Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

Hey, I'm sure there's something in my eBob subscription that makes my posting this a huge legal liability, but here goes...

As you may have guessed Robert Parker, the entire Wine Advocate team and I have been extremely busy over the last few weeks putting our plans for future developments into action. We’re happy to disclose to you, our valued readers, that we are nearly ready to announce some exciting updates.

Firstly, as you’re probably aware, Bob and I have been working closely to recruit new reviewers for the Wine Advocate team. We can now reveal that in addition to our current team - Bob, Neal, David, Mark and I – we will be taking on 3 new very talented reviewers. So yes, we’re expanding to give you greater coverage including more in-depth reports and even more tasting notes all in a more timely fashion. But because of the varying notice periods that these wine writers needed to give their current employers, we will be staggering the announcements of them. The first reviewer’s identity and his/her regions of responsibility will be revealed to our subscribers on the eRobertParker.com Bulletin Board and via email on Tuesday, 2nd April. On this date we will additionally announce the details of some changes to our current reviewers’ areas of responsibility. And the new (amended) Editorial Calendar for 2013 will be also posted on this date.

Towards the end of April we are planning a Wine Advocate Reviewers’ Meeting in the USA. This will be a chance for all our reviewers, current and new, to meet each other and the Wine Advocate team to discuss future editorial plans. Prior to this meeting at the end of April we hope to be able to announce to readers details of the other two reviewers and will endeavour to do so as soon as their current contractual agreements allow.

In other good news, it would be remiss of me and our IT team would be greatly aggrieved if I did not mention their exciting new babies, which I hope will be cause to rejoice for those mobile app addicts amongst us. We are on the cusp of launching several apps exclusively for eRobertParker.com subscribers. They will be available for iPhone, Android and Windows phones and for the iPad as well as Android tablets and any Windows 8 device. The official launch will be in early April and more details of the functionality of the apps and where to download them will be coming to you very soon.

Finally, we would like to apologise for the disruption caused to your expectations of reporting in the next issue of the Wine Advocate, Issue 206. Due to a situation outside our control we will not be able to offer you the Barolo 2009, Brunello 2008 reports that were mentioned in the previous Editorial Calendar, which as you know often changes during the course of the year depending upon changes in reviewers’ schedules. Nor will we be able to feature the much anticipated Sonoma report in this forthcoming issue. Rest assured that we have a couple of incredible critics on the case of these reports now and we believe once the reviewers are announced and the reports are published (as soon as we can turn them around), you won’t be disappointed.

For Issue 206 we are planning for the following reports to feature (in print and/or on eRobertParker.com):

Robert Parker: 2012 Bordeaux report

Neal Martin: Spain, Toro

Neal Martin: Spain, La Mancha

Neal Martin: Spain, Cigales

Neal Martin: Sauternes 2012

Neal Martin: Vertical of Rivesaltes

David Schildknect: Germany, Mosel

David Schildknect: Selections from the Loire

Mark Squires: Misc. Notes from Greece, Portugal and Isreal

Lisa P-B: Henschke’s New Releases and 50 Years of Hill of Grace

Lisa P-B: NewZealand, Martinborough


The rest of David Schildknect’s Washington notes are being quickly proofed by the editorial team and will be posted soon.

Thank you for your continued loyalty and for bearing with us during this transitional period.

Yours faithfully,

Lisa
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Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
Last edited by eRP Support : 03-20-2013 at 09:10 PM.

Firstly (to paraphrase Lisa Perroti-Brown), based on this missive, LPB seem's a terrible writer - as editor in chief, I can only imagine what her contributions will be.

They really, REALLY need a marketing firm to do their hawking for them, 'cause Bob, Lisa, and Mark are beyond terrible at this...

Does the interruption in publishing reviews of certain areas in WA #206 have something to do with Galloni(sp)? Like he didn't fork them over, or, possibly, the counterclaim he will undoubtedly file with his answer to the WA lawsuit?

I wonder who represented Bob in the sale. I expect there is a pretty important earnout provision.

I'm not speculating on any details - I just come from a place where the new editor-in-chief should be able to write her way out of a paper bag.

If the above is the new standard for corporate communication from the WA, I think we're all in for a lot of "WTF?" moments.

For example, where is Isreal??? This is the editor in chief, right?

It's turned into a Keystone Cops episode.

Galloni didn't turn in the Sonoma report.

WA is suing Galloni, saying they paid him for it and a whole lot of other stuff that lawyers say to make the other guy sound awful, some or all of which may or may not be true.

The new editor-in-chief, Lisa Perotti-Brown, totally muffed her first public statement on the transition, basically devaluing the WA employees/writers/contractors, saying that there is a plethora of available writers and it is a buyer's market. At least her latest post doesn't insult the WA employees, but it's insulting to the paying customers. They're going to reveal the first of the 3 new writers on April 2! Why not April 1? I can hardly contain myself! Have they been taking pages from LeBron's playbook? This is as exciting as "The Decision."

Who would pay money to read reviews by Mark Squires, Neil Martin, or Lisa What's-her-name?

That David guy is pretty good, although I haven't read him in a while.

Frankly, I haven't really read Parker in a while either, I'm not going to renew my subscription next year.

Who wants to bet a dollar that Jefe Leve becomes one of the new staff?

Hmmmmm.

RDD wrote:Who wants to bet a dollar that Jefe Leve becomes one of the new staff?

I always assumed he would be the successor for Bordeaux. He clearly has the passion and inside knowledge for that wine region. Jeff's tastes and descriptors are similar to Bob's, and they both seem to lean to the modern side of the aisle.

I am curious about those here that subscribe to eBob, whether you think that this publication really has any value left. Bob's tastes have gone toward a modern, high-alcohol, ripe style, which clearly has an appeal in the market, and he is reviewing less and less wines these days. So you are left with a publication that is a revolving door of reviewers, and some new ones coming soon. I subscribed for many years in the '90s, but only because of Bob and I appreciated his palate and insight . . . then. I did not pay attention to the other reviewers. I subscribed to WS for a few years in the '90s as well, but realized it was a lifestyle rag that got overly pretentious and that they had far too many reviewers with divergent panels reviewing too much stuff. I could never calibrate my tastes to anyone. When I relied, I got burned, Suckling in particular.

My life and buying habits have been so much cleaner and easier these last 10 years with no publications for guidance, just relying on advice from people I trust, some retailers I trust, and my own palate, which I trust. What I have learned is that I have a palate with a particular bent that may not necessarily align with the judgments of the "critics". Take Chinon for example. Bob rarely "bestows" a Chinon with a strong rating, yet that region is turning out knock-out wines with true expression of terroir and fine balance, and most are under $40. I just received a mixed case yesterday of the 2010 Baudry cuvees. All of you lovers of traditional Bordeaux, say like a 2009 Lanessan, owe it to yourselves to try Baudry. The Grezeaux, which is the middle in the line-up of cuvees, for all of $25, is awesome in 2010. Lovers of Bordeaux will see distinct parallels. I do not think Bob reviewed Baudry 2010, but based on his reviews of prior years, he is way off the mark anyway.

I suppose there is some value in reading The Bob's notes to tell me what I don't like. I mean, if He likes a vintage I'm probably not going to like it, if He doesn't like a vintage, I'm probably going to like it. But it's not worth $75 per year to me for that information.

I no longer find much value in my subscription. Almost cancelled last year but kept it as much for nostalgia as anything else.

I value the articles and tasting notes from Neal Martin (epecially in Bordeaux and fortified wines). I also enjoy reading the reviews from David Schildknect and Antonio Galloni (too bad he has departed from The Wine Advocate). I used to highly value Robert Parker's tasting notes but over the last ten years his taste has gone in a direction that I do not prefer.

Chris Bublitz

Tanzer is enough for me. If I had more disposable wine income and could afford Burgundies, I might get Burghound. I also use CT for a reference as well as inventory management and insurance purposes.

OrlandoRobert wrote:What I have learned is that I have a palate with a particular bent that may not necessarily align with the judgments of the "critics". Take Chinon for example. Bob rarely "bestows" a Chinon with a strong rating, yet that region is turning out knock-out wines with true expression of terroir and fine balance, and most are under $40. I just received a mixed case yesterday of the 2010 Baudry cuvees. All of you lovers of traditional Bordeaux, say like a 2009 Lanessan, owe it to yourselves to try Baudry. The Grezeaux, which is the middle in the line-up of cuvees, for all of $25, is awesome in 2010. Lovers of Bordeaux will see distinct parallels. I do not think Bob reviewed Baudry 2010, but based on his reviews of prior years, he is way off the mark anyway.

Wise words indeed. Baudry makes superb wines, the 2009s and 2010s are delicious. 2011s and 2012 a bit more variable though, so tread more carefully in those vintages.