How is Robert Parker doing these days?

[G_Greenbaum]

Spotted in the park.

[Bob_Davis]

He has about 30,000 bottles.

[David_Bu3ker]

Sitting in the park quietly…how terribly strange to be seventy…

[JBierly]

What are the two bottles?

[Anton_D]

Can’t be him, he only gave the wine a 21.

[John_Morris]

@JBierly

What are the two bottles?

From the bottle shape, they are not 2007 Chateauneuf.

[Mark_Golodetz]

Sorry guys; whatever you think of Parker, that photo is neither funny nor respectful.

[Howard_Cooper]

@ToddFrench

We could use a few more anti-AFWE around here

Isn’t Jay Hack enough?

[Howard_Cooper]

@Neal.Mollen

@Jonathan_Loesberg

I’ve never met the man, but I’ve heard that, in person, he can be quite charming and warm. With regard to his board presence, you have to keep a couple of things in mind. First, he did turn out to have a thin skin. Second, the internet has a tendency to cause us to drop our normal restraints of courtesy (to speak somewhat euphemistically). Third, prior to the internet, when he was a reviewer, the constraints of the genre meant that he couldn’t publically take seriously his position as PREMIER WINE CRITIC except to a limited extent in interviews. On the internet, it became clearer that he didn’t take opposition kindly (or maybe that was just a late career transformation). Take those things together and you will have a very different persona than the one you might encounter in person(a).

Perhaps inadvertently, you touched on what I believe to have been the biggest problem. You referred to his inability to “take opposition kindly.” It is a shame that it took the form of “opposition” and not merely disagreement, but I think you captured it. It is a shame that he came out gunning in stating his opinion, and it is a shame (although perhaps predictable) that people reacted by coming at him with guns blazing. They trolled each other mercilessly to the point that the board became a disagreeable place to visit.

But he and Mark were responsible for WB, perhaps in the same way Stalin was responsible for NATO. So all’s well, huh?

Yes, he had (has?) a thin skin, but things went both ways. A lot of people on that board just wanted to take down the king and were really nasty to him. I cringed sometimes to read some of the posts to him.

I subscribed to the WA fairly early on (my first issue was around 16 or so). In my early days, I really learned a lot about producers, etc., from him. The Wine Advocate was really the best newsletter around when he started - it was really a breath of fresh air compared to so many wine writers who were too tied to the trade and never found a wine they did not like.

Over time, I started to like different wines from those he liked, but I still am very thankful to him for all I learned from him - esp. to buy 1982 Bordeaux futures.

[alan_weinberg]

I also wish him well. When I started with wine, he was important, but as I gained Burgundy knowledge and focus, and Rovani’s tobacco-stained palate took over, I moved on.

[Thomas_Keim]

I have great memories of rushing to the mailbox for our bi-monthly of The Wine Advocate (that as a retailer you HAD to get mailed first class or you might miss out on some amazing 90 point bargain). Started getting the newsletter after his 1981 Bordeaux futures release, remember flipping over the 1982 Bordeaux report (and the amazing dollar at the time - sold '82 Pichon Lalande for $99 a case - '82 Lafite for $399). Those were fun times. I remember how furious I was over his horrible Burgundy reviews back then. And over time I figured out his emphasis over big wines and that they didn’t pair with my maturing palate.

I hope he is doing OK and enjoying life. He really was a lightening bolt for my career in wine. And I still cherish those memories.

[John_S]

Like others early in my wine drinking and then collecting he was a great resource if not that best. Really there was nobody else around doing wine reviews and commentary as well as he did. At least nobody with an audience. Over time I migrated away from his reviews and found them often contra indicators but this is a pretty subjective hobby. I certainly wish him the best in retirement and staying healthy.

[JBierly]

Truthfully, has anyone else had a singular greater influence on wine collecting? And consider the current pundits who have worked for Wine Advocate and the way he must have influenced them (good or bad.) Even his disparaging use of the word AFWE is iconic. Moreover, it highlights a dichotomy in wine: some prefer riper vintages - others prefer less ripe vintages.

[Jonathan_Loesberg]

Like others, my first experience with Parker was first through the Wine Advocate starting in the late 80s. He introduced me to the Rhone and to reviewing of Bordeaux. I started to see divergence in our taste in the late 90s and some time before 2010, I let my subscription end. So, relatively early to join and relatively late to leave. I regret the voice he became on the internet but I still recognize his outsize role in wine criticism and wish him joy in his retirement.

[larry_schaffer]

I will say that Parker’s influence and awareness-raising of Rhone varieties almost single-handedly help substantiate the domestic rhone variety market. His coverage of CdP and then subsequent coverage of domestic rhones was way ahead of the curve - until WS put Randall Graham on their cover back in the day.

Of course, he also rated a whole release of my wines quite poorly - including a non-rating of one of my Mourvedres, calling it ‘lacking fruit and largely a mistake’. I wear that badge proudly

Cheers

Cheers

[larry_schaffer]

And just an FYI, he has a Facebook account - Dowell Parker - but he has not posted a recent picture of himself - tends to share memories of years past and of his wife, daughter, and lots of dogs

Cheers

[Mel_Hill]

@larry_schaffer

I wear that badge proudly

A member of the winemaker woodshed crew!

[David_Glasser]

I learned a tremendous amount from Robert Parker in the ‘80s and was fortunate to have eaten and drunk with him a few times. He was affable and generous IRL and open to a diversity of opinion when shared in a friendly manner. Much nicer in person than he was at his worst moments online. My memory of his Prodigy and eRP online persona is much more positive than the story usually told, but I was never a target.

Despite score and price inflation and his contribution to the rise of over-ripe fruit bombs, his influence was a major net positive for consumers and the industry. He championed many of Peynaud’s teachings, helping a lot of properties clean up their winemaking. He brought an interest in wine to many thousands who might not have cared or even wondered. And he taught me to pair 1997 Chateauneuf (en magnum) with sushi… well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.

I wish him well and hope he is enjoying retirement.

[BrianJC]

I met Robert Parker once around 2000. We lived a town over from where he lived. Either Monkton or Parkton, MD had a town fair, and they advertised that Robert would be there to talk to people about wine. We had recently been to Italy and enjoyed drinking sagrantino there. When I brought it up, I remember him poo-pooing sagrantino wine. Anyway, nice of him to offer his services to boost the local town.

[Nick_Ryan]

Big props to Parker for retiring at the top when so many others of influence in other walks of life let it go on too long. Although everyone will have a bias based on their personal ripeness preference, I think he called it right far more often than he called it wrong. I had an '82 Mouton for the first time recently and it was as spectacular as everyone says.