Richard Jennings' Sense of Humor?

[Russell_Faulkner]

I don’t know Mr Jennings, is he a professional writer? I remember he used to post here, and has the most notes posted on CT, but no more.

[Tom_Blach]

I don’t know the ins and outs of Bill’s relationship with Richard and hope he isn’t being unkind, but I simply couldn’t agree more with his last post.

[brigcampbell]

He still uses CT but stopped publishing public TN, I guess, nothing for a month.

rjonwine@gmail.com's User Profile

[Al_Osterheld]

He has a day job. He has recently started to get paid for some writing, has been developing ideas for a book, and I believe he plans to write full-time when he retires from the day job.

Not sure whether he still puts his notes on CT. He has a blog at rjonwine.com

-Al

[Paul_H_Galli]

@Bill Klapp

KJJ, you are SO right…I mean to be blantantly condescending. It comes with the territory when you pop the bubble of pretensiousness. I am flatly saying that the human nose and palate are NOT capable of detecting 5, or 10, or 20 varieties of pears in a frigging glass of wine. Period. Not Parker, not Tanzer, not Galloni, not Molesworth, not Leve, not Jennings. It is one thing to use generally understood and useful terms to describe a wine. “Tannic”. “Acidic”. “Light ruby in color”. And, yes, a hint of pear, lemon, citrus, cedar, truffle, cigar, rock. And even there, my tolerance of tannins may be far greater than yours, so maybe me deeming something to be “mildly tannic” makes it completely undrinkable for you.

I am not the arbiter of where you draw the line on descriptors, but for damn sure a line can and should be drawn. “Linden flower” and “Kaffir lime” are two that I had to call BS on. Five or more types of pears gets me there, too. There was no laughter at what Richard does for a living because, the last time he commented on the subject, it was NOT tasting wines and spitting out tasting notes. I am belittling an activity that is radically unlikely to improve the craft of Mr. Jennings’ hobby (or perhaps profession-in-waiting). If he has any common sense, he will learn from the mistakes of the alleged professionals that have come before him and burnt out their palates with the seriatim run, sip and spit exercise for thousands of wines each year, followed by the endless generation of meaningless scores and tasting notes. It does not work. The whole deal is the emperor’s new clothes. We have all been snookered by a bunch of fellow amateurs who hold themselves out as superior to all others. We have wasted a lot of time reading their garbage instead of tasting wine for ourselves. And at the end of the day, it still comes down to that anyway. We read the garbage, bought the wine, drank it, and accepted it or rejected it, didn’t we? And if that is the case, have the tasting-note middlemen done us such yeoman service after all?

It is a free country. Richard is free to keep on keeping on, as are all who loves themselves some tasting notes. But I am just as free to lay waste to what I see as an exercise of questionable utility on its best day. What do I recommend for those who enjoy the tasting and writing more than the drinking? Hone your writing skills, not your descriptors. Taste fewer wines on multiple occasions over extended periods of time. Notice how the color, aromas and flavors of each changes over time and differs from bottle to bottle. Maybe pick a specific wine region and develop true expertise in its limited number of wines. Then put pen to paper and write something that intelligent people can read and rely upon, even if only as a buoy arounsd which to navigate their own wine ships (since we seem to have a nautical theme going above). And Brian, while I appreciate the flattering photo, I must admit that I am not packing a weapon like the one pictured. The sword, I mean…

FTR,Richard has a full-time “Non Wine” type job.
At the moment, this is his “Hobby”.
There’s no question, he’s a driven man in his pursuit of refining tasting notes.
Much like you being a driven man in pursuit of being a Blowhard…

TTT

[bob_poirier]

@Paul H Galli

@Bill Klapp

KJJ, you are SO right…I mean to be blantantly condescending. It comes with the territory when you pop the bubble of pretensiousness. I am flatly saying that the human nose and palate are NOT capable of detecting 5, or 10, or 20 varieties of pears in a frigging glass of wine. Period. Not Parker, not Tanzer, not Galloni, not Molesworth, not Leve, not Jennings. It is one thing to use generally understood and useful terms to describe a wine. “Tannic”. “Acidic”. “Light ruby in color”. And, yes, a hint of pear, lemon, citrus, cedar, truffle, cigar, rock. And even there, my tolerance of tannins may be far greater than yours, so maybe me deeming something to be “mildly tannic” makes it completely undrinkable for you.

I am not the arbiter of where you draw the line on descriptors, but for damn sure a line can and should be drawn. “Linden flower” and “Kaffir lime” are two that I had to call BS on. Five or more types of pears gets me there, too. There was no laughter at what Richard does for a living because, the last time he commented on the subject, it was NOT tasting wines and spitting out tasting notes. I am belittling an activity that is radically unlikely to improve the craft of Mr. Jennings’ hobby (or perhaps profession-in-waiting). If he has any common sense, he will learn from the mistakes of the alleged professionals that have come before him and burnt out their palates with the seriatim run, sip and spit exercise for thousands of wines each year, followed by the endless generation of meaningless scores and tasting notes. It does not work. The whole deal is the emperor’s new clothes. We have all been snookered by a bunch of fellow amateurs who hold themselves out as superior to all others. We have wasted a lot of time reading their garbage instead of tasting wine for ourselves. And at the end of the day, it still comes down to that anyway. We read the garbage, bought the wine, drank it, and accepted it or rejected it, didn’t we? And if that is the case, have the tasting-note middlemen done us such yeoman service after all?

It is a free country. Richard is free to keep on keeping on, as are all who loves themselves some tasting notes. But I am just as free to lay waste to what I see as an exercise of questionable utility on its best day. What do I recommend for those who enjoy the tasting and writing more than the drinking? Hone your writing skills, not your descriptors. Taste fewer wines on multiple occasions over extended periods of time. Notice how the color, aromas and flavors of each changes over time and differs from bottle to bottle. Maybe pick a specific wine region and develop true expertise in its limited number of wines. Then put pen to paper and write something that intelligent people can read and rely upon, even if only as a buoy arounsd which to navigate their own wine ships (since we seem to have a nautical theme going above). And Brian, while I appreciate the flattering photo, I must admit that I am not packing a weapon like the one pictured. The sword, I mean…

FTR,Richard has a full-time “Non Wine” type job.
At the moment, this is his “Hobby”.
There’s no question, he’s a driven man in his pursuit of refining tasting notes.
Much like you being a driven man in pursuit of being a Blowhard…

TTT

+1

[Neal.Mollen]

@Tom Blach

I don’t know the ins and outs of Bill’s relationship with Richard and hope he isn’t being unkind, but I simply couldn’t agree more with his last post.

John Brown was undeniably right about slavery. He was still an exceptionally unpleasant individual. The two are not mutually exclusive.

[Eric_Lundblad]

Reading this thread makes me feel like I’m in Jr High again.

[Corey_N]

@Eric Lundblad

Reading this thread makes me feel like I’m in Jr High again.

Reading this thread makes me feel like I’m in the Politics forum again.

[Mark_C]

Neal -

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored!

Pete Seeger John Brown s body

[Bill_Klapp_deactivated]

Paul and bob, do you have any ideas to contribute, or does name-calling make you feel better? Blowhard I may be, but I think about wine…the good, the bad and the ugly. And I comment on it. If you have something to contribute to the discussion, please do so. I have broad shoulders and fully realize that I engender name-calling from time to time, but the only fit answer to you boys would be “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”, and I haven’t used that one since elementary school. My words will not hurt Richard Jennings, either. He is a big boy who can take care of himself. And I am good with Bill Moore’s comment that Richard is an earnest and enthusiastic student of wine. I have never questioned that. I am commenting on the modus operandi, not upon the man, his character or his momma. It is fair comment for Bill to deem that “uncool” on my part. Indeed, since he offered something of substance, I invite him to call me a blowhard if he likes. If Richard puts himself out there the way that he so clearly does, I disagree that it is “uncool” to be critical of his methods, any more than it is uncool to criticize the alleged pros. That is called an exchange of ideas and opinions. You two should try it…you might enjoy it…

Fair point, Neal. The only problem for some around here is that my body is not “a-mouldering in the grave”. Patience, people, patience…

[Roberto_Rogness]

NOT going out into the world and experiencing first hand myriad aromas and tastes is why so many people think the folks who DO are nuts when they mention that an Alto Adige Sylvaner reminds them of the quinces their grandmother grew in the back yard.

You can’t have a Proustian moment if you don’t have the sense memory to start with…

[Neal.Mollen]

@Bill Klapp

I think about wine…the good, the bad and the ugly. And I comment on it.

If you have, I haven’t seen it and would be happy to read it. I am quite sure I have never seen a single comment from you about any wine. What I have seen, ad nauseum, is comments about people and their views and writings on wine, and all of them, apparently, are morons.

I await, eagerly, your virgin comment on wine and not the intellectual failings of others.

[Eric_Lundblad]

@Roberto Rogness

NOT going out into the world and experiencing first hand myriad aromas and tastes is why so many people think the folks who DO are nuts when they mention that an Alto Adige Sylvaner reminds them of the quinces their grandmother grew in the back yard.

You can’t have a Proustian moment if you don’t have the sense memory to start with…

+1

[Bill_Klapp_deactivated]

Those lyrics are far too flattering, Mark, even if that was not the intention. But are there any takers for my Grapes of Wrath DOCG Barbaresco? Strictly “natural” and biodynamic. Aged in barriques that Gerard Depardieu once peed in while on a bender…

(This is not intended as my virgin comment on a wine, Neal. Wines are the trees. I drink wines, rather than offering you my impressions of them, because the bottle that you buy may be better or worse. Online, I much prefer to explore the forest of ideas. You do not seem to relate well to that…)

[Neal.Mollen]

@Bill Klapp

THose lyrics are far too flattering, Mark, even if that was not the intention. But are there any takers for my Grapes of Wrath DOCG Barbaresco? Strictly “natural” and biodynamic. Aged in barriques that Gerard Depardieu once peed in while on a bender…

(This is not intended as my virgin comment on a wine, Neal. Wines are the trees. I drink wines, rather than offering you my impressions of them, because the bottle that you buy may be better or worse. Online, I much prefer to explore the forest of ideas. You do not seem to relate well to that…)

In fact I do, Bill, and I find a lot to be said for the ideas you express. What I find unfortunate is the fact that, despite your eloquence, you are apparently incapable of making those points without a thick varnish of venom for anyone that might disagree.

[David_Bu3ker]

@Bill Klapp

Online, I much prefer to explore the forest of ideas.

So exploring the “forest of ideas” is ok, but exploring the myriad variations in aroma and flavor is not?

I think we just found a new variety of sanctimony!

[Bill_Klapp_deactivated]

@Roberto Rogness

NOT going out into the world and experiencing first hand myriad aromas and tastes is why so many people think the folks who DO are nuts when they mention that an Alto Adige Sylvaner reminds them of the quinces their grandmother grew in the back yard.

You can’t have a Proustian moment if you don’t have the sense memory to start with…

I agree 100%, Roberto, but you describe an intense, PERSONAL experience for which your grandmother’s quince tree gave you the sense memory, not James Molesworth or your local farmer’s market. Everyone should do exactly as you suggest instead of reading the Reader’s Digest Condensed version of somebody else’s impression, unless, of course, that other person invests the time and effort to deliver something as close to a Proustian “Proustian moment” as possible. You expect me to believe that Parker has EVER had a Proustian moment? If he has, as evidenced by his writing, he must have kept it to himself. (Maybe his first Flannery’s rib cap or taste of Joselito ham.) As I recall, Proust was also something of a “blowhard” wordwise, albeit a venerated literary one. No two-sentence tasting notes with 5 descriptors of his beloved cookie, eh?

[Roberto_Rogness]

Bill, I think VERBS are more important than adjectives in tasting notes: What does it DO to you, the food, your companion? Does it refresh or restore you?

[Bill_Klapp_deactivated]

@Neal.Mollen

@Bill Klapp

THose lyrics are far too flattering, Mark, even if that was not the intention. But are there any takers for my Grapes of Wrath DOCG Barbaresco? Strictly “natural” and biodynamic. Aged in barriques that Gerard Depardieu once peed in while on a bender…

(This is not intended as my virgin comment on a wine, Neal. Wines are the trees. I drink wines, rather than offering you my impressions of them, because the bottle that you buy may be better or worse. Online, I much prefer to explore the forest of ideas. You do not seem to relate well to that…)

In fact I do, Bill, and I find a lot to be said for the ideas you express. What I find unfortunate is the fact that, despite your eloquence, you are apparently incapable of making those points without a thick varnish of venom for anyone that might disagree.

Not anyone who disagrees, Neal. Bill Moore just disagreed. Many others have before him. My venom is directed at those who stick their heads in the sand and refuse to think and respond. If nobody bothers to say, “Nah, Klapp, you are full of crap, AND HERE IS WHY…”, then I appear far more self-righteous than I am in reality (note that is not a outright denial of self-righteousness…David, do I win anything for the newly discovered type of sanctimony?). If “Klapp, you are full of crap!” is all somebody has to offer, then they are wasting my time and yours, as well as their own.