When Robert Parker reached his peak....

[JimHow]

Wow.
Am I missing something here?
Hellooooo.
Earth to Bordeaux wine enthusiasts....
Um, Robert Parker, also known as He Who Shall Remain Nameless, is... drum roll... retiring...

He is RETIRING!!!!

Will life go on?

Where is the earthquake? Lightning? Meteor hitting the earth?

I still say he reached his peak when he reviewed the in-bottle 1996 vintage.... "the best Cabernet vintage in 50 years...."

It has all been down hill since then...

[DavidG]

Clearly Robert Parker's influence has waned. With the general population, where anyone with an Internet connection and a 90+ score can end up on a shelf-talker. And amongst our merry little band, where even those of us who cut our Bordeaux-buying teeth on the Wine Advocate (raising my own hand here) have fledged and found our own palates. As a consequence, his bowing out just isn't earthquake-worthy.

I still really like the guy and wish him the best. He looks somewhat the worse for wear and has been through some major spine surgeries. I hope he has a comfortable retirement.

[stefan]

The Bob wasn't around when I started to drink Bordeaux. I liked reading his descriptions of Bordeaux later and appreciate what he did, but if he is not around when I stop drinking Bordeaux, it is not a big deal to me.