More on Parker's 2009 Bordeaux Ratings

Now that Robert Parker has released his ratings I can share some of them with you. First the wines that he rated 99/100 points:

• L'Eglise Clinet 98-100
• Chateau Haut Brion 98-100
• Chateau Hosanna 98-100
• Lafite-Rothschild 98-100
• Chateau Latour 98-100
• Chateau Margaux 98-100
• La Mission Haut Brion 98-100
• Cos d'Estournel 98-100
• Chateau Cheval Blanc 98-100
• Chateau Clinet 97-100
• Chateau Trotanoy 97-100
• Chateau Pontet-Canet 97-100
• Chateau Leoville-Poyferre 97-100
• Chateau Leoville-Las Cases 96-100
• Chateau L'Evangile 96-100
• Chateau Montrose 96-100
• Chateau Pavie 96-100
• Chateau Petrus 96-100
• Chateau Vieux Chateau Certan 96-99
• Chateau Clos l'Eglise 96-100
• Chateau Angelus 96-100
• Chateau Bellevue Mondotte 95-100

Some other highlights:

• Chateau Brane Cantenac 93-95
• Chateau Lafon Rochet 91-93
• Chateau Lynch Bages 94-96
• Chateau Magdelaine 92-94
• Chateau Palmer 94-96
• Chateau Lascombes 94-96
• Chateau Coutet 96-98

It is worth subscribing to the newsletter to read the full reviews. Whether or not you agree with Parker's methods or scores, you can't argue with his influence.

Robert Parker Releases 2009 Bordeaux Ratings

Robert Parker has released his scores for the 2009 Bordeaux vintage. There are 20 Chateaux that scored potential 99+ ratings. More tonite after they are posted online,

Is 2009 Bordeaux the Year of the $20 Wines?

Now that I am back and getting settled I can start writing about my experience and thoughts on the En Primeur experience.

I had the good fortune of being invited to a private tasting at a Negociant's office (since I don't have permission to quote him, I won't mention the company name) during the tasting he said something that really resonated me and something that I think is worth discussing. He said he felt that the 2009 vintage is going to be about the $20 wine.

To understand why he feels this way, you first have to understand the Bordeaux distribution system. Most wine producers do not sell their wines directly. If you visit a Chateau and enjoy their wine, you most likely will not be able to pick up a bottle on the spot (note: not all Chateau function this way, but most do), in fact many Chateaux can't tell you where you would be able to find their wine. The Chateaux use a courtier (a broker) to sell their wine to one, or several, negociants (in the United States, this would be the equivalent of a distributor), who then sells the wine to wine merchants, who sell the wine to you. Negociants can also act as the broker for smaller estates, and many will see out the small estates in order to distribute their wines.

The 2009 vintage was very interesting. The left bank, predominately Cabernet Sauvignon based wines, was almost universally praised (a sentiment that I wholeheartedly agree with). The right bank, predominately Merlot based wines, was hit or miss. Some of them were excellent, others were good, but not great.

By my tally, I tasted just over 400 samples of the 2009 vintage during En Primeurs. There are more than 12,000 producers in Bordeaux, that leaves a lot of really good wine that won't be tried by most of the press. Negociants do try many of those producers though, looking for good wines to distribute. So, there is a lot of great wine that won't get written about in Wine Spectator or my new friends at Wine Enthuiast or reviewed by Robert Parker that will be hitting the shelves of your local wine shop in 2011.

And much of that wine will have a sub-$20 price tag.

A World Without Robert Parker

Randy, at the Wine Whore Blog asks an interesting question: What would the world be like without Robert Parker?.

There are two ways to interpret this question, each interpretation has a different answer.

If the question is asking: what if Robert Parker retired today and no longer did wine reviews? Then I am not sure how much of an impact that would have. I think there would be a fracturing of wine criticisms, because it is doubtful that anyone would be able to fill the role he does.

Think of it like late night talk shows. When Johnny Carson was on the air, he was the undisputed king. When he retired and Jay Leno took over, there was a fracturing and now you have Jay, David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel. I think you would see the same thing in wine, each of the competitors to Robert Parker would step up, but none would truly replace him. Which would give wineries some freedom to make the wine the way they are now, because one of the many critics out there would like the wine...and they could still publish high scores.

A more interesting interpretation of the question is: What if Robert Parker had decided to become a cellist?

Robert Parker has had a huge impact on the wine industry not just in the United States, but around the world. To the point that wines with a high concentration of fruit and lots of alcohol are considered "Parkerized" -- because that is the style he likes. Would Oregon Pinot Noir enjoy the popularity it does right now without Robert Parker? More fundamentally, would Pinot Noir enjoy the popularity it has right now without Robert Parker? Would Bordeaux wines be as popular as they are in the United States without Robert Parker? Would every guy/gal with a strong opinion on wine and a website think they were qualified to be a critic?

Some argue that Robert Parker has fundamentally changed the wine industry. Had he decided to become a cellist, would someone have stepped in and been able to do the same thing?

I don't think so.

2008 Brane Cantenac

I promise I'll pick on some other wines shortly, but I just wanted to post this tremendous review from Robert Parker for the 2008 vintage of Brane Cantenac:

This is one of the most complex wines of the appellation, exhibiting notes of underbrush, sweet currants, cherries, and subtle touches of roasted herbs, incense, and spice box. It does not possess the power or depth of the 2005, and may not even eclipse the 2006, but it is a beautiful, pure, mid-weight, well-balanced, impeccably pure Margaux that should drink well for 15+ years.

He rated it between a 90-93.