Møt Robert Parker, Jr
15.09.05
Møt verdens mest kjente og innflytelsesrike vinkritiker og vinskribent. Les intervjuet som j. f. Chaigneau i Paris Match gjorde her.
It has been several years since your books have been translated into French. Why don't you publish your Wine Guide every year? My objective is to have completely new material as well as new information in my books before they are published, and publishing a Guide every year would not produce enough new and important information to justify an annual book.
Is there much new information in the newest edition of Bordeaux? In each of my books I try to update the material that I previously published, revise it where necessary, and also provide new perspectives regarding vintages and producers. One of the most extraordinary things in the wine world is that with each new vintage, a critic goes back to school. Many producers who previously made some of the finest wines may not succeed in a particular vintage, and other producers who have been consistently disappointing will experience a resurrection in quality because a new man or woman who is committed to high quality takes over the estate. These are the types of things that are covered in detail when I publish a new book.
How do you handle being the most influential wine critic and writer in the world? I think it is important to remember that I offer just one person's opinion. It may be based on considerable experience, vast tastings, and done fairly with no hidden agenda or biases, recognizing many diverse styles of wine. The influence I have appears to extend from consumers who believe my viewpoints are credible as well as independent. That is where influence emerges, and I am very proud of that. Of course, the best palate is not mine, but the individual consumer's, and I always hope there is a general consensus among those who are serious about wine quality with what I write.
True or false - you have been influenced by the wines of France? It is simple ... I love France, and I love French culture, French cuisine, and of course, French wine. My mind is not closed, however, to the extraordinary advances in quality, often because of the influence of French wine consultants who travel abroad, that has taken place in other viticultural areas of the world.
What are your sentiments about the globalization of wine? The globalization of wine is a fashionable topic, but when specifically analyzed, there is both a myth and a reality to it. Globalism at its worst is the consolidation of the distribution of wine in the United States, where many small, independent purveyors of fine wine are being purchased or squeezed out of business by large monopolistic companies. This results in an exclusive monopoly for large distributors, which is bad for the consumer as many of these large companies have no interest in small, artisinal, boutique wineries. This is where globalism seems to be occurring at its most insidious level. The movie "Mondovino" completely misrepresented the issue of globalism, and I can cite example after example of many indigenous varietals planted in Spain, southern Italy, and in France that are currently enjoying a renaissance and resurrection. At the same time, when I began writing about wine twenty-six years ago, the quality level of wine was nowhere near what it is today. In 2005, it is irrefutable that there is far greater diversity in wine, much higher quality, and a proliferation of young men and women who have broken away from large cooperatives, reclaimed vineyards, and are doing special things throughout the wine world. The number of high quality wines available in the marketplace is 30 to 50 times greater than it was twenty-six years ago, and there is an extraordinary diversity of styles. Remarkably, "Mondovino" never addresses these facts. For example, how many small, profitable estates existed in the southern Rhône or in the Languedoc-Roussillon in 1978? How many Bordeaux châteaux were producing successful wines in 1978? Everywhere you look there has been a renaissance in quality, and the wines taste quite different from each other in addition to reflecting their places of origin. I think that globalization, as defined in "Mondovino," is an easily rebutted, specious argument that does not hold up to scrutiny by knowledgeable people who visit wine producing regions, talk with vignerons, and actually taste the wines.
Do you believe good wine in general has become too expensive? There is no question that the finest wines of France have become very expensive, and I expect this trend will continue. I do not believe it handicaps France's image that some of its most famous grand crus are priced as if they were objects of art. Most consumers are intelligent enough to recognize that despite the extraordinary high prices for top Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, and a few other wines, France is also a treasure trove for exceptional wine values, particularly from the Loire, Alsace, Rhône Valley, Languedoc-Roussillon, and parts of the Southwest. The problem is that the great French wines are limited in production, the vineyards are fully planted, and their production has not increased in decades. Moreover, it will essentially be the same 100 or 200 years from now. Each year, more informed and wealthy individuals with sufficient discretionary income enter the world marketplace and desire to have the very best. It is a question of supply and demand. A Bordeaux château such as Latour produces 10,000-15,000 cases each year. That sounds like a lot of wine, but when you have thousands of wealthy wine consumers from Asia, South America, the United States, and Europe, and production cannot be increased given Latour's finite production, prices for the top wines will continue to skyrocket.
Do you think that French wines have suffered in the United States because of France's position on Iraq? Parts of the American media, especially the Fox News Network and one of their leading pundits, Bill O'Reilly, made considerable noise about boycotting French products. However, I have not seen this happen, and I believe it was mostly the polemics of one influential individual making a lot of noise. No one I know who enjoys French products has seen a boycott of French wines. What has been more challenging for the French wine industry is the fact that the American dollar declined against the euro by more than 30% in a short period of time, pushing prices up, and making U.S. wines more affordable. That has had much more of an economic impact than an unsuccessful yet highly publicized boycott by one news network.
With which historical figures would you love to share a glass of wine? Anyone would love to have had the opportunity to sit down with some of history's great minds and leaders. What a pleasure it would be to have dinner with Napoleon, Talleyrand, or Clemenceau. As a history student, and especially of modern European history, I often thought I would loved to have been in Paris in 1919 when some of the most brilliant minds of that era were discussing what they thought would be the future of the world in relatively idealistic terms. In doing so, they essentially ignored the growing problems in Germany, Russia, China, and Arabia, setting the stage for the extraordinary suffering and loss of human life in the Second World War. However, I also arrived on the wine scene too late to have met some of the great chefs and wine producers who passed away long before my time. I have often thought about sitting at a table with Fernand Point and drinking champagne and discussing wine and food, or sitting at a table with Philippe de Rothschild. Of course, these are only dreams, but they are very tasty ones.
Do you have difficulty enjoying wine and arresting your analytical faculties? I have never had difficulty turning off my analytical faculties in evaluating wine and enjoying wine for it's pleasure. Wine is a beverage of pleasure and wine critics and wine philosophers must never lose sight of that. It is why we find wine so interesting and compelling, that it not only pleases us intellectually, but it also satisfies our hedonistic desires. I have wine with dinner every evening and intend to do so until the end of my life.
Does it bother you that wineries sometimes follow every word you write, whether it's good or bad? I never believed, despite the enormous influence my writings have had, that I could actually damage any winery. Most of my reviews are from the glass half full theory ... that it is better to praise and be positive about wines, but obviously I can not back away from constructive criticism where I think it is essential. I do know very favorable reviews result in increased demand for that particular wine and in some cases result in dramatically higher prices for limited production wines from famous appellations. But, by and large, I see my job as a wine advocate. I have always believed that advocating the finest wines and best wine values of the world and trying to be positive is the best path to take in life, although certainly I have been critical of many famous names and terroirs when I believe they are not living up to their potential.
For most French vignerons, you have the role of either a good god or a dangerous exterminator. What do you say? The influence I have may or may not be exaggerated by many of my colleagues. But, certainly the power and influence is something I never sought and believe it creates more problems for me than positives. I accept it with great responsibility and humility and try and be as fair as possible. But, I know that if I were a wine producer and were having my wines scrutinized by someone with such impact it would make me uncomfortable. So I try and approach every tasting and every visit with a vigneron with a degree of humility and belief that I have an obligation to be fair and open-minded every time I taste a wine, and that for the most part every vigneron tries his best, and I need to understand that.
Do you expect Bordeaux or the Rhône Valley to name a road after you or construct a statue once you have passed away? I doubt that there will ever be a statue erected for me in Bordeaux or even in the Rhône Valley, but certainly I would love to see a road named after me. Of course, that probably would not happen until I have passed away, so I am in no hurry for any such honor.
What are some of the most important things you look for when you taste a young wine? Well, the most important thing in judging wine is the philosophy that a wine has to provide pleasure and be interesting. All the greatest wines have magnetic qualities that pull you back to them to see what additional nuances might be apparent in the aromatics, what additional flavors might appear in the taste, and like great cuisine, great wines have an exceptional intensity of flavor but are never heavy or ponderous. This is the glory of French wine that is very difficult to imitate elsewhere in the world, although many try and a few succeed. For the most part, I judge wines very young on their abilities to hold my interest, to reflect their place of origin, and to be impeccably well balanced with total equilibrium between all of their component parts such as fruit concentration, alcohol, acidity, and if they are red wines, tannin. Obviously, if they are aged in barrel the oak has to be restrained and measured and not dominate the character of the wine. Like music and art, everything is a question of balance, equilibrium, and holding the taster's interest. Just like a grand musical composition or a great work of art, a profound wine continually amazes, pleases, and satiates all senses of the taster.
We have heard in France that your wine cellar is composed of approximately 90% French wine. Is this true? If so, what regions dominate? Virtually, all the wine I drink for pleasure is French and my cellar reflects that. Bordeaux, the Rhône Valley, Burgundy (particularly the whites), Champagne and of course the white wines of Alsace dominate my collection. I also have a weakness for the great Barolos and Barbarescos of northern Italy and in the new world do enjoy the ripeness and richness of the best wines of California. But, by and large I find I am a Francophile and my tastes run to French cuisine and French wines.
What about the competition for France's position of wine supremacy throughout the world? France will always be the reference point for the greatest wines of the world. In addition, only Spain and parts of southern Italy can compete with France in terms of great values. However, we have been going through a transitional period in the wine world with the weak American dollar making French wines much more expensive, a proliferation of wines throughout the world, and a sort of repositioning of many traditional wine regions. I think France needs to do better promotions and better marketing and make their labels more consumer friendly. But, these are minor adjustments because the great terroirs, the great history, the great traditions and the great knowledge of wine making and the importance of climate and soils are in France. In spite of all the great wines I have tasted in other countries in the world, every winemaker whether they are Spanish, Italian, American, Australian, or South American always compares what they have achieved with the finest wines of France. And this is the highest compliment a winemaker can give another wine.
Your palate is worth its weight in gold. Do you ever consider offering winemaking or consulting advice? Despite my influence, I remain completely independent of the wine trade. I would never do any consulting or try and impose my philosophy or beliefs on any winemaker.
How do you maintain your palate in good form working as hard as you do seven days a week for weeks on end? Tasting wine, especially on long trips to the vineyards, requires considerable discipline and a lifestyle somewhat akin to a recluse. I usually spend 8-10 hours a day visiting domaines and tasting wines, then return to my hotel for a simple meal, generally composed of a salad and several liters of mineral water. It is very important to be well rested and not fatigued in any way when tasting as the enemy of any taster is mental fatigue. I also try and avoid spicy foods. I have learned what food products tend to destabilize my palate (for example, watercress and chocolate), and I avoid those foods when tasting wines.
What are the best wine values of Bordeaux today? 2004 Bordeaux prices seem very fair, although when the prices are converted from euros to dollars, the prices for U.S. buyers are not as appealing. I believe the best values for 2004 Bordeaux include: Domaine de l'A, D'Aiguilhe, Balestard, Beaulieu Comtes de Tastes, Bel Air, Bel Air La Royère, Bénitier Lariveau, Bois Pertuis, Bolaire, Bonnet, Domaine de Bouscat (several cuvées), Branda, Brondeau, Cap de Faugères, Carsin Cuvée Noire, Clos Puy Arnaud, Clos de la Tour Réserve du Château, La Cour d'Argent, Domaine de Courteillac, Cru Monplaisir, La Dauphine, La Doyenné, Dubois-Grimon, Féret-Lambert, La Fleur de Jaugue, Fontenil, Fougas-Maldoror, Gigault Cuvée Viva, La Grand Clotte, Au Grand Paris, Grée-Laroque, Guibot-La-Fourvieille, Haut Bertinère, Haut Carles, Haut Gay, Haut Sorillon, Hostens-Picant, Jean de Gué Cuvée Prestige, Joanin Bécot, Jonqueyrès, Marjosse, Marsau, Mont Pérat, Montfollet, Moulin Haut-Laroque, Moulin Pey-Labrie, Moulin Rouge, Mouton, Parenchère, Patache d'Aux, Le Pin Beausoleil, La Prade, Prieuré-Malesan, Puygueraud, Rauzan Despagne, Recougne, Reynon, Roland La Garde, Soudars, Thébot, Thieuley, Tiré Pe-La Côte, Tour de Mirambeau Cuvée Passion, Tressac, Valmengaux, Vieux Château Champs de Mars
Do you agree with the American government's position of allowing US wineries to put French place names, such as Chablis, on wine labels? First, of all I do not agree with the American government's position for allowing our wineries to adopt French place names such as Champagne, Chablis, etc. However, the French public should realize that these names are only employed by industrial sized wineries that generally do not make good wine. Of course this creates a poor reflection on true Champagne and Chablis since they are vastly superior wines to the industrial beverages produced under these names in the United States. This is a shame, and I do not agree with our government's position on utilizing these names. With respect to the development of appellations in the United States, one has to remember that the history of quality winemaking is just over a hundred years of age and American vignerons are just now discovering micro-climate, soil types, and which are the best grapes to be planted in these areas.
It has been reported that you have more influence than the oil cartel in fixing prices. Is this true? I do not believe I have the influence of a multinational that fixes oil prices, nor do I want that sort of influence. To reiterate, I never wanted the power or influence I have, and it creates mostly problems. However, recognizing that I do have more influence than many wine writers and critics, I try and be as humble, responsible, and fair as humanly possible.
How important do you believe the internet has become with respect to the sale and development of wine information? The internet is becoming very important for both selling and communicating about wine. I have a web site with many subscribers as well as the most active wine message board in cyberspace. This is the future, but the problem in the United States is the relatively restrictive laws about the sale and transfer of wines between states. This is breaking down thanks to several recent court decisions, but the future is still somewhat cloudy with respect to the sale of wine in the US. I believe that in the future we will see complete freedom to sell wine between states, and even between individuals. This will benefit the wine industry enormously.
How is your web site, www.eRobertParker.com, doing? As I have indicated, I have a web site, www.eRobertParker.com, on which we house the most actively participated wine message board (that part of the site is completely free) which sees several hundred thousand visitors per week. I participate on this message board, answering questions and posting messages as often as my schedule permits. I believe my commitment to this type of consumer education and interchange is essential.
What is the exterior importance of France's wine classification? The classifications of wine quality that exist in France are important from a historical point of view, but certainly the 1855 Classification is more of a historical document than a reflection of the châteaux that are currently making the highest quality wines. For example, all of the St.-Emilion and Pomerol châteaux are excluded from the 1855 Classification, which does not seem fair. I like the idea of every ten years a group of independent wine authorities making new classifications based on quality. However, there will always be problems, and I think such classifications cause too many polemics and controversies. To my mind, the marketplace and the prices fetched represent the true gauge of quality. These reflect consumer confidence as well as the opinions of experts. For example, there is no question that estates such as Léoville Las Cases, La Mission Haut Brion, and some of the great wines made in Pomerol and St.-Emilion could easily be first-growths in a realistic reclassification in Bordeaux. However, the marketplace has set the classification, and these types of wines sell at prices equivalent to first-growths. To answer your question, I do not see any real need to change anything. The classifications are regarded historically, and the consumers who buy the wines set the real classification by the prices they are willing to pay in the marketplace.
When did you first visit France, and how did it influence you? I first traveled to France in 1967 to visit my girlfriend (now my wife), who was studying at the University of Strasbourg. She was the first to insist I eat such things as snails and mussels, and to drink wine with my meals (all of which was alien to my naive American palate). It was an epiphany for me, and was the beginning of my interest in France and fine wine. When I returned to the United States, I formed a wine tasting group in Washington, DC with other students. That was the beginning of my academic look at wine quality, which eventually morphed into me leaving the law profession and starting my journal, The Wine Advocate.
In the movie "Mondovino" and other publications, it has been suggested that you and Michel Rolland have too much influence on wine producers. How do you respond and what is your relationship with Michel Rolland? I met Michel Rolland in 1983 when I was in Bordeaux tasting the 1982 vintage. I suppose it was fate that I would meet this great oenologist, who has done so much for wine quality in the world, while tasting the 1982s, which coincidentally established my reputation as a wine critic. Sadly, some people believe there is some sort of evil partnership between Michel Rolland and me. Everyone should know that I have great respect and admiration for him, believe he has accomplished more for the quality of wine than any oenologist in history, and has effectively exported the French philosophy of winemaking to many other countries, which have benefitted from it. We remain friends, but I keep more of a distance between Michel and myself than many of our critics charge. I think that over the last 27 years, we have only shared 5 or 6 meals together (which is sad given my enormous respect for him). Our critics would like to imagine some sort of unholy alliance, but in fact, no such thing exists. Our relationship is one of mutual respect and admiration ... nothing more. In fact, there are a handful of wines he makes that I don't particularly like, but by and large, no one in my 27 years of experience has made as many fine wines, and encouraged so many estates to make better wines than Michel Rolland.
Has your taste changed or evolved over the last 27 years? I do not think my taste has changed much over the years. I have always loved wines of elegance, finesse, balance, and concentration. However, equilibrium is the most important thing, and the criticism that I tend to prefer overly extracted, oaky wines is a complete myth as anyone who knows of my love of the white wines of Alsace or the southern Rhônes (which rarely see any oak) can attest. My tastes are diverse. There is a time and place for big, rich, full-bodied wines, and a time and place for elegant, restrained, subtle wines. The belief that I like overly big and rich wines largely comes from the fact that I have applauded many of the New World efforts (particularly California and Australia). But one has to recognize that in these terroirs and micro-climates, their best wines tend to be very powerful, concentrated efforts. When these regions attempt to make elegant, European-styled wines, they come across as innocuous, weak imitations of the great elegant wines of France. Because I have supported the best wines of those particular terroirs and micro-climates, this false criticism has emerged.
We know you are a vigneron and have a vineyard planted with Pinot Noir in Oregon. What can you tell us about that winery? I have been part-owner of a Pinot Noir vineyard in Oregon since 1987, and have produced wine since 1990. I never review the wine since it would be a conflict of interest, and I never comment on it publically, so I will say no more. In essence, I am also a vigneron, and I believe being involved in viticulture and winemaking has made me an even more knowledgeable wine critic.
What is the most important lesson in tasting wine? I think the most important thing for a wine consumer to know is that no guru or wine critic can replace their own taste. The importance of what I and other top wine critics do is to act as a responsible guide to try and educate and expose consumers to different kind of wines, different wine regions, and to try and share with them information about the producers who are the most conscientious and serious about their profession. As I have written on the front page of every issue of The Wine Advocate, "There can never be any substitute for your own palate nor any better education than tasting the wine yourself." This is imperative, but I would conclude this interview by saying that wine is fascinating. It is an extraordinary beverage that has played a paramount role in every great civilization. I am a perfect example of that, coming from a family that never consumed wine, and having wine completely change my life for the better.
-Robert Parker
Pictures, scores and tasting notes by Robert Parker is copyright property of Robert M. Parker, Jr/The Wine Advocate.