Wine Business Asia Interview
October, 2006

How would you describe the relationship between consumer and winery when you began The Wine Advocate?

When I started The Wine Advocate in 1978, there was virtually no pro-consumer wine writing. There were a handful of fledgling newsletters (all now defunct), but no one was writing on behalf of the wine consumer. There were some wonderful books written by major authors, but they were more historical and romantic views of wine than pro-consumer guide books. Additionally of course, there was no internet, which has made the dissemination of information very efficient.

How has this relationship changed over the last 28 years?

There has been a proliferation of wine publications, newsletters, internet wine sites, etc., that now give the consumer an overwhelming amount of information. In fact, it may be reaching the saturation point, but I firmly believe that one can never have too much information to make an informed decision.

What would you attribute the increased knowledge and interest of wine to?

Wine is a captivating subject for many reasons. In moderation, it's good for one's health, it's interesting to study, and it's history is fascinating. Also, the diversity of wines and the fact that each new vintage offers different styles of wines, add to the magnetic appeal of this beverage.

When you first started the Wine Advocate what was your primary goal?

My primary goal was to make The Wine Advocate a leading educational and reference tool for wine consumers, and "advocate" my love of wine. I wanted it to be a consumer-based publication that accepted no advertising and avoided all conflicts of interest that had afflicted many wine publications in the past. Moreover, I wanted to recognize the best wines, regardless of their pedigrees or lack thereof, from all the world's wine regions. Obviously this is a constantly changing target, and the top producers in 1978 may or may not be the top producers in 2006.

Did you expect The Wine Advocate to have as much influence as it does today?

I never expected The Wine Advocate to attain the degree of influence that it has over the last several decades.

How has The Wine Advocate evolved since 1978?

The Wine Advocate has changed as the wine world has changed. When I started writing in 1978, it was nearly physically possible to cover most of the world's top wines as a single taster. There just weren't that many. Today, the proliferation of top quality wines coming from areas that were not significant in 1978 (for example, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Eastern Europe, Southern France, much of Spain, Southern Italy, Austria, California, the Pacific Northwest, and Australia) have made it impossible for one person to report on the entire wine world in a reasonable manner. Thus The Wine Advocate has evolved, not only in physical size, but also in staff by taking on additional experts to cover these areas. At the same time, I am moving toward an internet subscription basis and recognize that this is the future of information dissemination.

And your readership - how have consumers changed?

I believe consumers have become much more demanding, intelligent, and selective ... as they should be. Consumers have come to realize that there are some amazing value wines that are as good as some of the more prestigious wines in the marketplace.

Do you have many readers in the Asian markets?

I have a modest number of subscribers in the Asian markets. My books have been translated into several languages, and there seems to be a growing interest in my work.

Would you say that the Asian palate is different from the western palate? How?

I believe the primary difference between an Asian palate and a western, or speaking in North American-centric terms, a USA palate, is that the USA palate is used to sweet beverages whereas the Asian culture has a high respect for tea, which in many ways is a lot like fine wine. Tea, like wine, has many nuances and diverse qualities. Teas tend to be dry and include tannin, which is almost a foreign substance for many USA tasters. In addition, Asian cuisines tend to be much more complicated in terms of a fusion of spices and textures.

Generally what are the characteristics of wine that you would regard as being most suitable for the Asian palate?

I think one of the dangerous areas is to prescribe too many rules when matching wine with food. There are obviously some dream marriages of wine and cuisine, but my experience has indicated that most wines tend to work very well with an assortment of cuisines, especially wines that are not aged in new oak. It seems to me that with the incredible diversity of Asian cuisines, it is hard to have any general rules, but I do think there is much more flexibility and most European and New World wines can work with certain Asian dishes as well as they can with more traditional dishes. As for wines that would please the Asian palate, I think ultimately, whether one is Asian or not, it really depends on the quality of the wine. Quality is easily recognizable no matter where it is from. For example, I can tell the difference between a superb Peking duck dish and a mediocre one, or superb sushi and mediocre sushi. I think it is the same with wine ... quality is easily identifiable, no matter what one's cultural or ethnic origin is.

If there is a difference, would that effect your numberic rating system?

I don't quite understand this question, but my numerical rating system is based only on quality. It does not take into account price, history, pedigree, or prestige. It simply rates the wine in the bottle.

What made you create the numeric points system?

The 50-100 point scoring system is widely used in American schools and is thus easily understood by American subscribers. It gives you a lot more points to help deal with a wine's nuances and subtleties. It is also a very positive system which awards points for what is right with a wine as opposed to the old 20 point system, which seemed to a negative system built on taking points away based on what was wrong with a wine. My system is more of a "glass half full" than "glass half empty" evaluation.

Have you ever issued 100 points?

In the 28 years I have been writing about wine, I have tasted well over 300,000 wines, and only a few, approximately 157, have received perfect scores (.0005 percent!).

Does price have any influence on the points a wine receives?

The price of a wine does not have any influence on the rating it receives in The Wine Advocate. That rating is based entirely on quality. However, if a wine receives a high score and a good tasting note, its price can be affected. That is simply a function of the marketplace and the result of having a lot of credibility and influence.

Do cheaper wines ever make the 90's mark? If not why?

Inexpensive wines can achieve a score of 90 or slightly better. However, one of my criteria in scoring wines is its ability to significantly improve in the bottle (i.e., great Bordeaux wines), and most inexpensive wines do not possess that capability and require consumption during their first several years of life.

How do wineries decide what is a premium/fine wine and what isn't?

I think this question has to be answered by individual wineries. Some wineries simply put a high price on a wine, even though it is not made like a fine wine and doesn't qualify as a fine wine, so there are lots of egos involved. Certainly the greatest wines come from great vineyard sites, are hand-made, and treated like spoiled children. Just putting a high price on a wine does not qualify it as a fine wine.

There are thousands of wineries out there, producing hundreds of thousands of wines. How do you decide which wines to try?

A lot of reading, research, and talking with people in wine production are essential. Also, one of the things I have done since the inception of The Wine Advocate is to taste very comprehensively in order to find new producers who are making high quality wines as well as to discover producers who may be living off their reputations and are not currently producing high quality wines. It is always a challenging task, but one has to really immerse themselves in the field of play and taste as much as possible. That allows you to see an entire region's production and thus determine who is making the better wines.

What advice would you give wine purchasers in Asia when selecting wines for their portfolios for consumers new to wine?

The best advice for new wine consumers is to do as much tasting as possible - attend tastings, join tasting groups, and read as much as possible. There is a tremendous amount of free information available on the internet, and through periodicals. However, there is no substitute for tasting a wine yourself and learning what you enjoy in a wine. Your palate is the best teacher, not mine or anyone else's.

Lastly, and with respect to this edition's Californian cover feature, how has California's wine industry evolved and what does the future hold for Californian wine?

California has become a huge wine producing area, with Napa becoming world famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and the Central Coast (south of San Francisco and north of Los Angeles) has become a mecca for a number of experimental vineyards and wines from such Rhône Valley grapes as Syrah and Grenache as well as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and even Cabernet. A revolution in quality has taken place in California, and the top fifty or sixty wineries are truly producing world-class wines. The problem is that for the other 800+ wineries, the quality ranges from poor to above average.

—Robert Parker   

 

L'Express Magazine Interview
September, 2006

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

A simple meal of high quality ingredients and good wine at a wonderful French bistro (for example, L'Ami Louis) with my wife and several dear friends.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

A lack of patience.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?

I would love to have enough discipline to lose weight.

What was your last laugh?

I laugh frequently, enjoy good jokes, and funny people.

What was your last cry?

When the French football player, Zidane, head-butted the Italian player in the World Cup.

What is your greatest fear?

That radical Islamic terrorists will detonate a dirty bomb or a nuclear bomb in a European or North American city.

If you could what would you change about yourself?

I would try and slow down and be less critical of others.

What talent would you most like to have?

I would love to be able to play the guitar exceptionally well.

What qualities do you most like to have in a man?

Honesty, candor, and a sense of accountability.

What qualities do you most like to have in a woman?

Honesty, candor, and a sense of accountability.

What historical figure do you most identify with?

Being a Francophile, I'm a huge fan of Napoleon, but at the same time, as an American, I admire Thomas Jefferson.

What is your favorite fictional hero?

Aragorn from "The Lord of the Rings".

Who are your favorite writers?

Ernest Hemingway, A. J. Liebling, and Shakespeare

Who is your favorite music composer?

Mozart.

What is the tune you whistle in the shower?

The theme from the movie, "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg".

What is your most treasured possession?

My wife.

What is your greatest achievement?

Encouraging a more democratic view of the wine world, and receiving France's highest presidential honor, the Legion of Honor.

What are your favorite wines?

Bordeaux and southern Rhôône.

What is your best souvenir in tasting wine?

Far too many to answer as wine has profoundly changed my life for the better.

What is your greatest regret?

Having too much influence, and people not realizing that first and foremost I am a wine lover and drinker.

What was your last dream?

I think it was about the baby leg of lamb served at L'Ami Louis in the winter.

Who was your last nightmare?

My Mother passed away in 2002 and I had a nightmare about being on the beach with her with a violent storm approaching, and becoming separated and unable to find her in the turbulent storm. Then someone came up to me and asked why I was wasting my time since she was already dead.

Where would you like to live?

I have lived in the same house since the mid-seventies in the rural area of northern Baltimore County, which is still primarily an agricultural area. Someday, I would love to spend 4-6 months of the year in either Provence or the Dordogne.

Where would you like to die?

In my home, sitting at the table with a good meal and a great glass of wine.

What do you like and dislike in France?

I am a great admirer of French culture, and the French sense of beauty and style. About the only thing I dislike is that in the hot summer months, the poor French air-conditioning systems can make restaurants and hotel rooms unbearably warm and uncomfortable.

What words do you prefer in French?

I don't understand this question.

What is your current state of mind?

Very good, positive, and optimistic, but concerned about international terrorism and its world-wide ramifications.

What is your motto?

I actually have two mottos. (1) "The harder you work, the luckier you get." and (2) "Good fortune smiles on he who is ready to receive her."

What is your date of birth?

July 23, 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland.

What are the main dates of your life and career?

- July 26, 1969: married Patricia Etzel Parker
- March 31, 1983: left my profession as a lawyer to pursue wine writing full time
- September 16, 1987: the day our adopted 3-month old baby daughter arrived from South Korea
- May 14, 1998: the death of my Father
- June 22, 1999: received the Legion of Honor from President Chirac at the Elysee Palace
- April 8, 2002: the death of my Mother

Interview by J. F. Chaigneau for Paris Match
September 9-16, 2005

It has been several years since your books have been translated into French. Why don't you publish your Wine Guide every year? My objective is to have completely new material as well as new information in my books before they are published, and publishing a Guide every year would not produce enough new and important information to justify an annual book.

Is there much new information in the newest edition of Bordeaux? In each of my books I try to update the material that I previously published, revise it where necessary, and also provide new perspectives regarding vintages and producers. One of the most extraordinary things in the wine world is that with each new vintage, a critic goes back to school. Many producers who previously made some of the finest wines may not succeed in a particular vintage, and other producers who have been consistently disappointing will experience a resurrection in quality because a new man or woman who is committed to high quality takes over the estate. These are the types of things that are covered in detail when I publish a new book.

How do you handle being the most influential wine critic and writer in the world? I think it is important to remember that I offer just one person's opinion. It may be based on considerable experience, vast tastings, and done fairly with no hidden agenda or biases, recognizing many diverse styles of wine. The influence I have appears to extend from consumers who believe my viewpoints are credible as well as independent. That is where influence emerges, and I am very proud of that. Of course, the best palate is not mine, but the individual consumer's, and I always hope there is a general consensus among those who are serious about wine quality with what I write.

True or false - you have been influenced by the wines of France? It is simple ... I love France, and I love French culture, French cuisine, and of course, French wine. My mind is not closed, however, to the extraordinary advances in quality, often because of the influence of French wine consultants who travel abroad, that has taken place in other viticultural areas of the world.

What are your sentiments about the globalization of wine? The globalization of wine is a fashionable topic, but when specifically analyzed, there is both a myth and a reality to it. Globalism at its worst is the consolidation of the distribution of wine in the United States, where many small, independent purveyors of fine wine are being purchased or squeezed out of business by large monopolistic companies. This results in an exclusive monopoly for large distributors, which is bad for the consumer as many of these large companies have no interest in small, artisinal, boutique wineries. This is where globalism seems to be occurring at its most insidious level. The movie "Mondovino" completely misrepresented the issue of globalism, and I can cite example after example of many indigenous varietals planted in Spain, southern Italy, and in France that are currently enjoying a renaissance and resurrection. At the same time, when I began writing about wine twenty-six years ago, the quality level of wine was nowhere near what it is today. In 2005, it is irrefutable that there is far greater diversity in wine, much higher quality, and a proliferation of young men and women who have broken away from large cooperatives, reclaimed vineyards, and are doing special things throughout the wine world. The number of high quality wines available in the marketplace is 30 to 50 times greater than it was twenty-six years ago, and there is an extraordinary diversity of styles. Remarkably, "Mondovino" never addresses these facts. For example, how many small, profitable estates existed in the southern Rhône or in the Languedoc-Roussillon in 1978? How many Bordeaux châteaux were producing successful wines in 1978? Everywhere you look there has been a renaissance in quality, and the wines taste quite different from each other in addition to reflecting their places of origin. I think that globalization, as defined in "Mondovino," is an easily rebutted, specious argument that does not hold up to scrutiny by knowledgeable people who visit wine producing regions, talk with vignerons, and actually taste the wines.

Do you believe good wine in general has become too expensive? There is no question that the finest wines of France have become very expensive, and I expect this trend will continue. I do not believe it handicaps France's image that some of its most famous grand crus are priced as if they were objects of art. Most consumers are intelligent enough to recognize that despite the extraordinary high prices for top Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, and a few other wines, France is also a treasure trove for exceptional wine values, particularly from the Loire, Alsace, Rhône Valley, Languedoc-Roussillon, and parts of the Southwest. The problem is that the great French wines are limited in production, the vineyards are fully planted, and their production has not increased in decades. Moreover, it will essentially be the same 100 or 200 years from now. Each year, more informed and wealthy individuals with sufficient discretionary income enter the world marketplace and desire to have the very best. It is a question of supply and demand. A Bordeaux château such as Latour produces 10,000-15,000 cases each year. That sounds like a lot of wine, but when you have thousands of wealthy wine consumers from Asia, South America, the United States, and Europe, and production cannot be increased given Latour's finite production, prices for the top wines will continue to skyrocket.

Do you think that French wines have suffered in the United States because of France's position on Iraq? Parts of the American media, especially the Fox News Network and one of their leading pundits, Bill O'Reilly, made considerable noise about boycotting French products. However, I have not seen this happen, and I believe it was mostly the polemics of one influential individual making a lot of noise. No one I know who enjoys French products has seen a boycott of French wines. What has been more challenging for the French wine industry is the fact that the American dollar declined against the euro by more than 30% in a short period of time, pushing prices up, and making U.S. wines more affordable. That has had much more of an economic impact than an unsuccessful yet highly publicized boycott by one news network.

With which historical figures would you love to share a glass of wine? Anyone would love to have had the opportunity to sit down with some of history's great minds and leaders. What a pleasure it would be to have dinner with Napoleon, Talleyrand, or Clemenceau. As a history student, and especially of modern European history, I often thought I would loved to have been in Paris in 1919 when some of the most brilliant minds of that era were discussing what they thought would be the future of the world in relatively idealistic terms. In doing so, they essentially ignored the growing problems in Germany, Russia, China, and Arabia, setting the stage for the extraordinary suffering and loss of human life in the Second World War. However, I also arrived on the wine scene too late to have met some of the great chefs and wine producers who passed away long before my time. I have often thought about sitting at a table with Fernand Point and drinking champagne and discussing wine and food, or sitting at a table with Philippe de Rothschild. Of course, these are only dreams, but they are very tasty ones.

Do you have difficulty enjoying wine and arresting your analytical faculties? I have never had difficulty turning off my analytical faculties in evaluating wine and enjoying wine for it's pleasure. Wine is a beverage of pleasure and wine critics and wine philosophers must never lose sight of that. It is why we find wine so interesting and compelling, that it not only pleases us intellectually, but it also satisfies our hedonistic desires. I have wine with dinner every evening and intend to do so until the end of my life.

Does it bother you that wineries sometimes follow every word you write, whether it's good or bad? I never believed, despite the enormous influence my writings have had, that I could actually damage any winery. Most of my reviews are from the glass half full theory ... that it is better to praise and be positive about wines, but obviously I can not back away from constructive criticism where I think it is essential. I do know very favorable reviews result in increased demand for that particular wine and in some cases result in dramatically higher prices for limited production wines from famous appellations. But, by and large, I see my job as a wine advocate. I have always believed that advocating the finest wines and best wine values of the world and trying to be positive is the best path to take in life, although certainly I have been critical of many famous names and terroirs when I believe they are not living up to their potential.

For most French vignerons, you have the role of either a good god or a dangerous exterminator. What do you say? The influence I have may or may not be exaggerated by many of my colleagues. But, certainly the power and influence is something I never sought and believe it creates more problems for me than positives. I accept it with great responsibility and humility and try and be as fair as possible. But, I know that if I were a wine producer and were having my wines scrutinized by someone with such impact it would make me uncomfortable. So I try and approach every tasting and every visit with a vigneron with a degree of humility and belief that I have an obligation to be fair and open-minded every time I taste a wine, and that for the most part every vigneron tries his best, and I need to understand that.

Do you expect Bordeaux or the Rhône Valley to name a road after you or construct a statue once you have passed away? I doubt that there will ever be a statue erected for me in Bordeaux or even in the Rhône Valley, but certainly I would love to see a road named after me. Of course, that probably would not happen until I have passed away, so I am in no hurry for any such honor.

What are some of the most important things you look for when you taste a young wine? Well, the most important thing in judging wine is the philosophy that a wine has to provide pleasure and be interesting. All the greatest wines have magnetic qualities that pull you back to them to see what additional nuances might be apparent in the aromatics, what additional flavors might appear in the taste, and like great cuisine, great wines have an exceptional intensity of flavor but are never heavy or ponderous. This is the glory of French wine that is very difficult to imitate elsewhere in the world, although many try and a few succeed. For the most part, I judge wines very young on their abilities to hold my interest, to reflect their place of origin, and to be impeccably well balanced with total equilibrium between all of their component parts such as fruit concentration, alcohol, acidity, and if they are red wines, tannin. Obviously, if they are aged in barrel the oak has to be restrained and measured and not dominate the character of the wine. Like music and art, everything is a question of balance, equilibrium, and holding the taster's interest. Just like a grand musical composition or a great work of art, a profound wine continually amazes, pleases, and satiates all senses of the taster.

We have heard in France that your wine cellar is composed of approximately 90% French wine. Is this true? If so, what regions dominate? Virtually, all the wine I drink for pleasure is French and my cellar reflects that. Bordeaux, the Rhône Valley, Burgundy (particularly the whites), Champagne and of course the white wines of Alsace dominate my collection. I also have a weakness for the great Barolos and Barbarescos of northern Italy and in the new world do enjoy the ripeness and richness of the best wines of California. But, by and large I find I am a Francophile and my tastes run to French cuisine and French wines.

What about the competition for France's position of wine supremacy throughout the world? France will always be the reference point for the greatest wines of the world. In addition, only Spain and parts of southern Italy can compete with France in terms of great values. However, we have been going through a transitional period in the wine world with the weak American dollar making French wines much more expensive, a proliferation of wines throughout the world, and a sort of repositioning of many traditional wine regions. I think France needs to do better promotions and better marketing and make their labels more consumer friendly. But, these are minor adjustments because the great terroirs, the great history, the great traditions and the great knowledge of wine making and the importance of climate and soils are in France. In spite of all the great wines I have tasted in other countries in the world, every winemaker whether they are Spanish, Italian, American, Australian, or South American always compares what they have achieved with the finest wines of France. And this is the highest compliment a winemaker can give another wine.

Your palate is worth its weight in gold. Do you ever consider offering winemaking or consulting advice? Despite my influence, I remain completely independent of the wine trade. I would never do any consulting or try and impose my philosophy or beliefs on any winemaker.

How do you maintain your palate in good form working as hard as you do seven days a week for weeks on end? Tasting wine, especially on long trips to the vineyards, requires considerable discipline and a lifestyle somewhat akin to a recluse. I usually spend 8-10 hours a day visiting domaines and tasting wines, then return to my hotel for a simple meal, generally composed of a salad and several liters of mineral water. It is very important to be well rested and not fatigued in any way when tasting as the enemy of any taster is mental fatigue. I also try and avoid spicy foods. I have learned what food products tend to destabilize my palate (for example, watercress and chocolate), and I avoid those foods when tasting wines.

What are the best wine values of Bordeaux today? 2004 Bordeaux prices seem very fair, although when the prices are converted from euros to dollars, the prices for U.S. buyers are not as appealing. I believe the best values for 2004 Bordeaux include: Domaine de l'A, D'Aiguilhe, Balestard, Beaulieu Comtes de Tastes, Bel Air, Bel Air La Royère, Bénitier Lariveau, Bois Pertuis, Bolaire, Bonnet, Domaine de Bouscat (several cuvées), Branda, Brondeau, Cap de Faugères, Carsin Cuvée Noire, Clos Puy Arnaud, Clos de la Tour Réserve du Château, La Cour d'Argent, Domaine de Courteillac, Cru Monplaisir, La Dauphine, La Doyenné, Dubois-Grimon, Féret-Lambert, La Fleur de Jaugue, Fontenil, Fougas-Maldoror, Gigault Cuvée Viva, La Grand Clotte, Au Grand Paris, Grée-Laroque, Guibot-La-Fourvieille, Haut Bertinère, Haut Carles, Haut Gay, Haut Sorillon, Hostens-Picant, Jean de Gué Cuvée Prestige, Joanin Bécot, Jonqueyrès, Marjosse, Marsau, Mont Pérat, Montfollet, Moulin Haut-Laroque, Moulin Pey-Labrie, Moulin Rouge, Mouton, Parenchère, Patache d'Aux, Le Pin Beausoleil, La Prade, Prieuré-Malesan, Puygueraud, Rauzan Despagne, Recougne, Reynon, Roland La Garde, Soudars, Thébot, Thieuley, Tiré Pe-La Côte, Tour de Mirambeau Cuvée Passion, Tressac, Valmengaux, Vieux Château Champs de Mars

Do you agree with the American government's position of allowing US wineries to put French place names, such as Chablis, on wine labels? First, of all I do not agree with the American government's position for allowing our wineries to adopt French place names such as Champagne, Chablis, etc. However, the French public should realize that these names are only employed by industrial sized wineries that generally do not make good wine. Of course this creates a poor reflection on true Champagne and Chablis since they are vastly superior wines to the industrial beverages produced under these names in the United States. This is a shame, and I do not agree with our government's position on utilizing these names. With respect to the development of appellations in the United States, one has to remember that the history of quality winemaking is just over a hundred years of age and American vignerons are just now discovering micro-climate, soil types, and which are the best grapes to be planted in these areas.

It has been reported that you have more influence than the oil cartel in fixing prices. Is this true? I do not believe I have the influence of a multinational that fixes oil prices, nor do I want that sort of influence. To reiterate, I never wanted the power or influence I have, and it creates mostly problems. However, recognizing that I do have more influence than many wine writers and critics, I try and be as humble, responsible, and fair as humanly possible.

How important do you believe the internet has become with respect to the sale and development of wine information? The internet is becoming very important for both selling and communicating about wine. I have a web site with many subscribers as well as the most active wine message board in cyberspace. This is the future, but the problem in the United States is the relatively restrictive laws about the sale and transfer of wines between states. This is breaking down thanks to several recent court decisions, but the future is still somewhat cloudy with respect to the sale of wine in the US. I believe that in the future we will see complete freedom to sell wine between states, and even between individuals. This will benefit the wine industry enormously.

How is your web site, www.eRobertParker.com, doing? As I have indicated, I have a web site, www.eRobertParker.com, on which we house the most actively participated wine message board (that part of the site is completely free) which sees several hundred thousand visitors per week. I participate on this message board, answering questions and posting messages as often as my schedule permits. I believe my commitment to this type of consumer education and interchange is essential.

What is the exterior importance of France's wine classification? The classifications of wine quality that exist in France are important from a historical point of view, but certainly the 1855 Classification is more of a historical document than a reflection of the châteaux that are currently making the highest quality wines. For example, all of the St.-Emilion and Pomerol châteaux are excluded from the 1855 Classification, which does not seem fair. I like the idea of every ten years a group of independent wine authorities making new classifications based on quality. However, there will always be problems, and I think such classifications cause too many polemics and controversies. To my mind, the marketplace and the prices fetched represent the true gauge of quality. These reflect consumer confidence as well as the opinions of experts. For example, there is no question that estates such as Léoville Las Cases, La Mission Haut Brion, and some of the great wines made in Pomerol and St.-Emilion could easily be first-growths in a realistic reclassification in Bordeaux. However, the marketplace has set the classification, and these types of wines sell at prices equivalent to first-growths. To answer your question, I do not see any real need to change anything. The classifications are regarded historically, and the consumers who buy the wines set the real classification by the prices they are willing to pay in the marketplace.

When did you first visit France, and how did it influence you? I first traveled to France in 1967 to visit my girlfriend (now my wife), who was studying at the University of Strasbourg. She was the first to insist I eat such things as snails and mussels, and to drink wine with my meals (all of which was alien to my naive American palate). It was an epiphany for me, and was the beginning of my interest in France and fine wine. When I returned to the United States, I formed a wine tasting group in Washington, DC with other students. That was the beginning of my academic look at wine quality, which eventually morphed into me leaving the law profession and starting my journal, The Wine Advocate.

In the movie "Mondovino" and other publications, it has been suggested that you and Michel Rolland have too much influence on wine producers. How do you respond and what is your relationship with Michel Rolland? I met Michel Rolland in 1983 when I was in Bordeaux tasting the 1982 vintage. I suppose it was fate that I would meet this great oenologist, who has done so much for wine quality in the world, while tasting the 1982s, which coincidentally established my reputation as a wine critic. Sadly, some people believe there is some sort of evil partnership between Michel Rolland and me. Everyone should know that I have great respect and admiration for him, believe he has accomplished more for the quality of wine than any oenologist in history, and has effectively exported the French philosophy of winemaking to many other countries, which have benefitted from it. We remain friends, but I keep more of a distance between Michel and myself than many of our critics charge. I think that over the last 27 years, we have only shared 5 or 6 meals together (which is sad given my enormous respect for him). Our critics would like to imagine some sort of unholy alliance, but in fact, no such thing exists. Our relationship is one of mutual respect and admiration ... nothing more. In fact, there are a handful of wines he makes that I don't particularly like, but by and large, no one in my 27 years of experience has made as many fine wines, and encouraged so many estates to make better wines than Michel Rolland.

Has your taste changed or evolved over the last 27 years? I do not think my taste has changed much over the years. I have always loved wines of elegance, finesse, balance, and concentration. However, equilibrium is the most important thing, and the criticism that I tend to prefer overly extracted, oaky wines is a complete myth as anyone who knows of my love of the white wines of Alsace or the southern Rhônes (which rarely see any oak) can attest. My tastes are diverse. There is a time and place for big, rich, full-bodied wines, and a time and place for elegant, restrained, subtle wines. The belief that I like overly big and rich wines largely comes from the fact that I have applauded many of the New World efforts (particularly California and Australia). But one has to recognize that in these terroirs and micro-climates, their best wines tend to be very powerful, concentrated efforts. When these regions attempt to make elegant, European-styled wines, they come across as innocuous, weak imitations of the great elegant wines of France. Because I have supported the best wines of those particular terroirs and micro-climates, this false criticism has emerged.

We know you are a vigneron and have a vineyard planted with Pinot Noir in Oregon. What can you tell us about that winery? I have been part-owner of a Pinot Noir vineyard in Oregon since 1987, and have produced wine since 1990. I never review the wine since it would be a conflict of interest, and I never comment on it publically, so I will say no more. In essence, I am also a vigneron, and I believe being involved in viticulture and winemaking has made me an even more knowledgeable wine critic.

What is the most important lesson in tasting wine? I think the most important thing for a wine consumer to know is that no guru or wine critic can replace their own taste. The importance of what I and other top wine critics do is to act as a responsible guide to try and educate and expose consumers to different kind of wines, different wine regions, and to try and share with them information about the producers who are the most conscientious and serious about their profession. As I have written on the front page of every issue of The Wine Advocate, "There can never be any substitute for your own palate nor any better education than tasting the wine yourself." This is imperative, but I would conclude this interview by saying that wine is fascinating. It is an extraordinary beverage that has played a paramount role in every great civilization. I am a perfect example of that, coming from a family that never consumed wine, and having wine completely change my life for the better.

—Robert Parker 

An Interview with Robert Parker
Ed Sands and Tom McKnew
Published in the Calvert-Woodley Fall 2004 Catalogue
November, 2004

Question 1: What is it about wine that engages you and so many of us?

Answer: Wine is the most fascinating beverage of pleasure because of its ability to (1) offer such extraordinary diversity in aroma, flavor, and texture, and (2) enhance a meal. The fact that it is low in alcohol and gives an incremental feeling of euphoria as opposed to a blast of alcohol, or the bloating effect of beer, makes it the ideal light alcoholic beverage to enjoy with food in a civilized setting.

Question 2: What qualities do you consider most important to an outstanding or extraordinary wine?

Answer: There are essentially two types of wines. Ninety percent of the world's wines are commercial efforts that are the products of industrial farming. While some of these offer good drinkability as well as value, and are popular with consumers (such as Australia's Yellow Tail brand), most of my work takes place with the 5-10% of wines that represent the artisinal/artistic end that cherishes quality, individuality, and diversity. What makes wine so compelling is its ability to hold the taster's interest, both hedonistically and intellectually. There are obviously wines that provide simple pleasures, such as a wonderful Muscadet with fresh oysters, or a delicious Beaujolais with a simple coq au vin. However, great wines not only provide an extraordinary level of pleasure, but they also tease, satiate, and challenge the taster intellectually. Those are the qualities that separate an easy-going, pleasant, quaffing wine from one of extraordinary quality. Additionally, the greatest wines usually improve in the bottle.

Question 3: Many consumers focus more on the score you assign a wine than the comments you write about that wine. When they see two equally scored wines for dramatically different prices, such as the 2001 Capcanes Mas Donis Barrica for about $10 and the 1999 Beaucastel Châteauneuf du Pape for $60 (91 points each), how would you respond to the questions they ask wondering why they should spend the extra $50 for a wine of supposed equal quality?

Answer: I am not sure that consumers, at least my subscribers, do not pay as much attention to the written commentary that accompanies the wine's score. The most common problem is that most of the wine trade simply uses the critic's number, making it shorthand for many people who have never read or seen my publication or books. The answer to your question is that all wines are tasted in peer groups. Therefore, when I am looking at a Châteauneuf du Pape, I am tasting it among other Châteauneuf du Papes; when I am looking at a Spanish red, I am tasting it among Spanish reds, usually from the same viticultural region. If a $10 wine and a $60 wine each get a 91 point score, one has to look at the context of the peer group in which they were tasted. I think there is a certain equivalency of quality, but in the example you gave, we have a Spanish wine with a tasting note that clearly indicates it will be a wine to drink in its first 2-4 years of life, and the 91 point score it received may drop to 71 points beyond that period. In total contrast, while the 1999 Beaucastel may have received the same score, it will maintain that rating for 10-15 years or more. All of these things have to be factored in, but for value, there is no question that 91 points is an extraordinary score for a $10 wine.

Question 4: You have stated that you started The Wine Advocate "to provide meaningful, independent, consumer oriented advice." You were once an observer to the wine world and are now recognized as the foremost wine critic in the world with the influence to create demand with your scores and tasting notes. How has accomplishing this goal, of providing independent advice, changed for you as you have become more influential in the marketplace?

Answer: I think the most remarkable thing about my 26-year career as the author of The Wine Advocate, even though over recent years I have had assistance from Pierre-Antoine Rovani and more recently Daniel Thomases, is that I haven't really changed. I am still the same passionate person who is concerned about wine quality as well as issues that affect consumers. I am married to the same woman, live in the same house, and essentially go about life, tasting, and travel as I did twenty-six years ago. I do feel a greater sense of responsibility, and with that comes the proportional amount of drive, intensity, and commitment to covering the wine world as comprehensively and fairly as possible. However, despite my influence and the controversy it sometimes creates, I try to stay under the radar, just tasting and writing, and letting the chips fall where they may. The consumer is the true power in the wine marketplace, and it is their demand for certain wines, and their evaluation of critics that is more significant than anything I do.

Question 5: In a recent article you made twelve predictions on the future of the wine world, including saying "ten years from now a great vintage of (these) first growths will cost over $10,000 a case ... at a minimum." Do you think your influence in the wine world as well as your enthusiastic reviews of these first growths will help make this prediction a reality?

Answer: As far as the first-growth Bordeaux costing over $10,000 a case as wine futures, I do not believe this has anything to do with my influence, but simply because the wine world is becoming bigger, more sophisticated, and the demand for these wines will grow dramatically. One of the reasons why many of the great French wine families have invested in South America, the United States, and other wine regions is because families such as the two Rothschild families that own Lafite and Mouton realize that their production is finite. Their vineyards cannot be expanded, their production from year to year varies by less than 30-40%, and the production of the first-growths will be the same in 2100 as it was in 1900. In an abundant vintage there will be 20,000-30,000 cases for the world, and in years with small crops, there will be 15,000 or so. That must be allocated among increasing number of affluent consumers. When I began writing about wine in 1978, the real market for these wines was not in France, but in Great Britain, with a small percentage sold in the United States. Today, there is a tremendous demand for first-growths, not only in Europe, but in Russia, Malaysia, South America, Central America, Japan, China, and of course, the United States. All of this will put further strain on the tiny quantities available. Since production cannot be increased, it will be a simple supply and demand issue, with the prices going through the roof for the great wines in the great vintages.

Question 6: Many wine drinkers are just looking for wines under $15 to drink with tonight's dinner. Which wine producing regions provide consumers the best value for this scenario?

Answer: If readers are looking for a European-styled wine (i.e., less overtly fruity and alcoholic), there is no question that southern France, particularly the Côtes du Rhône, remains a treasure trove for terrific values. Although 2002 was a horrible vintage in southern France, 2003 and 2004 are both top years, and inventory of excellent 2001s and 2000s are still in the pipeline. A sleeping giant, Spain is awakening and beginning to provide great values. The same can be said for southern Italy, particularly the viticultural regions south of Rome, including the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. There is a revolution in quality occurring in these places, and given the considerable investments being made, wines coming from some interesting indigenous varietals offer great value. Readers who enjoy more overtly fruity, heady, boisterous, flamboyant wines will find plenty of super values emerging from Australia. Sadly, the United States lags behind in offering serious wine values. There are plenty of inexpensive American wines produced, but for shrewd and discriminating wine consumers, California and Oregon are far behind their colleagues in southern France, southern Italy, Spain, and Australia. However, there are some good values from Washington State, particularly from wineries such as Columbia Crest.

Question 7: Many American wine consumers have learned about wine from tasting a variety of wines and reading wine publications such as yours, among others. This exposure differs from many European wine drinkers, particularly those in France, Italy, and Spain, who have learned about wine as part of a long, cultural tradition. What do you think Americans could learn from the European perspective on wine?

Answer: American wine consumers are far more informed and "wine smart" than their European counterparts. I give wine lectures and tastings throughout the world, and no where is the level of wine intelligence as high as it is in the United States. In fact, our wine shops have a selection of the greatest wines and the greatest wine values from every wine producing region in the world, giving the American wine consumer an extraordinary advantage. In a European wine shop prospective buyers are likely to find only the regional wines, and virtually nothing from the export market. This is beginning to change, with a few superstores in Paris and London. One thing I feel Americans can learn from Europeans is that wine is part of a meal, and not part of the cocktail scenario where it is often utilized.

Question 8: How important is terroir to you when scoring a wine?

Answer: No fine wine emerges from a lousy vineyard. All of the best wines come from good terroirs. However, terroir is just one of many components that contribute to a wine's quality. I believe it is a very important factor, but not the only one as some of the so-called terroirists tend to pontificate. Over the past 26 years I have tasted alongside some of the most brilliant tasters and winemakers in the wine world, and I have never heard any of them claim that they can actually taste the limestone, sandstone, granite, or the clay in a wine grown in those types of soils. Sure, there are certain mineral components that speak of terroir, but be wary of anyone who claims that a wine has no merit unless the terroir comes shining through in dramatic fashion. This is largely meaningless wine gibberish from elitists trying to sound like they know what they are talking about.

Question 9: Do you worry that direct consumer access to small wineries will lead to bidding wars that will actually increase the prices of these wines, perhaps even dramatically?

Answer: I think consumers will set the prices of wines, whether they be highly demanded small wineries or not. Most consumers are smart enough to not overpay for a wine that does not deliver proportional excitement and quality. I am not the least bit concerned about bidding wars breaking out, although certainly there will always be speculators and people with more money than good sense that can artificially push certain wine prices into the stratosphere.

Question 10: What are some of your favorite foods and which wines do you enjoy with them?

Answer: My taste in food is as diverse and broadly based as it is in wine. Again, the advantage of living in the United States, particularly close to such a sophisticated culinary city as Washington, DC, is that I have access to the greatest foods from every cuisine in the world, whether it is Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Spanish, French, Italian, or the many fusions of these different cuisines. I have found that the wines that work best with an assortment of cuisines tend to be the white wines of Alsace and Loire Valley, and, surprisingly, the dry whites of Austria. For red wines, the unoaked (or aged in neutral oak) southern French offerings from Châteauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, and the Côtes du Rhône-Villages work well with a variety of dishes. Some of the most glamorous wines, particularly those aged in a considerable amount of new oak, such as expensive Burgundy, Bordeaux, and California Cabernet Sauvignon, are the most limited in application when it comes to enjoyment with food. These wines can be magnificent, but they are best served with simple food such as roasted meats with simple sauces as opposed to the more complicated aromatics and flavors that appear in so many modern dishes.

Question 11: Thanks to the message boards on your website (eRobertParker.com) wine lovers now have the opportunity to discuss all kinds of issues pertaining to wine with each other. Have these discussions affected any of your views on wine and/or the wine business?

Answer: The Mark Squires message board on the eRobertParker.com web site has unquestionably become the epicenter for serious wine consumers to discuss issues relevant to wine. Given my travel and work schedules, I try and participate whenever I can. Obviously, like any open-ended site that is free to anyone in the world (although we require real names), just about everything can be found, from professional whiners to truly serious winers. By and large, the quality of the posters and the discussions is extremely high, and it is a good source of information. I would recommend it to all wine enthusiasts.

Question 12: With reality TV being all the rage, what would most surprise the viewers if there was a Robert Parker reality show?

Answer: I do not see how there could be a reality Robert Parker show without Robert Parker. I have always been reluctant to market myself, and have refused 90% or more of all requests for television interviews, HBO series, etc., etc., and have allocated my appearances to shows that I find informative, professional as well as impeccably researched (Charlie Rose and 60 Minutes, are two examples). Other than that, I don't think there could be a Robert Parker reality show without Robert Parker.

Question 13: What change in the world of wine in the past 25 years do you think has been the most profound?

Answer: There have been many changes over the last 26 years in the wine world, but I think the extraordinary proliferation of quality wines in all price ranges from so many different places in the world is the single greatest change. If you think back, 26 years ago, virtually all of the wines that were represented were from France and California, with only a tiny percentage from Spain and Italy. There was virtually nothing from South America or Australia. Today, there is such an extraordinary number of high quality wines, high quality importers, and educated consumers that it is exciting to realize just how far the world has progressed in a quarter of a century.

Paris Match Interview
September 11, 2001

Is there a universal taste to wine?

While I am not sure if there is such a thing as "universal taste", I do believe that quality in wine, much like quality in cuisine, art, or music, can be quantified. There are those who would argue that Mozart is overrated and that Picasso couldn't draw, and there are those who argue that the 1982 Bordeaux vintage may not be a great year. However, such opinions are a distinct minority. What I feel I have reflected more than anything is that I love wine, have a passion for it, and aside from all the writing and tasting, I am no different than any wine consumer looking for quality and value in wine. As I have said so many times, I approach wine from both a hedonistic and analytical perspective. Wine must provide pleasure (it is, after all, a beverage of pleasure), but at the same time, the greatest examples must satisfy the taster's intellectual curiosity. The fact that my work has been successful in many different countries, and my books have been translated into numerous foreign languages (becoming best sellers in many cases), reflect the fact that there are knowledgeable consumers throughout the world who care about quality and have tended to agree with my thoughts more than anyone else in the field.

Are you ever wrong?

Of course I have been wrong in my tastings, but by immersing myself in the field, and tasting the wines multiple times in different settings, I believe the possibility of error is greatly reduced, even allowing for the fact that wine is a changing beverage. The most prominent example of an error in judgment was my initial review of the 1983 red Burgundy vintage. I reported that about 20% of the wines were great, but I felt the rest were badly afflicted by hail damage and rot. As these wines evolved in barrel and bottle, it became apparent that the percentage of wine tainted by rot was much higher, and that ultimately only 5%-8% of the 1983s could be considered great. Keeping in mind that I have been tasting professionally for twenty-one years, this is the only major error in vintage judgment I have made. I think the way in which I work, tasting the wines multiple times before bottling, and again out of bottle, allows me to see the style, personality, and overall quality of a vintage at an early age. However, there are difficult vintages to judge, particularly a vintage such as 1983 red Burgundy.

When did you learn you had a good palate?

It became apparent to me in the late sixties, when I began tasting wine, that I had a very sensitive sense of smell, as well as a precise palate. It became increasing apparent in tastings with other like-minded wine enthusiasts, as I was able to focus and seemed to have an ability to grasp the texture and aromatics of a wine far easier than many other subjects I have dealt with in my life.

How much do you taste each day?

The number of wines tasted in a day varies considerably. In general, large tastings of 80-125 wines (I rarely exceed 125 wines per day) are done when I am looking for good values. In those tastings, most of the wines have lower pedigrees and are less expensive. It would be rare for me to taste more than 70-80 great wines in the course of a day. The more concentrated wines from the finest terroirs tend to be more challenging to taste, and, therefore, when I am visiting estates, I prefer to never exceed 60-75 wines per day. For example, on a tour through the Médoc, Pomerol, and St.-Emilion, the number of wines tasted in one day is usually between 50-60. However, I should say that if it is a very good vintage, the tannin is sweet and the acidity is low, it is easier to taste a higher number of wines than it is when you are tasting a vintage where the tannin is astringent and powerful, and the acidity is high. High levels of acidity as well as tannin can cause palate fatigue more quickly than in years where the tannin is ripe and the acidity low. Tasting sweet wines is also very challenging, and rarely can I do more than 30-40 in a day.

With respect to single blind tastings or comparative tastings is the office, this is done with wines from the same vintage and/or appellation. I do not believe in comparing apples to oranges, and hence I never do professional tastings where I compare a Bordeaux vintage with the same vintage in California, etc. However, I do to these tastings for fun with friends, but the results are never reported on in The Wine Advocate. I believe tastings have to be pure and thus wines from the same vintage and of the same weight and character should be compared with each other.

Do you think there are special "Parker cuvées"?

Given my fame and world-wide influence, I am always skeptical about what I taste. It would be scandalous for any property to give me a special barrel of wine that is not representative of what they would produce under their label. That type of scandal would be exceptionally damaging to a producer since they all realize I am going to taste the wine out of bottle and make sure there is a correlation between what I tasted on premises and from bottle. The myth of the "Parker barrel" simply comes from competitors who are jealous of my success. The "Parker barrel" is the same that is tasted by any French, British, German, or American critic. There are no different barrels for different critics. This is a concoction in the minds of other writers who do not like to taste wines from barrel, and are jealous of those who can do it successfully.

What are the dangers of "barrel tastings"?

Differences between wine samples can be explained by a number of reasons. When I am tasting somewhere other than at the estate, I request that all cask samples be dated so that I know the sample drawn from cask is fresh. At the same time, some producers are incompetent in terms of drawing cask samples, either excessively adding too much sulphur (which destroys the fruit and color), or not using any sulphur (which can cause the wine to taste oxidized). Also, if samples are exposed to extreme heat, they will taste off. It is important to deal with brokers, courtiers, and others who know how to get authentic samples and to treat them properly before they are tasted.

How do you account for lighter wines tasted next to bigger wines?

The order in which wines are tasted and/or served is extremely important. It would be absurd to serve a Château Pétrus before a Château Lafite-Rothschild. This is always taken into consideration when I do my tastings. The people who are responsible for setting up tastings are always asked to put the more delicate, feminine-styled wines before any masculine, blockbuster styles. At the same time, I often reverse the orders after the first taste-through to make sure there is no chance of a delicate wine overwhelmed by something more powerful. I am very aware of this issue and go to great lengths to ensure that the lighter wines are tasted in the proper sequence.

Tell us about your famous and controversial scoring system.

My scoring system is called 100 points, but in reality, it is a 50-point scoring system. This is the type of system widely used in North American schools and is understood by American consumers. While it may be difficult for Europeans to understand, it actually starts with 50 points (you get 50 points for just being in class, and you get 50 points for just being a bottle of wine). The points are then divided as follows: 0-5 points for color, 0-15 points for bouquet, 0-20 points for texture, richness, equilibrium, concentration, and purity, and 0-10 points based on the ability to improve in the bottle. In essence the 20-point scale that uses half points is of little difference.

You are the first wine writer to have a true world wide impact. Why? Is there a danger of standardization?

Let me answer this question with respect to the influence I have had throughout the winemaking world, rather than just Bordeaux. I think the more my work is scrutinized the legacy of it will be on multiple levels. They are as follows.

a.) The finest wines today are less manipulated and the industrial/food processing school of winemaking has been repudiated in favor a more natural winemaking style. This allows the vineyard, vintage, varietal composition, and character/personality of the wine to express themselves.

b.) Anyone who reads The Wine Advocate or my books knows that I am against wines that taste excessively woody. I can give many examples of this, from my love and adulation of wines such as Haut-Brion and the great wines of Châteauneuf du Pape, Hermitage, and Côte Rôtie, to the great white wines of the Loire Valley, such as Savennières and Alsace. With the exception of Haut-Brion, none of these wines sees any new oak, and is better for it. However, new oak can work wonders where the fruit is concentrated and comes from such grapes as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and sometimes Pinot Noir and Syrah. It is all a question of balance and symmetry. New wood is like salt, pepper, and garlic - a little bit used in the proper recipe will be spectacular, but if not used properly, they can overwhelm the delicacy of the food. People who think I like new oak simply have never read my work. Remember, I was the first to criticize Mouton-Rothschild and Château Margaux for producing wines in the late eighties (1988 and 1989) that had a "Jack Daniels whiskey barrel" taste. Since then, these two estates have been much more careful as to how the interior of their barrels is cured.

c.) The entire movement toward less fined and filtered wines is the result of Parker criticism. I am very pleased that this has happened since excessive fining and filtration eviscerate and destroy wine quality, thus removing much of its pleasure and personality.

d.) The qualitative revolution that has taken place in California, and to a lesser extent in Burgundy, the Rhône Valley, and Bordeaux, I believe, is a direct result of my writing.

e.) In essence, the most important legacy of my writing is that quality has been recognized, applauded, and complimented, and mediocrity has been singled out and criticized. Producers now know that if they make a fine wine there is a good chance it will get a good review immediately. This rewards the producer by being able to charge a proper price for a quality product, and at the same time it informs the consumer that there is somebody trying to make wine in an uncompromising manner.

f.) One other legacy is that I believe wine consumers throughout the world are far more educated and knowledgeable because of my writings, something of which I am very proud.

Why is so much made of your support for Bordeaux "garage" wines?

I am not quite sure of the question, but I know there is criticism of small micro-vinification wines such as Valandraud and La Mondotte because they are made in such limited quantities. The point is that they represent the essence of their particular vineyards and should be praised for the high quality they have achieved. At the same time, there is nothing to prevent an estate with 50-100 hectares from making wines of similar quality. It is a lot more labor intensive, but it can be done (look at what Haut-Brion, Lafite-Rothschild, and Château Latour are doing). I do believe that the recommendation of wines such as Valandraud and La Mondotte does encourage other small producers to make wines of high quality from specific plots that may have previously been blended with wines from larger holdings. The bottom line is whether the consumer agrees that these wines deserve the recognition and praise they receive. To date, consumers have agreed with my judgments.

Do you worry about the consequences of your writing?

I never worry about what I write. I try and do my job in a serious, responsible manner, recognizing that the final judge for my work is the consumer, not the wine trade. I never feel any pressure to give a wine 90 versus 89. I simply evaluate the wine within the methodology I have and would never change a score to help a producer sell more wine. I am not naive, so I recognize the worldwide influence and impact of my writings, but at the same time I feel a great sense of responsibility to do my job fairly, with an open mind, and to do the best job possible representing the world's wine consumers. They are my judge and jury, not the wine producers.

What about Bordeaux 2000 prices?

There is no question that Bordeaux wine prices have become extremely high. The problem is not high prices for great vintages or great wines, but high prices for vintages where the wines are good rather than spectacular. I believe many Bordeaux châteaux made serious problems with their pricing of the 1997s (the same sort of problems they made when pricing the 1984s). I would like to see more châteaux recognize that in vintages such as 1997, the consumer, as well as the wine trade, deserves a break, and prices should be reduced significantly to allow wines, which are quite drinkable and tasty, if not great, to be purchased and consumed by drinkers rather than speculators. I have no objection to Bordeaux châteaux taking extremely high prices for great vintages, since great vintages are relatively rare.

What is your reaction to merchants the world over utilizing your scores?

I am in agreement one-hundred percent that wine merchants have abused the reviews published in The Wine Advocate. I have spent considerable time trying to prevent the use of just the scores in their advertisements, and have begun to utilize a lawyer to go after retailers who put inflated or misleading scores next to wines and or vintages that have not been reviewed. While not a huge problem, a few unscrupulous wine merchants do cause problems in this area.

What was your reaction to becoming the first wine critic in history to receiving the Legion of Honor directly from President Chirac?

It is almost impossible to describe the feelings and emotions I had during the ceremony to receive the Légion d'Honneur from President Chirac. I suppose the best way to describe it would be to say it was an out of body experience. I knew I was there physically, but the whole event, its pomp and circumstance, and the actual speech and pinning of the medal on me by President Chirac seemed to be something I was watching from a distance. It was the greatest feeling of professional satisfaction and honor I have ever had. At the same time, I felt an wondrous sense of good fortune and responsibility to live up to this fantastic honor that no other wine critic has ever received. The significance of it emotionally for me was that at the end of the ceremony and reception, which lasted about an hour and a half, I felt emotionally drained, as if I had not slept for a week. It was a remarkable day, and I am sure, professionally, it will always be the highlight of my life.

What is the market outlook for Bordeaux in 2001?

I agree with your observation that it is going to be very easy to sell famous wines from well-known appellations in the 1999, 2000, and 2001 vintages - regardless of quality. These vintages will have an historical value, notwithstanding the fact that the vintages may not be all that good. We just do not know yet. The early signs are that 1999 is turning out to be a very good, possibly exceptional year for some French producers. I would envision a period of considerable speculation in wine prices, with something of a recession for wine in 2002. In fact, I am sure prices will have to come down in 2002, unless the entire world is enjoying a booming economy.

What wine regions should consumers give more attention?

The world's most underrated wine regions are as follows.

a.) France -- the Loire Valley for its dry and sweet white wines; the southern Rhône Valley, particularly Châteauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, and the better Côtes du Rhônes; the Languedoc-Roussillon for good value wines; Alsace for great whites.

b.) Spain -- the areas of Navarra, Priorato, and Jumilla for red wines that offer considerable value.

c.) Central and southern Italy -- particularly Umbria, Campania, Abruzzi and Basilica, all underrated areas with strong potential for making excellent wines.

What do you think about German wines, and why don't you give them more extensive coverage?

The finest German wines are unquestionably of world-class quality, particularly some of the great Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese Eiswiens. As you know, I hired a full-time assistant, Pierre-Antoine Rovani, to cover areas where I could not spend enough time tasting. One of those areas is Germany, and we intend to increase the coverage of German wines in future issues of The Wine Advocate.

Is France's reputation as a reference point for wine in danger from other regions of the world?

For varietals such as Gewurztraminer, Tokay Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Counoise, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, France remains the world's reference point. In essence, French wines combine richness with extraordinary elegance and expression of their micro-climate/terroir. This makes them cherished and justifiably world-famous.

Who are some of the winemakers you admire the most?

In no particular order, my top ten winemakers include: from Italy - Angelo Gaja and Riccardo Cotarella; from California - Manfred Krankl and Helen Turley; from France - Michel Rolland, Jean-Bernard Delmas, Christian Moueix, Leonard and Olivier Humbrecht, Michel Chapoutier, Marcel Guigal, and Michel Tardieu.

You have been tasting and writing for 23 years, and that's a lot of time in one profession. Do you have any intention of retiring?

I feel that I am a better taster than ever before, and I have no intention of retiring before the age of 62 (seven years from now). I have Pierre-Antoine Rovani as a full-time assistant, and I believe he possesses immense talent, integrity, and the potential to be a world-class wine critic.

Who are some other wine writers/critics you respect?

From France, I have a very high opinion of Michel Bettane. From the United Kingdom there are many wine writers/journalists I enjoy immensely, but I do not know of any "wine critics" from England. As far as writers/journalists, there is the older generation such as Michael Broadbent, Edmund Penning-Roswell, Harry Waugh, David Peppercorn, Serena Sutcliffe, and Jancis Robinson. Among the younger generation, which seems more open-minded, are such excellent talents as Oz Clarke, Patrick Matthews, Andrew Jefford, and Stephen Brook, all of whom seem to have a great deal of enthusiasm and talent. In the United States, wine critic Steve Tanzer does very good work. Obviously, it is self-serving, but my colleague, Pierre-Antoine Rovani has immense talent as well as a great palate, but his "career" as a wine writer is only in its fourth year.

How do consumers educate their palates?

I think any wine enthusiast who has adequate discretionary income needs to do as much wine tasting as possible. Reading about wine is no substitute for tasting it, and the best palate of all is your own. Any investment in a top wine should not be done to make money, but to drink the wine for pleasure. Yes, investment grade wines should provide immense pleasure!

What are your least favorite wines?

I do not care for German red wines. I have never tasted one I have liked.

What is the most important factor in wine evaluation?

In judging a wine, symmetry, balance, and harmony among all its elements are critical to the wine's overall evaluation. The greatest wines and vintages have had tannin (in the case of red wines) that is sweet and well-integrated, even when young. At the same time, the greatest vintages of red wine have had very low acidity. If a wine's tannin, acidity, alcohol, or wood (if in fact it is used) stand out, or are out of balance, the wine will never achieve harmony or perfect symmetry.

Are you very concerned about matching wine with food?

I agree that there are marvelous marriages between food and wine, but I think this entire subject is excessively legislated and regulated. You can enjoy red wine with fish and white wine with meat. Most important is to find a wine that matches the food course in weight and texture (color is irrelevant).

What are your rules?

I tend to like simple food with great wine. To me, simply poultry, fish, and meat dishes with excellent wines enhances the greatness of the wine. Cuisine that is excessively manipulated, complicated, and intellectual never pleases me.

Have you ever been bribed?

In the early days of The Wine Advocate, I was presented with lavish gifts and potential bribes to attempt to influence my judgment, and of course I refused them. However, in view of my reputation for scrupulous integrity and independence of the wine trade, nothing like that has happened in the last 10-15 years.

—Robert Parker 

Parker's Retort
Wine International, July, 2003

The world's most influential wine taster, Robert Parker regularly raises both hackles and prices in Bordeaux. PANOS KAKAVIATOS gives him a chance to respond to his critics and to talk openly about his passion for garage wines and the importance of terroir.

A few days prior to the recent Iraq conflict, Robert Parker announced he would not fly to Bordeaux to taste the 2002 vintage, writes Robert Joseph. Château owners of the region were at a loss. Without his verdict on the way their wine tasted in the barrel, how could they fix a price for it en primeur? When the wines were released, many buyers were also puzzled: how were they to know which, if any, wines to buy?

Stated simply, since he burst on to the scene in the early 1980s, Robert Parker has become the world's most powerful arbiter of taste — in any field. Without Parker, it is hard to imagine wines like Le Pin and Screaming Eagle achieving such success. And without the prop provided by his 100-point system, millions of new wine drinkers across the world might be drinking less and less widely.

Parker's success depends on several factors. First and foremost, he has a phenomenally reliable palate that reflects the modern taste for instantly agreeable wines. His tastebuds are attuned to the hedonistic zeitgeist. Almost as importantly, he is based in the US, where there is a long tradition of powerful pundits (think of the "Butcher of Broadway", the New York Times critic who could close plays with a single bad review). Thirdly, he has taken a refreshing attitude to the old class systems by which wine used to be encumbered. Lastly, he is both independent and honest.

Critics, however, point out that the spotlight Parker shines on the wines he likes tends to leave others in the shade; there is also a growing tendency to produce wines specifically designed to appeal to his tastebuds. Because Parker travels less than other critics, he rarely offers a context for the wines he describes. Viewing the industry from New England famously led him to underestimate Antipodean wines, for example, long after their quality had been acknowledged in Britain. Finally, the Parker factor has undeniably caused prices of some wines to rise beyond what most would think they are worth.

IS THERE INDEED A "PARKER STYLE" OF RED WINE?

Critics of Robert Parker say that "Parkerized" wines tend to be almost syrupy in style, made from concentrated grapes of low yields, aged and often fermented in new oak, and having a dense colour. Even winemakers highly rated by Parker have been apparently complaining about his influence, according to recent reports.

And, adding fuel those fires, Parker pulled out of April's en primeur tastings, citing the war with Iraq as his reason not to travel. Valid, maybe, but it did little to stop his detractors, some of whom suspected a convenient excuse to avoid a far-from-perfect 2002 vintage, and some others — the Bordelais — who are desperate for a slice of his American market.

In this interview, Parker takes the opportunity to vigorously defend his honest-broker approach to wine and fires a warning shot to some of his more vehement critics.

Q In June 1999 you received the Legion of Honour — France's highest award — from President Jacques Chirac, in recognition of your service to French wines. One winemaker in Bordeaux told me recently that you deserve a statue in the city, for the service you have rendered to Bordeaux. But another one told me that your statue would be defaced in the middle of the night. Do you feel bitter?

A The people that are critical always seem to be from the same group. The Comte des Ligneris at Château Soutard [Saint-Emilion], for example. And, actually, I like his wines. He likes to make polemics.

Bordeaux is complicated. But I think that anyone who wishes me ill will from this French viticultural region should be very careful of what they wish for, because I think that, in the history of wine criticism or wine journalism, there has never been any critic of my stature, with a worldwide reputation and worldwide influence, that has been as pro-French as I have and that has been as much a defender of French terroir as I have.

And sure, I am a critic. I've criticised some sacred cows and some very famous properties that have underachieved, but look at the way Bordeaux was 25 years ago, when I started. Bordeaux has probably now achieved more wealth and more international acclaim, and there are several obscure properties that are, I wouldn't say laughing all the way to the bank, but that have pretty nice bank accounts now for the enthusiasm I have shown for their wines.

And so to wish me ill will and say that it is time to get rid of Parker... they'd better find a defender of their wines as articulate, as persuasive, and as passionate as I am, because there is none out there. There are other critics who love Bordeaux wines, but none has the impact. And I have been a tremendous defender of French wine.

Q And with a global impact...

A My critics should only see the tasting I did recently in Chicago, when some 300 people came and paid $500 each to taste the 2000 vintage. I then spent two hours talking about Bordeaux with them afterwards, and I took all my time and didn't have any dinner so I could discuss the glories of Bordeaux. Then there was the American Heart Association benefit, again with great enthusiasm for Bordeaux.

I've had criticism everywhere I go. I look at it in a healthy way. When you have the degree of influence and power that I enjoy, you're going to have critics and detractors and people who simply see you as a threat. But I think most of those who see me as a threat are underachievers in what they are doing. This democratic way of tasting and this way of representing the consumer and not the wine trade is clearly a threat to them.

Q But those who receive low scores from you are not the only Robert Parker critics. According to a news reports in January from the San Francisco Chronicle, for example, May-Eliane de Lencquesaing — who represents one of your own highly-rated wines, the Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande estate in Pauillac — said that there is more opposition to you these days and complained about the current system of early and inaccurate tastings by yourself and others.

A I subsequently received a fax from her, apologising and telling me how outraged she was by that news report. "The only thing that I ever disagreed with you, Bob, is that the tastings are too early," she said. And I would also prefer that the tastings be held in May or June, especially for years when the malolactics [malolactic fermentation, which naturally converts hard malic acids in wine to softer lactic acids] are slow or in a late harvest.

The problem is that the Bordelais want to sell their wine in April or May, and buyers demand information, and they won't buy until they read my reviews. I think she had been quoted out of context.

Q What about criticism of the garage wines in Bordeaux, which you like so much, and which are often decried today as being too concentrated? Do you think garage wines have had their heyday and are on their way out?

A No, I think that they are just beginning, actually, and that this is a revolution that is taking place and will only grow. Obviously, had there been a disastrous, cataclysmic event following the war in Iraq, all cards would have been off the table and the fine-wine market would have been finished for all kinds of wine... But taking the current normal progression of recession and upturns, I think that this has been a very positive development. I can only praise young people who are very committed to quality, taking obscure plots of land and applying Burgundian winemaking techniques. All these techniques are designed to enhance ageing ability, to enhance the quality of the fruit and to enhance the character of the terroir.

What is unsettling is that the more conservative elements in Bordeaux, call them the reactionaries, are unsettled by wines that come out of nowhere and that get good scores from not just me, but also from the Michel Bettanes in La Revue de Vin de France. Whether it's Tertre Roteboeuf or Valandraud or La Mondotte, almost all wine commentators have enthusiastically accepted them.

Q These can be extremely expensive wines, often more so than the first growths and the very best from Saint-Emilion. The 2000 La Mondotte costs $550 on today's market...

A The international marketplace sets the price. I don't think it's going to be able to sustain that price in a downturning economy, but [La Mondotte owner Comte Stephan von] Neipperg doesn't sell it for that price. He's just trying to do something special. It's the secondary market and speculators that raise the price. But I think that period is coming to an end. And the garage-wine movement or the limited-production movement will continue because there is a demand for this kind of wine. And the wines are, in many cases very, very fine, and can compete with the best of the historic châteaux from not only their own appellations, but also from the Gironde and the Médoc.

You do have the reactionaries trying to diminish this, and I think that this is really a foolish way to go, because these wines open up the playing field, and they add to the diversity of Bordeaux. Many of these garage wines have done malolactic in barrel and cold maceration, all to enhance the fruit. You can hear the old-time conservative enologists saying that this is all manipulation and that it's trop technique. That is bullshit.

Q But even those who are not anti-Parker, like Hubert de Bouard of Château Angelus, told me recently that maybe the pendulum has swung too far towards concentration, and that there is a need to swing back a little to a more classical style. Do you agree with that analysis?

A No, I don't think that they ever went too far. Look at the great vintages of great ripeness, like 1990, for example. I would think that Hubert, if he had another vintage with those numbers, he would be delighted.

A lot of this talk really emerged from the 2001 vintage, which did not have the ripeness of the 2000. And the wines were more "elegant". Certainly the 2000 are elegant, they just have more depth. I don't think that Bordeaux makes over extracted wines. Sure, arguments are used to denigrate and say that the garage wines are these "Parkerized" and over extracted, over woody wines. I don't like those wines. I've never liked those kinds of wine. I'm a Francophile. What I love is French wine, what I love is balanced wine. And anyone who has ever tasted with me would agree that, if the wine is too woody, it's graded down.

I think that you do see over extracted wines in the New World and occasionally with Pinot Noir in Burgundy, and what are they talking about, over extracted? I think that Angelus, which I had recently, is a fabulous wine and that's not over extracted. Not 1998 or 2000.

Q There is no question that modern Bordeaux — especially the garage wines — often tastes delicious, but how do you respond to the charge that it has lost its regional character — that even the Bordelais themselves sometimes fail to recognise a wine from their area? Is the move to concentrated, rich wines overshadowing terroir?

A I do not think that Bordeaux wines have lost their sense of origin or regional character by any means. It is common sense that if a wine from a good terroir is more concentrated in its youth, it will be more concentrated when fully mature. That is totally logical. If you have a good terroir it is impossible to mask it by making a concentrated, rich wine. If anything, the terroir will reveal itself even more. That's the whole point of low yields and ripe fruit. Don't forget that the greatest Bordeaux vintages (1900, 1929, 1945, 1949, 1959, 1961, 1982, 1990 and 2000) have also been the most concentrated. The terroir will always come through.

Your comment about the Bordelais failing to recognise wines from the region has always been true, and for other regions as well. That has not changed today vis-à-vis 100 years ago.

I would think that most of the flawed, thin, astringently tannic, vegetal wines of 50—100 years ago were harder to recognise than wines today, which are far more representative of their terroir and places of origin.

Q Wines that get high marks get high prices. Very high prices, in a few cases. Do you think that young cult wines with no track history are really worth hundreds of dollars per bottle? Would you buy them yourself?

A Prices paid for wines reflect consumer demand — nothing more, nothing less. If the prices are too high and the wines do not live up to the quality expected by consumers, they will not buy the wines, and consequently prices will drop. If they spend hundreds of dollars for a Saint-Emilion garage wine, and are pleased with the wine, they will buy more at that price. This is the way it works. I don't like the high prices any more than other people, but keep in mind that many of these wines are stunning, and are made in extremely limited quantities. When there are only 300—400 cases for the world, it ensures a certain rarity, as well as the potential for price exaggeration.

Q The French critic Michel Bettane believes that it is dangerous to give top marks to a producer until he has produced several vintages of a wine — and really shown his understanding of the terroir with which he is dealing. How do you respond to that?

A I have great respect for Michel Bettane, but a wine is a wine is a wine. A new wine from an unproven terroir should be tasted in the same level playing field/democratic method as a wine from a great terroir that has been producing wines for 100—200 years. Why should there be a bias or prejudice against a new producer or a new wine? It is really about what the wine tastes like.

Q In your opinion, which is most important: terroir, grape variety or winemaking?

A The most important thing is, of course, terroir, but obviously bad winemaking can ruin grapes from the finest terroir. It has been proven throughout history that the finest wines come from the best terroir, but new terroirs of high quality are constantly being discovered. However, you cannot take a great varietal, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir, plant it in poor soil, and expect to make good wine. Terroir is most important, but without high-quality rootstocks, grape clones and good winemaking, no terroir will be permitted to express itself to its maximum.

Q You have said in the past that your favourite wines come from the Rhône. How do you respond to the charge that some garage Saint-Emilions and Pomerols are actually closer in style to Côte Rotie than Bordeaux?

A I have never tasted a garage wine from Saint-Emilion, or any wine from Bordeaux, that tastes like a wine from the Rhône Valley. If people think a Saint-Emilion tastes like Rhône wines, I would have to question how much they know about either Saint-Emilion or the Rhône.

Q Some châteaux think that you erred when you tasted the 2001 vintage last year. You've re-tasted it since then. What do you think of it now? Has it improved since your initial tasting?

A The tannins have become sweeter, and that's a good sign. If the tannins become greener and harder, then that's a bad sign. Certainly 2000 had more volume and power to begin with, but I like 2001. I said that already. It's really amazing: if a vintage doesn't get thrilling notes, there's a tendency to say that "Parker thinks it's bad" or "Parker thinks it's mediocre". I have no reason to change my opinion, looking at the scores I gave last year.

I was there for two weeks in January this year to re-taste. Sure, there's always going to be a handful that moved up and a handful that moved down.

Q You also tasted some of the 2002 vintage in January, yet didn't attend the en primeur tastings in April. Do you think that Bordeaux should bother selling 2002 futures, given the negative economic and political climate?

A We are in a very troubled market, and it's been building up for years now. The international wine scene is saturated with unsold wine.

What they realise in Bordeaux is that people have paid enormous amounts of money for the 2000 vintage, which I think is exceptional, but that they can't expect people to go back and buy another vintage at those price levels. So we're constantly seeing wine prices go down now: for Australian wines, for California wines and for South American wines. Retailers and wholesalers all recognise that they've got too much wine to sell and that they need to move it out.

There is a long history of offering futures, but it might be time for the châteaux to say this is not the best period to go to the marketplace. It's a small crop to begin with. But if they think they really have good wines, it might be better just to wait. I mean, Leoville Las Cases did not offer its 2001 last year, and still hasn't sold it, because it did not think the climate was right...

Q How good is the 2002 vintage?

A The 2002 vintage is probably not all that bad. It was cold and the weather up until September was not fine. But September was extremely dry, and there was an Indian summer. Of course, I think that the malolactics were very slow. But I think that the Cabernet looks powerful and very dense, but also very tannic. In January, I did taste a very limited sampling of the first growths and some of the Super Seconds.

It seems to be that the smart money in Bordeaux would be looking at the 1999s — which are in bottle, and which are very charming, very classic, but delicious wines that can be drunk young and have beautiful balance — and at 2001, which is an improved version of 1999.

Q You believe that Bordeaux is the epitome of a great wine, combining power and elegance. Where is the greatest threat to Bordeaux?

A Bordeaux has very little competition at the top end. These wines are only 3—4% of Bordeaux, and they remain in a class by themselves [classified growths from the Médoc and Saint-Emilion, limited-production wines, Graves, Pomerols and Sauternes].

But Bordeaux is being beaten consistently at the lower level by wines that are more drinkable and have more fruit, and that appeal to the younger generation of wine consumers. So among petits châteaux and the cru bourgeois, a lot of them are vegetal and have astringent tannins. They need to make their wines more drinkable. More and more of the younger generation, in their 20s and 30s, want instant gratification. A blast of fruit, which is what they can get with many Australian or South American wines. Sure, the satisfaction I have of pulling out a 20-year-old Hermitage or Bordeaux is how extraordinary it is to see the improvement and development and nuances that develop when such wines age.

Q But many people do not do that any more. It's also quite expensive.

A Yes, that too. So younger people these days go to their supermarket and want to have a blast of fruit. France is a treasure trove of such wine values, as well, at Languedoc and Côtes du Rhône, for example, but it's just not Bordeaux.

Q You have been tasting wine for so long. Has your sense of taste changed at all?

A I like to say: "As I get older, I like them younger..." I think the only change maybe is that, because I taste so many wines young, there's a tendency to like the freshness and purity of a young wine. Not that I wouldn't be thrilled to taste a 1959 Haut Brion anytime, anywhere.

But I have not seen any profound changes. As a critic, I think you have to accept every area for what it does best, and I think that the Barossa Valley in Southern Australia, for example, is the best they do in Shiraz. It's very powerful, and it's hard to drink a bottle of it, but it's the best they do. When they try to make an elegant wine, they fall on their face. They cannot make a wine like Hermitage or Côte Rotie. They don't have the climate or the soil for that. And when someone there tries to craft the wine or sculpt it to make it more elegant and digestible, they end up making something innocuous.

Q You visit Bordeaux very regularly, but it has been pointed out that there are many wine regions you haven't seen at all. Do you think knowing and understanding what a region looks like and meeting the producers there is important for a critic to do his job properly?

A I believe the best way of understanding a region, particularly if you are going to write a book about the producers and their wines, is to spend time in the area. You point out that there are many wine regions I have never visited, but I don't think that is totally true. I know I have not visited such areas as Germany, Austria, South Africa and New Zealand. However, those areas are covered by my colleague, Pierre-Antoine Rovani. He has visited Austria, and plans are in the works for him to visit South Africa and Germany. Of course, writing for the wine consumer, the bottom line is what is actually in the bottle regardless of what the region is all about. Ideally, it would be best to spend time in every viticultural region, if for no other reason than the pleasure of visiting the producers.

Q You have encouraged many people to begin to drink serious wine. Many of them start with young Bordeaux and California Cabernet and never develop a taste for mature wine. In fact, they actually dislike it. Do you think there is a danger that older wine will become an unfashionable sideline?

A There is no question that modern-day society, with its tendency to self- as well as immediate gratification, may not have the patience to wait for a wine to mature into a subtle, complex, profound beverage. However, you must remember that even in France, Italy and Spain, the preference is generally for drinking young wines, as it is in the New World. The percentage of consumers who actually allow wines to mature has always been very small, and it will remain that way. Nevertheless, it is an important role of wine critics and journalists to explain how magical the great wines of France can become with cellaring.

Q The move to rich, opulent reds and oaky whites has made life difficult for producers of lighter-bodied styles, such as Beaujolais and Muscadet. What do you drink at midday with cold meat on a warm summer's day?

A There will always be a place for lighter-bodied, fresher styles of wine. Good Beaujolais is very popular, and I enjoy it immensely, as I do a terrific, light Muscadet (particularly with oysters).

Q Does it get lonely sometimes, not having a high-profile critic of similar skill to play against?

A This is a question I never think about. But I do believe there are other critics who are just as talented as I am.