Parker cancels trip to Bordeaux

[Craig Camp]

Parker delays trip to Bordeaux

[ctgm]

Personally I think that Parker has other reasons (maybe I am being cynical) and that he is having problems with the producers. Many of them have said that they are going to stop making Parker-style wines and they do not appreciate his influence over prices.

I think that RP would be more than happy for the chateaux owners to set their prices before he comes and visits, as the pressure on the man must be intense especially after last years scorings where he was accused of nepotism.

Speaking as someone in the trade, I think that this is a good move. In the past customers only wanted to buy wines that Parker had scored well rather ignoring all others (and RP like all of us can be way off the mark sometimes). This played directly into the hands of the producers who began to set crazy prices.

Anyway, the primeur tastings in a month or so's time are fairly irrelevant. Producers choose their best barrels and show something that is never quite liked the finished article (and there is no way of checking). What I would love to see is the wines being held back another year before showing them, ie rather than tasting the 2002's in 2003, it would be great to be tasting the 2001s. Not only would this give a truer picture of development, the blends on show might resemble the finished article.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Problems with the producers? They are open tastings to people in the trade. Do you think that Haut Brion is going to ban Parker? I don't collect Bordeaux so I do not have any basis to know anything about the 2002 vintage. But I can't imagine that Parker is waiting to review a vintage that is exceptionally strong.

[ctgm]

When I said problems I did not mean that the producers were going to ban him from coming. The Bordelais on the one hand love what he writes but hate the influence that he has on sales (of wines with low scores) as well as the way that the wines themselves are produced.

I suppose what I mean is that the producers are not looking so much to curry Parker's "approval" (now that he has already promoted their wines!) and that they feel that wines should be made in the more traditional manner.

As for 2002 Bordeaux - there are supposed to be some good wines but it is not going to be a great vintage and purchasers should choose with care. We will just have to wait a month or so.