Statement from David Schildknecht (member of Team Parker)

When Bob Parker discussed with me in January the plan for Antonio Galloni to assume responsibility for covering the Côte d'Or and Chablis, he informed me that Jay had decided to retire at the end of this year and asked me to mull over the inevitable need that would arise for someone new to cover the Pacific Northwest. On August 4, I formally accepted the latter assignment.

Realizing that the conclusion would be drawn in the press that we had scrambled to react to circumstances on short notice, I wanted to let you know - at the risk of arousing new suspicions on your parts about my veracity! -  that this was not the case.

I realize too, that Bob's having today written that "[a]fter several months of consideration, Big Jay ... has decided to return to wine consulting" might well be interpreted as referring to recent deliberations. Nevertheless, they were not at all recent.

An e-mail record confirming the upshot of my January conversations with Bob does not exist until my August 4 acceptance of new responsibilities, in which I refer to those January conversations.

In that August 4 communication, Bob officially asks me to declare my intentions about covering Oregon and Washington after "Jay['s] retiring the end of 2011 (not announced)" The first sentence in my reply reads "You mentioned this to me in January on the phone, so I am at least psychologically prepared!" Neal's assumption of Spanish coverage is not mentioned in that e-mail but is implicit in the exchange, as he was formally asked at this same time to take on that assignment. I am sure that Neal's records - if not from August, then from very soon thereafter - will confirm this.

On November 4, Bob e-mailed me and Neal together to let us know on what day (December 5) he would be posting his bi-monthly run-down of the new issue's contents and simultaneously making the announcement about staff changes and our new assignments.

**

Thanks David.

$64,000 (or Euro) question (now answered)
What still needs to be established is – will Jay Miller be writing up for The Wine Advocate the visits be has made over the last ten days or so to Jerez, Murcia, Valencia and the tasting of DO Vinos de Madrid wines that was hastily arranged for last Thursday (1st December)? I understand that nothing by Miller is scheduled for the next issue of The Wine Advocate.

It is clear that the producers in Valencia and Murcia expected that the wines they submitted to be assessed and rated by Miller with the lucky ones getting coverage in The Wine Advocate. Murcia paid 29,000€ and Valencia 35,000€ (total 64,000€) for Pancho Campo MW to bring Miller to taste and rate their wines. They certainly did not paid that money for cata magistrals/marketing seminars no matter how Campo dresses it up.

They wanted the magic points that they believed would open doors in the US and get their wines on the shelves. They wouldn't have paid 64,000€ for a few words from Miller and the thoughts of a Chilean MW even though becoming an MW just five years after leaving Dubai, where there was little or no wine culture, is undoubtedly a remarkable achievement. Thus whether Miller writes up his recent visits is much more than an academic question. There is also the important question of when Campo knew that Miller would be retiring.

If Miller is not to write up these visits, especially Murcia and Valencia, and if this was known before the visits were made, then were not Murcia and Valencia seriously misled at best and, at worst, possibly defrauded?

14.30, 6.12.11


Jay Miller will be writing reports on his recent visits:


Clarification received from Joan Passman, secretary, The Wine Advocate

Dear Mr. Budd,

 

Yes, Jay will be writing reports on the wines he recently tasted in Spain. However, depending on timing and space limitations in the paper copy, those reports may only appear on the eRobertParker.com web site.

 

Sincerely, Joan Passman, Secretary, The Wine Advocate

  

Jay Miller leaves The Wine Advocate

Pancho Campo: "Where's my meal ticket gone...?"

Dr Vino reports here that Jay Miller has left The Wine Advocate, saying that the following announcement has appeared on Robert Parker's website:

Parker says: “After several months of consideration, Big Jay, who has done such a thorough and professional job of bringing emerging wine regions such as Spain, South America, and the Pacific Northwest much needed coverage and attention, has decided to return to wine consulting, lecturing and wine retail.”

Miller says: "Some may believe my stepping down is in response to my critics. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have felt constrained in responding while still on The Wine Advocate staff. While the office has defended my actions, justifiably, now it is time for me to speak for myself… I leave The Wine Advocate with a clear conscience. I have never accepted (or requested) fees for visiting wine regions or wineries."


I would like to stress once again that I did not accuse Jay Miller of taking money for visits or tasting wines for The Wine Advocate. Indeed the only concrete suggestion that this might be the case came from Pancho Campo himself in the email sent from Tuscany on 3rd June 2011 and Campo is hardly a reliable witness:

'Private visits off the set agenda, as this would be, rarely take place, and not for a price below 40,000 euros. The fact that Jay has agreed to stay 2 days more, and for half the usual price, is a miracle and an opportunity that Madrid will find it difficult to have again.'

However, the series of master classes that Campo organised to coincide with visits that Miller made to a number of wine regions as official reviewer of The Wine Advocate was, at best, uncomfortably cosy. Furthermore, Miller appears to have failed to question closely enough the way Campo was organising his agenda of visits to Spanish regions.

José Peñín's sharp criticism of Campo over the weekend further highlighted how the link between Campo and Miller was untenable. While it is almost certain that Miller had anyway intended to retire before much longer, both he and Parker would surely have preferred that he left in more glorious circumstances.

Neal Martin will take over reviewing the wines of Spain, Argentina, and Chile for the publication. David Schildknecht will review the wines of Oregon and Washington.

I'm certain that Neal Martin will not be using the services of Pancho Campo MW and will do a fine job, although his portfolio is now huge, as is David Schildknecht's. My guess is that this may well be a temporary measure and that, in time, a new writer will be recruited to Team Parker. I suspect, however, that Parker's description of Spain as an 'emerging wine region' will not make Martin's task easier. And, as El Mundo points out, Martin is on record as having said that Spain and its wines was not exactly his favourite subject.

Neal Martin has commented on erobert:

'I have to be brief because a man has a job to do. Just to say, I am very excited to be covering these regions: Spain, Argentina & Chile and the extra pages have already been stapled into my passport. I will be taking a regional approach to Spain, as the country is way too big and diverse to treat as a single entity. I'll also be incorporating a bit of Wine-Journal into TWA reports, to make them entertaining as well as informative, as well as using photographs and videos to bring the country, its wines and its people to life.' (added 7.12.11)

Doubtless Pancho Campo will have to reconsider his concept of organising speaking or marketing events, for a 'going rate', that uncomfortably coincide with official tasting visits. Both Murcia (€29,000) and Valencia (€35,000) will be wondering how they can amortise or recover the substantial sums they paid to Campo for bringing Miller to them.

Throughout this story of the way Campo ruthlessly manipulated his position as Miller's Spanish gatekeeper I have worked very closely with Harold Heckle, long established wine writer based in Madrid. It was he who obtained a copy of the damning email from Campo to DO Vinos de Madrid. Harold is ceratinly the co-author of this story. My thanks also to our sources, who passed on crucial copies of emails. Both Murcia and Madrid launched desperate searches to find the authors of these leaks. Was last week's last minute offer to the DO Vinos de Madrid that Miller would taste their wines for nothing part of a deal that Campo concocted with the DO – 'look for the leaker and I'll deliver Miller'?      


I'm also very grateful for all the support I have received, especially after the possibility of legal action was raised.

eh! Toro?

See also post on Vinography here.

Please see statement from David Schildknecht here. 

Michel Bettane: "producers who pay critics are idiotic"

Tasting notes...!!

In the light of Jumillagate/Murciagate, it is very interesting to see Michel Bettane's damning comments made at the World Wine Symposium reported in The Drinks Business:

 '“Producers who pay critics are idiotic,” he said. “They really shouldn’t be doing this. If 'critics' accept compensation for tasting wines, then I don’t believe them to be true critics. Corruption exists quite obviously in the wine world today."

Chairing the debate alongside Bettane, The Wine Advocate writer David Schildknecht said certain producers view critics like machines: “They want to find out how many points you will spit out if you insert your credit card.”'

  
Read the Drinks Business article here.


What, I wonder, does David Schildknecht, one if the key members of Team Parker, think of Jay Campo's Spanish circus?  

••

Robert Parker's Great Value Wines – excellent value guide, too!

Subtitled 'seriously good wine at remarkably fair prices' this is undoubtedly a book for our recessionary times with a selection of over 3000 wines from around the world costing no more than £20 retail.

Once again the benefits of L'Equipe Parker are clear with David Schildknecht looking after the Loire. I suspect that a book like this would not have been possible under the old set-up.

Each region/country has an introductory overview that precedes the selected wines. David calls the Loire – the 'bargain garden of France':

'The valley of the Loire River is the bargain garden of France for more than half of its 700 miles*, slopes within 20 miles of the river's shores teem with vines, some indigenous, most introduced down the centuries from all over the rest of France. From few if any other places on earth can one still harvest such affordable but distinctively delicious wines; the stylistic range is so vast that it would bewilder if it did not bewitch us. The Loire's wines generally offer forthright, generous personalities and food compatibility, while frequently harbouring a depth that reflects their historical and geologically layered origins. Even top crus from this region's leaders – including those of global wine-growing champions – remain remarkably modest in price. And there is an abundance of young talent, both homegrown and drawn from afar to this beautiful region with its outstanding, still affordable vine acreage.'

Although David rather underestimates the length of time you can enjoy well-made Muscadet – 'for up to 3 years', he is spot on regarding Loire Sauvignon Blanc: 'even more than Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc takes wicked revenge if overcropped or underripenned, displaying a hard edge and agressive scents of green pepper, asparagus, grassclippings, boxwood, or cat pee'.

I also go along with David's selection of good quality – good value producers. Naturally if I was to draw up a similar list, there might well be a few subtractions and additions but that is always the case with a selection like this.

The tasting notes are not vintage specific but are tailored to give 'a short summary of the style and character of the wine that you are likely to find in a reasonably good vintage for that region'. Consequentially there are no scores for the wines – is this the first Parker book that doesn't score!

Great Value Wines is published in the UK by DK – 497 pages are yours for £12.99 or probably less on Amazon. With over 3000 recommended wines this guide represents excellent value, particularly bearing in mind that Matt Skinner's The Juice 2010 offers only 100 wine recommendations and then he didn't taste them all. See The Listener (New Zealand) and Decanter here.

Very happy to recommend – Robert Parker's Great Value Wines.

Review here on Jim's Loire of Robert Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide 7th edition.

* Slight exaggeration the length of the Loire is normally given as 600 miles.

Robert Parker: The Wine Buyer's Guide 7th edition

My review copy of the seventh edition of Robert Parker’s The Wine Buyer’s Guide arrived on Friday. Initially I thought that the courier company had delivered a brick but no it was the two-volume guide (France and then the Rest of the World) that topped my kitchen scales at 3 kilos. The flippant answer to what is the difference between the sixth and the seventh editions is that the seventh weighs another 500 grams.

A rather more serious reply is that this is the first edition which has involved the new Team Parker with some dramatic improvements in areas where Parker was previously weak. Take the Loire. Previously Robert Parker has largely ignored the Loire. His World’s Greatest Wine Estates included an embarrassingly poor and inaccurate profile of Domaine Huet. If submitted as a school essay it should have received less than 50 points. Robert also claimed that 90% of Loire wine was white – actually about 55%. The sixth edition of The Buyer’s Guide had a bare 11 pages, while the seventh treats the region to 40 pages.

Pouilly-sur-Loire: halfway down the Loire and

the start of the internationally known vineyards

David Schildknecht covers the Loire as well as Alsace, Beaujolais, Burgundy and Languedoc-Roussillon plus Austria, Germany and Central Europe for Team Parker. Clearly this is someone who knows the valley fairly well and whose general conclusions and advice I largely go along with, although I do have some quibbles. Anyway to the positives first.

David begins by stressing the great value the Loire offers. ‘It is high time wine lovers recognize it as the bargain garden of French wines. From few if any other places on Earth can one still harvest such affordable yet distinctively delicious wines, a vast stylistic and varietal range. The Loire’s wines generally offer forthright, generous vinous personalities and food compatibility while frequently harbouring a depth that reflects their historically and geologically layered origins.’ The work of several good US importers/agents such as Joe Dressner and Kermit Lynch is singled out.

He is properly critical that too much Loire wine is poor: ‘There are also copious quantities of lacklustre or flawed wines from each of the Loire’s more than 60 appellations.’

The Loire near Savigny-en-Véron

Working in from the Atlantic David highlights the value, versatility and ageability of good Muscadet, the fine dry whites of Anjou – ‘among the world’s potentially profound and ageworthy wines’ – and the sweet wines from the Coteaux-du-Layon and Coteaux de l’Aubance – ‘among the most ageworthy on earth, as well as some of the world’s great bargains’. He warns against allowing Chenin Blanc to go through a malolactic fermentation – a sentiment that Jean-Pierre Chevallier (Château de Villeneuve) and Jacky Blot (Domaine de la Taille aux Loups) would happily concur. Montlouis and the Coteaux du Loir, including Jasnières, are highlighted as particularly dynamic appellations. He rightly complains that too often it is impossible to know the style of Vouvray or Montlouis that you are buying because of the refusal of the producer to indicate on the label whether it is sec, demi-sec or moelleux.

He picks out the potential and pitfalls of both Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc and the need to pick them ripe and, preferably by hand. David is absolutely right to headline the bargains of Touraine – not just Sauvignon but also reds including Côt. ‘The handful of really successful Touraine Sauvignons are more delicious and interesting than than 75% or more of whats’ grown in Sancerre but cost half as much (and they can chase the growers of South Styria, Austria, or Marlborough, New Zealand around the globe as well).’ It is, however, a pity that guide’s sketch map of The Loire Valley and Central France omits the vineyards of the Cher Valley.

There are already some very exciting wines coming from a small but increasing number of producers in the Cher Valley with a growing recognition that there are some excellent vineyard sites, particularly around Montrichard, that are not being exploited.

David is rightly critical of the standard of some of the standard of some Sauvignon Blanc coming out of the Central Vineyards: ‘A background of high yields and widespread machine harvesting drags down the quality of many Sauvignon from the eastern Loire, and thin or underripe wines are turned out routinely even in balmy years. In Pouilly-Fumé in particular, lesser wines may exhibit an unpleasantly hard-edged combination of marginally ripe fruit, high acidity, and austere minerality.’ He is rarely a fan of producers who ‘treat” their Sauvignon from their oldest vines to ‘a stay in small, young barrels’ as ‘at the most one in five of these cuvées seems to reveal any synergy’.

The Loire not far from Rigny-Ussé

My quibbles then? They are a few straight errors – not surprising given the scope of David's responsibilities with Team Parker! Anyone looking for the Coteaux du Giennois said to be ‘well south-west of this stretch of the Loire (meaning Sancerre and Pouilly)’ will search in vain as the Coteaux du Giennois is to the north of Sancerre and Pouilly and, since its promotion to AC status, its reds have to be a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir. In Pouilly there are currently just 33 ha of Chassellas – hardly a ‘considerable amount’. As far as I know the local name for Pineau d’Aunis is Chenin Noir and not Chenin Rouge. The regulations for Bonnezeaux require that the grapes have a sugar content of 238 grams per litre not that the wine has an ‘improbable 230 grams of residual sugar’. I suppose Coteaux de Saumur could be described as ‘off-dry’ but this rather stretches the term as the regulations require the grapes have 221 grams of sugar.

I think David underestimates the ability of AC Touraine’s wines, particularly some of the reds, to age, He advises that ‘nearly all best drunk within 2/3 years of bottling’. Having enjoyed a bottle of Henry Marionnet’s Gamay Primeur 1976 only three or four years ago and many reds from the Clos Roche Blanche from various vintages between 1999 back to 1993 I find they have considerable potential to age, although I would agree that this applies only to the best producers. He is also too dismissive of present quality of Sancerre Rouge – ‘numerous pretentiously extracted and barriqued examples’. Amongst the appellation’s best and most ambitious producers there has been a revolution in the treatment of Pinot Noir in Sancerre over the past 15 years. While there may be some examples of over-extraction and over-oaking I think this is only to be expected during a time of experimentation. Furthermore thoughtful producers, like the Vacherons, are aware of this and are already making adjustments.

I’m not fully convinced by the value or worth of a rating system but many people like them and it helps to offer some order/guidance, useful in a large region like the Loire, and it is interesting to see who is included. The ratings run from five stars (excellent) to two (good).

The absence of tasting notes in the seventh edition has been commented upon on some internet wine forums. I’m no great fan of lengthy tasting notes, which rank along with drum solos and the common fly as a waste of time and spece. As there were no Loire tasting notes in the previous edition there is no change here. However, the consequent lists of wines with just scores and drinking windows are as interesting as reading a telephone directory or a loco-spotter's guide.

Unless lists of wines and their points fascinate you, there isn’t sufficient other matter to make the £60 cover price, although amazon have the hardback for £39 and the paperback for £18.24.

Robert Parker: The Wine Buyer’s Guide (7th edition), UK publisher DK, £60, 1471 pages excluding the index, hardback

Web: Robert Parker