Parker's point

I learned two surprising things in this article: Parker's current appearance, and the system by which he assigns "points".

http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/robert-m-parker-jr-on-rating-wines-his-new-magazine-and-bordeaux-1405594900-lMyQjAxMTA0MDEwNzExNDcyWj

"I will drink no wine before its time..."

Thanks for sharing JB Ya! His getting older and looking more like “Grizzly Adams”

Salute

I learned two surprising things in this article: Parker's current appearance, and the system by which he assigns "points".

http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/robert-m-parker-jr-on-rating-wines-his-new-magazine-and-bordeaux-1405594900-lMyQjAxMTA0MDEwNzExNDcyWj

Awwwwww...Julia. If one of us guys linked to a KarenMcNeil article and commented how fetching she looked in her new hairdo...all you women-folk around here
would rip us for our sexist comment!!!

It was an interesting article....the GrizzlyAdams look not-withstanding. Thanks for the link.
Tom

Sorry, Julia...just couldn't resist. In epee...we call it "easy target".

Waaaaaaaaaaait a minute! I just said RP's appearance was "surprising"; no judgement. It was our friend, Victor, who made the "Grizzly Adams" connection. (Although I admit, I thought it).

JB

I learned two surprising things in this article: Parker's current appearance, and the system by which he assigns "points".

http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/robert-m-parker-jr-on-rating-wines-his-new-magazine-and-bordeaux-1405594900-lMyQjAxMTA0MDEwNzExNDcyWj

Awwwwww...Julia. If one of us guys linked to a KarenMcNeil article and commented how fetching she looked in her new hairdo...all you women-folk around here
would rip us for our sexist comment!!!

It was an interesting article....the GrizzlyAdams look not-withstanding. Thanks for the link.
Tom

Sorry, Julia...just couldn't resist. In epee...we call it "easy target".

I was at a 4th of July party that Karen always attends also, and she looked great as she usually does. She was also helping pour a great deal of good wine. If these comments make me a sexist, so be it.

I see Parker claims to be able to reproduce his score to within 2 or 3 points (and I think I have heard that from other people too). But he thinks that is a consistent performance. Now if he worked on a true 100pt, or even 50pt, scale I would agree, but in practice his scale is so compressed that 3pts seems very significant to me.

Assume that a wine has a "true" score in the Parker point system of 89. If Parker can evaluate scores with 2-point accuracy, that means that on any given day he might evaluate the wine as low as 87 or as high as 91. And that a score of 88 versus 89 isn't significant. On the other hand, I've heard wine merchants joke that in the marketplace Parker's scoring is a 5-point system. If the score is below 85 you can't sell the wine and no wholesaler will buy it. If the score is 90 or over, you can't obtain the wine and the price is so high hardly anyone can buy it.

-Paul W.

I'm really not a raging anti=pointer. But like others I am not comfortable with the false precision. I note he says there are 90 points and then "10 points for how much the wine can improve and where it will go from here." Really? Some of his 100 pt wines include 2 19th century Yquems, various 1945 and earlier Bdx 1sts, 1921 L'Eglse Clinet, couple of 100 yr old Aussie stickies. Those wines get 100 pts with 10 full pts for potential improvement?

[David M. Bueker]

Dale,

Perhaps there is some flexibility? I know that would mess with the false precision argument, but it is possible.

I'm really not a raging anti=pointer. But like others I am not comfortable with the false precision. I note he says there are 90 points and then "10 points for how much the wine can improve and where it will go from here." Really? Some of his 100 pt wines include 2 19th century Yquems, various 1945 and earlier Bdx 1sts, 1921 L'Eglse Clinet, couple of 100 yr old Aussie stickies. Those wines get 100 pts with 10 full pts for potential improvement?

Dale,
When Parker (or whomever) awards a wine 100pts; it's not a perfect wine (usually) now, but a perfect wine when it reaches its peak.
He predicts it will be perfect (say) 20 yrs down the road..but now it's (probably) only a (say) 96.
Tom

[David M. Bueker]

Taking that system to a notably older wine is absurd, and obviously not intended by Parker, though I am sure yopu get plenty of jollies out of making it sound that way.

Taking that system to a notably older wine is absurd, and obviously not intended by Parker, though I am sure yopu get plenty of jollies out of making it sound that way.

David,
If you read the descriptions of any of the 100-pt scales, be it Parker/WS/WE/CGCW/etc; they always state the numerical score
reflects the wine's score at its peak, whenever that may be. Has nothing to do w/ my jollies...I'm just parroting what those folks say.
Because these folks who award these scores are professionals and have vastly more experience than mere mortals, they have the talent/ability
to unerringly predict when these wines will peak.
As my 6'th grade teacher, Miss Rickey, used to say: "You can look it up on the InterNet".
Tom

[Robin Garr]

As my 6'th grade teacher, Miss Rickey, used to say: "You can look it up on the InterNet".

My Aunt Achronism used to say the same thing, back in the day!

As my 6'th grade teacher, Miss Rickey, used to say: "You can look it up on the InterNet".

My Aunt Achronism used to say the same thing, back in the day!

My Aunt Minnie used to say be good or the Kaiser will get you. What the hell do you young whipper snappers know about threats to a mortal being?

As my 6'th grade teacher, Miss Rickey, used to say: "You can look it up on the InterNet".

My Aunt Achronism used to say the same thing, back in the day!

My Aunt Minnie used to say be good or the Kaiser will get you. What the hell do you young whipper snappers know about threats to a mortal being?

PS Get the hell off my lawn!

[James Roscoe]

PS Get the hell off my lawn!

Is someone channeling Alan?

BTW has anyone seen Julia and Parker in the same room?

I received this today from the Wine Curmudgeon blog, and thought his comments appropos here:

http://winecurmudgeon.com/james-garner-on-wine-writing/


R.I.P. James Garner! I always liked the guy.

JuliaB

Assume that a wine has a "true" score in the Parker point system of 89. If Parker can evaluate scores with 2-point accuracy, that means that on any given day he might evaluate the wine as low as 87 or as high as 91. And that a score of 88 versus 89 isn't significant. On the other hand, I've heard wine merchants joke that in the marketplace Parker's scoring is a 5-point system. If the score is below 85 you can't sell the wine and no wholesaler will buy it. If the score is 90 or over, you can't obtain the wine and the price is so high hardly anyone can buy it.

-Paul W.

Paul,

You're off just a bit but the point is correct. Nobody will buy a wine under 90 and retailers can't get wines rated above 95 (by Parker) so there's a de facto 5 point window.

Hmmm.....





Heading for this, perhaps?

I believe Orson advertised one of the inexpensive CA jug wines. Parker has more class than that.

I believe Orson advertised one of the inexpensive CA jug wines.

"We will sell no wine before it's time." - Paul Masson

[Robin Garr]

"We will sell no wine before it's time." - Paul Masson

This notorious outtakes tape is classic. Orson or RMP?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFevH5vP32s

The Mighty Carson Art Players did a skit on the Tonight Show once called "Commercials We'd Like To See". One of the commercials started with Orson Welles (Johnny Carson suitably padded out with pillows) giving his famous line, "At Paul Masson, we will sell no wine before its time." The scene then cut to Carson as a skid row bum, propped against a wall, holding a wine bottle in a paper bag. He intently stared at his watch for a moment, then turns toward the camera, exclaims, "IT'S TIME!!" and starts swilling from the bottle in the paper bag.

-Paul W.