic Jay Miller visited Australia to review various makers' wines, an industry group, Wine Australia, paid about $25,000 for his air travel, hotel accommodations and meals, says James Gosper, the group's director for North America.

The trip was one of more than a half-dozen instances of such paid-for travel by writers for the newsletter in recent years. The trips haven't been disclosed in the newsletter. Mr. Miller also has vacationed and enjoyed lavish social dinners in the company of wine importers whose wines he reviews, according to his own writings and interviews with industry executives. More here...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124330183074253149.html

You should have seen/read the thread over on the Parker bulletin board. :eek: http://dat.erobertparker.com/bboard/...d.php?t=202905

dh

I knew nothing about that article. What a timely OP :p

Interesting to see that article come up, there were a lot of things flying around regarding the Parker scores on Aussie and also some old world areas too. I never checked out the Parker boards though to see what they said. Thanks Dan ^

I can't deny that he has influenced some of my purchasing decisions as have several other wine writers. From time to time I buy a wine which I simply do not have the opportunity to try beforehand. His opinion I find helpful although the scores less so but his is not the only opinion I seek. Nothing better than finding a great wine which has a RP low score

He is, in the end, an individual (or rather a team) and if you like the styles of wine he likes then great. I would have to agree however that it is a shame that there are winemakers who feel they have to create in the Parker style

Where I find him most helpful is in Rhone wines. He almost always seems to hit the spot (cf burgundy)

Jeff

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Seems like Miller is staying with the Advocate...

Isn't this the best thing about wines?
The tastings, the settings, the enjoying it with friends and with meals. :)
Wouldn't that be great if it was possible?

In the absence of all of the above, I suppose it might be instructive to read his reviews, provided you can relate to his scoring system.

However, some of the people I am in contact with, either friends with decent collections or people in the trade who are discerning and who like to share their experiences, are my primary guides, when I can't enjoy the fun of tastings.

(Hopefully, I can help one day. I would love to assist, when you eventually have time for a trip to the Hunter Valley. Perhaps the Yarra Valley next weekend? The Barossa valley in six weeks? :cool:)

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.

Indeed... the price gauging after a Parker or WS score is indeed an issue....

The only reason that scores influence my purchasing is if the scores come in extraordinarily low (probably a good sign something is off) or if I feel like the price of the wine is inflated because of a good score. I don't pay any attention to the scores otherwise.

Bristol Farms recently had a 25% off sale on all Chardonnays. With case discounts and other available discounts stacked up it really came to about 45-50%. My wife likes Rombauer (and other big oaky, buttery Chards) so I called to have them put aside a case for me. Not my favorite, but certainly easy drinking. The wine manager there told me that they had already sold 10 cases or Rombauer in the 3 days of the sale!

Apparently the local unofficial womens' wine "network" had gotten wind of the sale and trooped in one after another for case upon case of the stuff. The Rombauer rep told him that's why they call it "Cougar Juice". ;)

I formally worked in the wine industry here in Sydney. While I do not agree with all Parker has to say he is very influential. If our wine received a positive review from him sales would immediately go up substantially. The people who I call Mid range wine enthusiasts with a limited palate but like to drink "good" wine and be seen to drink "good" wine purchase wines that get good reviews from people like Parker and in Australia Huon Hooke

Real wine connoisseur's don't blindly follow wine critics but do use them as more of a guide.