| To: Thomas Mercer-Hursh who wrote (418) | 1/24/2005 12:35:36 PM | | From: zonder | | | | This is not to challenge your obvious superior knowledge of the wine industry (which is why I am here on this thread asking you questions). My knowledge of Bordeaux is mostly from personal experience. I live virtually in France, and buy wine in French stores pretty often. Aged Bordeaux is everywhere. Most chateaux I am familiar with do not consider aging wine part of "the old ways". This is why I asked if you could explain, because this story of Robert Parker changing the way wine is produced in Bordeaux is news to me.
I searched Google for "robert parker bordeaux vieillissement" (to see if there was any reference to this in French sources) and came up empty handed. The story is fascinating, though. I would be very interested to hear more about it if you could point me in the direction of a source.
Thanks again. |
| | Winery | Pastime Discussion ForumsShare | RecommendKeepReplyMark as Last ReadRead Replies (1) |
|
| To: zonder who wrote (419) | 1/24/2005 2:46:40 PM | | From: Thomas Mercer-Hursh | | | | Well, just trolling about there I find:
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Robert M. Parker, Jr. has been the author and publisher of The Wine Advocate for nearly a quarter of a century. In 1999, Parker became the first wine critic to ever receive La Croix du Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur (The Cross of the Knight of the Legion of Honor), France's highest honor, conferred on him by President Jacques Chirac. In 1993, President Mitterand had given him France's other national honor, knighthood in the National Order of Merit. He won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional in 1998, and he is now the author of thirteen books, including Burgundy, two editions of The Wines of the Rhone Valley, and six editions of Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide. He lives in Parkton, Maryland, with his wife Patricia, his daughter Maia, and numerous basset hounds and English bulldogs.
Product Description:
Wine drinkers around the world refer to Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s Bordeaux simply as "The Bible."
First published in 1985, this landmark consumer guide launched one of the most illustrious careers in wine criticism. Robert Parker's mission, in his newsletter The Wine Advocate and his many bestselling books, has always been to give wine drinkers honest, informed advice about which wines are worth their money, and which wines aren't.
The fourth edition of Bordeaux presents a complete guide to vintages between 1961 and 2001. This latest volume brings readers up-to-date on the abundance of new producers in France's most important wine region and for the first time includes more than 700 wine labels. Parker has retasted and reevaluated many of Bordeaux's finest wines -- and adjusted their ratings accordingly -- so readers of his previous editions will discover herein a wealth of new material.
Parker begins with an overview of each year, which includes insight into growing conditions and yields, notes on anticipated maturity, general price ranges, and lists of best wines. The heart of the book is the chapter "Evaluating the Wines of Bordeaux," in which he meticulously reviews wine producers of every appellation. Organized geographically, the chateaux are listed in alphabetical order, and entries include contact information, vineyard size, details about the wine-making style, and a general evaluation of the chateau's wines. Best of all, each entry includes extensive tasting notes on important vintages, all of them featuring Parker's celebrated rating system -- in which every wine is assessed on a scale ranging from 50 to 100. In later chapters, he also offers essential information about the elements of a great Bordeaux wine, practical travel information about the region, a glossary of wine terms, and more.
Also winetech.com
And winemega.com
in particular:
Today it is recognized that both Robert Parker and Wine Spectator have, with differing degrees, both a direct and indirect influence on the distinct levels of the production, from the wine making in the cellars and during the last stages before the distribution of the product, to the sales process where the bottles are exposed in light of the notations obtained. A very large number of North American and Asian amateurs have had their taste developed through the writings of these famous critics. They recognize themselves perfectly in a style of dark, heavily structured wines with much alcohol content and nice to drink at the early stages of their lives. In conclusion, one is inevitably drawn to wonder about the real impact of the notations of the two experts to the pricing of a wine.
and
Nobody today can contest the fact that mainly Mr Parker, but also the people at Wine Spectator, can both do or undo the price fixing and make or break the overall reputation of most Bordeaux wines, especially during the Spring pre-tasting. This because only a very limited number of subscribers will have the chance of pre-tasting by themselves, most of them finally rely heavily on experts. As a consequent, a very favorable appreciation by Parker with a score of 95 points will immediately push the price of a wine to unjustified levels. In the past, one has already seen the price of a less renowned Château more than triple after RP mentioned it positively in his newsletter – The Wine Advocate. On the other hand, one sometimes notes a sudden ban of a property after it was downgraded by RP (it may be perfectly justified) causing a subsequent and impressive decrease in price (-50% or more!). That’s why owners feel so nervous about Parker’s conclusions. But finally, wine lovers should really learn to taste by themselves in order to forge their own opinions!
There was a really great, moderately long, and well-balanced article on him a few years ago which I have a copy of somewhere ... but don't expect to find any time soon due to a particularly confusing move from my prior home.
Try google.com
for articles in French |
| | Winery | Pastime Discussion ForumsShare | RecommendKeepReplyMark as Last Read |
|
| To: Savant who wrote (420) | 1/25/2005 10:03:44 AM | | From: zonder | | | | | We will probably end up exporting pretty much everywhere. This is planned to be a very large operation and initial estimates show costs to be very competitive. |
| | Winery | Pastime Discussion ForumsShare | RecommendKeepReplyMark as Last Read |
|
| |
