Tributes for Robert M Parker Jr
Parker?’ rapped Cristiano. ‘You mean God Parker, don’t you?’
After 10 years of reviewing, Parker’s influence was already unique in shaping and making markets. It didn’t stop until he did.
Time to reflect
There were failures as well as successes, perhaps inevitably – no palate can be equally adept at assessing all wine styles. ‘I do think,’ he now reflects, ‘that we end up with certain pre-conceived notions of what a great wine or a classic wine possesses and tend to stay within those parameters. There’s no question that I don’t like high-acid or austere wines, but I don’t think any of the wines or vintages that possessed those characteristics were ever considered great by any writer of consequence.’
His only reviewing regret, he says, concerns Burgundy. ‘I’ve never been that much in love with Pinot Noir, even though that sounds like heresy to many wine lovers. I do think, if there was one category I never really could fully grasp or comprehend, it had to be Burgundy. I’ve thought a lot about that. I’ve tended to buy the riper vintages, and I’m pleased with how the wines have evolved, but it’s often the lighter vintages in Burgundy that actually have a staying power and longevity that I could never fully grasp or appreciate when I was tasting them young.’
Over the decades, Bob has helped to put fine wine on the global map by broadening its audience and enhancing the enjoyment of countless consumers. With characteristic humility, he has made it easier to distinguish fine wine from everyday wine – and to understand the differences. He has accomplished this thanks to his extraordinary discipline, his work ethic, his excellent palate, and his elastic vocabulary, which enables his prose to shift seamlessly from the metaphorical to the explicit. His legacy is one of passion and precision. Those of us in the Napa Valley may especially count ourselves fortunate to have been in the wine business during the last 40 years, when Bob gave this region a credibility closer to that of Old World properties with a couple of hundred years’ headstart.
H William Harlan, Harlan Estate
Parker pours a sample in his tasting area at home in Parkton, Maryland
Robert Parker, often (sadly) mischaracterised and misunderstood by the wine industry, is an educator at heart – a man who has inspired countless wine drinkers to try wines they might never have, were it not for his contagious enthusiasm.
The Wine Bible
Bob appreciates and admires the people behind the wine, as much as the wine itself. He understood from the first that man is an essential component of the terroir. In this respect, he always abstained from tasting blind during his visits here, in order to honour the winemaker’s intention. This is the greatest tribute to our