It has been said he changed the way people taste, critique and buy wine. He was born in Baltimore Maryland in 1947, and at the age of 71 he is retiring, but his name and his legacy will continue on. He is considered the most influential wine critic in history.
His name is Robert Parker.
Robert Parker created the 100-Point Rating System on wine, started the Wine Advocate and in 1982 cemented his name in wine history. That year Robert Parker was still working as a lawyer and writing wine reviews in the Wine Advocate. It is said he stood alone to hold the 1982 vintage in high regard against a wide range of naysayers. He said prices would go up and people should buy it now while they could. A frenzy started and since then Bordeaux has become THE luxury wine. His 100-Point Rating also made it easy for everyone to buy good wine. You didn’t have to be a Sommelier or connoisseur to pick up a good bottle of wine. At one point his nose was insured for $1 million.
Enjoy retirement Mr. Parker, and I salute you with a glass of Bordeaux.
Let’s talk about some wines from a much less famous wine critic… me!
I know I have written about the many great wines coming out of Errazuriz in Chile, one of Eduardo Chadwick’s vineyards, and rated one of the top 10 brands in the world for the 4th year in a row. As you can see, in 2016 it also won the distinction of Winery of the Year. This Pinot Noir is medium-bodied with lots of flavor and structure, a nice lasting finish and a great price point at just $17 a bottle.
I almost didn’t try this wine yesterday evening, but a lady customer at our local liquor store told me it was her absolute favourite. This fantastic Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is a great white wine for summer. I took my first sip and said “wow the passionfruit”. This is a vibrant Sauvignon Blanc that is not grassy and not green peppery like some, this is all about the passion fruit on the palate. It was delicious, and it is a bit of a treat at $43 a bottle .
Which is why this particular white wine made my wine of the week
A fantastic white wine from Northern Portugal for only $16 a bottle. But that’s not the only reason it was my wine of the week. On the bottle you will see the words Colheita Selecionada, which means single vineyard. Select wines like this are usually a lot more than $16 a bottle. Alvarinho is the white grape and boasts refreshing flavours of grapefruit and lime.
Have a great weekend
Darlene
Wine-It’s Just My Opinion 