I haven’t read WA in many moons but I could never get a read on Neal Martin. His notes and palate were all over the place.
How could it be any worse than Jay? Seriously. Anybody is an improvement over him. Hell, if RP took over the regions Jay is vacating even that would be an improvement.
I hope that Miller offered his resignation and Parker accepted it. Either way, I think Parker did the right thing if more than a little late. I admire loyalty but Parker confused a friend and drinking buddy for a professional wine critic. Miller was Parker’s Admiral Stockdale (plus questionable ethics), but he actually won the election.
I’d love to hear what is being said behind the Great FireWall.
all props to DS, but once again we have a critic who doesnt know the regions. Combined with Antonio, we now have the interesting situation of having the major US wine regions all covered by people who have little to no prior experience with them.
I guess Jim Budd had the goods. Next, Parker will distance himself and TWA from Pancho Campo. I doubt that Neal will need a handler, Campo or anyone else…
Not quoted above is the message from Miller
Jay asked if he could add the following statement:
I’d like to thank Bob Parker for providing me with the opportunity to taste and write about wines from five regions that are just beginning to develop their full potential. Three of them (Spain, Chile, and Argentina) have become the largest exporters to the USA market. The other two, Washington and Oregon, are increasingly recognized for quality. Visiting these regions and meeting the people behind the wines was a highlight of my time with The Wine Advocate. Your support and encouragement made my job much easier than it might have been otherwise. Our association began as friends with a common interest in wine (and fine dining), expanded to a long professional relationship, and now we’re back to where we started. It seems like we’ve gone full circle and I’m happy about where we stand.
Finally, some may believe my stepping down is in response to my critics. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have felt constrained in responding while still on The Wine Advocate staff. While the office has defended my actions, justifiably, now it is time for me to speak for myself. In what format I will do that remains to be seen. This much is clear. I am returning to Bin 604 Wine Sellers in Baltimore on a part-time basis. I also plan to explore consulting opportunities. However, what really excites me is the opportunity to spend more time in Spain as well as South America researching a book, probably a primer on their wines, which will mean doing more traveling and tasting than I have done up to now. I may well do a blog on wines from Spanish speaking countries (including Chile and Argentina), and apply any additional spare time I may have to studying Spanish. I leave The Wine Advocate with a clear conscience. I have never accepted (or requested) fees for visiting wine regions or wineries. I have enjoyed being part of The Wine Advocate, and I start this new venture with great expectations. I am enormously thankful for the support and friendships I have enjoyed over these years.
— Jay Miller
Draw your own conclusions.
I think that Neal, might have a more up to date taste and writing style that is better than Parker’s. His ratings are more in tune at least when it comes to Bordeaux than his supervisor.
See, that was the story line at the time of his addition but the more I read the more confused I got. He seemed to have no consistency on style that I could tell. Maybe that has changed but the reputation didn’t match the results for me.
DId you ever get the chance to read his wine journal entries? I thought he was spot on from my point his view.
Rather buy BDX Parker likes and Martin gives close to as good reviews of, than Martin loves and Parker dislikes.
RP is still the bellwether for me in Rhone and BDX. Respect Neal though a ton.
Not sure how I feel about DS in WA, ORE, would have preferred RP hire Gregutt or someone of the sort who has been on the ground and seen the progression.
Definitely won’t miss the same producers getting the same scores, unless t hey deserve it, lots of great producers here who deserve more recognition for their wine, and not their reputation or past press.
I wonder whether Christophe Baron and The Golitzin Family are sitting shiva.
They are too shiksa to know what that means…
Martin does not know that much about Spanish wines. Martin has also shown a strong bias against Spanish wines in the past. Not such an improvement.
I know I will not get that much sympathy for the next comment but I would have preferred Squires rating the Spanish wines instead of Martin.
Anyway, I hope the WA stays away from Pancho Campo and his Wine Academy…
I have a feeling Jay has a few stories up his sleeve to tell, all in due time: “I have felt constrained in responding while still on The Wine Advocate staff. While the office has defended my actions, justifiably, now it is time for me to speak for myself. In what format I will do that remains to be seen.”
Lets face facts, Jay Miller is a clusterfuck, from his actions to his scores which have little credibility. I have no opinion on Dave, but I’ve never liked or respected Neil Martins reviews on Bordeaux, I think his palate is off sometimes.
A change for the better? Probably…but how much is still up in the air.
Squires the person is just an awful, prickly thing who rubs me the wrong way more than most any other creature or object. However his reviews of Portuguese wines are shockingly studious, humble and well done. It’s too bad, I think you are right that he would have had an interesting take on Spain.
Wilfred,
Maybe after he finishes studying Spanish.
José,
I agree with both of these comments.
What did Jay know about Spanish wines? The guy “needed” a “handler” fer Chrissakes! I don’t think one needs to “know” the wines of a particular region to accurately review them; does such knowledge help the reviewer in that endeavor? Absolutely. That said, I don’t think such knowledge is necessary. Shit, I honestly think I could do a better job reviewing wines than Jay Miller, and he surely “knows” more than I. “Knowledge” only gets you so far — then you have to actually have a palate.
As for your Squires comment: I agree with you 100%.
Yup.
I too have found Neal Martin’s reviews a little scattershot. For my subscription dollar, his main contribution at the WA was providing counterpoint to Parker on Bordeaux, as Neal doesn’t like spoofed, slutty wines (neither do I). Triangulating between Neal, Parker, and my own palate served me well in Bordeaux.
Miller did not know that much about Spanish wines when Parker appointed him back in the fall of 2006. I am no Miller fan neither implied he knew anything about Spain. I was pointing out that Martin does not know that much about Spanish wine and he had shown a strong bias against them. For those reasons I do not feel that Martin is an improvement over Miller.
Regarding knowledge on a region and its grapes, it always helps the reviewer to know about them, espeially if the reviewer is throwing drinkability windows on the wines reviewed. Without that experience the reviewer’s drinkability windows are shots in the dark.
The bottom line is that you are paying the reviewer for recomendations based on his experience/expertise not for learning about the region and its wines at your expense.