I figured this post might be safe to do on this board. Is it just me or does it seem like parker has completely lost it. For the 05’s he adds to all of the hype leading up to the release of the wines saying that they are the most impressive he’s ever seen, then gives them really mediocre scores in bottle. Now for the 08’s not even the chateaus themselves think they made great wines, they released ep pricing before the reviews came, no other critic think much of the wines, and rp gives them huge scores.
What do you guys think?
I just have a feeling that this guy relishes his stature and influence in the market and being a contrarian just to see if the market will ride on his coattails.
Rich.
I am not a big follower of RP anymore because of my dislike for some of his stylistic preferences. That said, I don’t know that he is manipulative. I think he got caught up in the 2005 mania when he published the ep scores. When the stuff was in bottle, maybe the hype had abated just enough to where he could rate the wines for what they really were, which is awesome, but maybe not he best ever across the board. In 2008, he is seeing something that the other critics do not. What I find interesting is that some of the things he usually doesn’t seem to care so much about (like high acidity/freshness and red fruited wines) are things he seems to like in this vintage. And whether or not he likes it, doesn’t matter to me, because those exact characteristics of 08 are things I actively look for in wine, so I know I will like it.