I usually avoid "this critic is imcompetent" posts, but....

Its an old tune, Dale--low scores for great wineries. Years ago they gave a Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco I forget which bottling a 66. Just waking up in the morning, Bruno G gets a 66, when gets up add 10 points, add another 10 if he goes near a vat......... Just part of the hype. Don't you know it was Laube's bad reviews that caused the Mondavis to deconstruct. You quote Laube's review, what about one of Marvin's celeb pals like Rusty Staub, Harold Prince or Chico "Beisbol been good to me" Escuela.

I have not had this, but RP has:

90 Points - Robert Parker (Wine Advocate) "The 2001 Bourriquot is a dead-ringer for a St.-Emilion, not surprising in view of its blend of 62% Cabernet Franc and 38% Merlot. A deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by sweet scents of tobacco, spice box, menthol, and black fruits. Reminiscent of a Chateau Figeac or Cheval Blanc, but clearly made with ripe California fruit, it still has some tannin to shed, so give it 2-3 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 10-15. This is a stylish, provocative effort."

As long as we're talking about Robert Parker and reviews, has anyone tried the most recent vintage of Patrick Jasmin Cote Rotie? My wine seller pulled a $50 bottle of it off the shelf (two actually, since the first one was corked) to let a few of us taste it so he could mock Parker's review. He said Parker gave it a glowing review (if someone could double check that, I'd appreciate it) but the taste obviously wasn't there. He described it as very thin. A veteran wine drinker described it as a good $20 Rhone. I didn't taste much of anything. He seemed to think Parker doesn't taste all the wines he says he does, often going by what the winemaker tells him. He also offered out that what wine critics taste are special bottles, not what's sold to the public.

Parker tastes blind, either at home or in country--I believe he both visits the winery and has wines sent to his local residence to taste. He may taste a wine two or three times and no winery owner can change his mind.

I'll bet that he tasted this wine in the Rhone not out of "special cask" he's been there, done, that in his early days. Somewhere between the winery and the local wholesaler, somebody screwed up. Shit happens, the wine stays too long on someone's loading dock, the importer cutting corners does not ship the wine in temperature resistant containers ie "reefers". Someone's warehouse is not air conditioned. If you got his address & wrote him a note--he may go to a local shop, plunk his money down & retaste. Why don't you go his free website and nose around the wine talk site. Believe me if there was major damage one of the posters would mention it. Do a search on the site & see if someone posted tasting notes. You may have to register to do a search but cruising the Squires site is free, but the access to the archives of RP's notes cost money.

If your retailer thinks Parker can be influenced or is faking, he ought to check the temperature of his own storage. Putting a bottle in the window or near the heater doesn't help it---many stores like to show off their "gems" and in doing so, alter the taste. It all sounds like sour grapes to me.

And how can you taste "blind" during a visit to the winery? If he goes to Chateau X, do you think at the "blind" tasting they will pour something from Chateau Z?

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My experiences with the Parker tastings are limited to the following:

On 3 occasions, I have seen Rogavani taste and note every wine in his article.

Pretty much annually, Parker has an article on CA Cab barrell samples. This comes out after the Addy Bassin barrell sampling in wash DC. The wine makers, etc at the barrell sampling state that they have set up the rp tasting earlier in the week.

Around 1990, as I recall, RP was thrown out of Burgundy for claiming that the cellar offerings were not the same as the bottles that hit USA. There were no burgundy reviews for a number of years, and parker still does not review personally Burgundy.

I do not necessarily agree with many of parker's taste, but I do not question his integrity.

I am a veteran wine drinker(sure does not take much to make that claim), and I think most Cote Rotie have been badly overpriced for the past 20 years. Most bring over $50, and most taste to me like a good $20 Rhone. RP gave the wine a very mixed review, and I think your experts do not know the difference between too much acid(RP) and very thin.

I don't myself, no, but I'm poretty comfortable saying he does. I'm waiting to confirm the vintage before going any further. I've also signed up for the Mark Squires bulletin board and I'll pursue the issue there, as well, although perhaps without lobbing hand grenades at Parker. I still trust Parker. And believe me, I emphathize with a critic who just by doing his job is going to tick off people and perhaps create conspiracy theories about how he reaches his decisions. But the dude can't bat a thousand. From what I can tell so far, this wine doesn't merit praise. I'm curious about how a wine that tsstes like that gets praise. On the other hand, the 2003 Guigal Cotes du Rhone rated by Parker in the high 80s that I opened last night is a wonderful wine. I don't know how much of it is from a roasted slope Syrah, but I think most people would pick it over that Cote Rotie in a blind taste tasting. It was $10.

[] ] On the other hand, the 2003 Guigal Cotes du Rhone rated by Parker in the ] high 80s that I opened last night is a wonderful wine. I don't know how ] much of it is from a roasted slope Syrah, but I think most people would

Almost certainly none.

] pick it over that Cote Rotie in a blind taste tasting. It was $10.

Although I haven't tasted the Cote Rotie in question, what you say is probably true for any C-R in its youth, even the greatest. You're comparing a wine made to be friendly young to one that takes years to become approachable.

-E