The Contrarian View on Parker?s Announcement
Somewhere in between the in-laws and the hardware store on Saturday, I was at a stop light, alone with my thoughts when I checked email on my phone. Partially through Robert Parker’s announcement as the light turned green, I pulled into a gas station to finish reading.
Wow.
All that was left was a LeBron-esque, “I’m taking my talents to South Beach” statement.
News like this doesn’t hit the wine scene often and I knew the online wine scene would be ablaze on Monday. True to form, it was.
Yet, I’ve been disappointed in the punditry. Perhaps even more surprising then Robert Parker’s announcement about re-assigning regions to other critics, including Antonio Galloni, was the simpleton leap to conclusions that followed.

The prevailing wisdom would have you believe two things:
1) This is a passing of the torch to Antonio as Bob goes into “semi-retirement.”
2) California, stylistically, may see a pendulum swing towards more balance based on Antonio’s more Euro-centric palate.
Equally, a couple of things bear mentioning as a counterpoint to the above.
First, nowhere in Parker’s announcement does it say anything close to him taking “semi-retirement” as others have speculated. What Parker does mention is he is going to add a focus on vintage library wines in both horizontal and vertical line-ups.
That’s it.
There’s much to be interpreted “between the lines,” as it were.
First, with somebody of Parker’s stature it’s highly unlikely (bordering on ludicrous) that he would be fade into “semi-retirement” with so little fan fare. Ego won’t allow it. Unless you’re Mother Theresa or Ghandi, you don’t gallop into the sunset with so much magnanimity and so little orchestral swan song. Period.
Parker has never demonstrated any affection for capitalism in his dealings and he still lives in his long-time residence after fame brought wealth to his door. However, he has demonstrated a love of and proactivity to defend his influence – influence that is waning in the U.S. as we culturally flatten our respect for hierarchical power.
With that in mind, I believe Parker’s not going anywhere, but he will take this period of time to burnish his reputation and polish his legacy on the global stage, particularly in the Pacific Rim, and he’ll do so by playing to his strengths and the large macro trends in the market.
Consider the following:
• The value of a critical score in the U.S. and in English-language culture has undeniably been reduced in the last decade with the proliferation of consumer critics and the fragmentation of media. At the same time the populace-based lambasting of wine criticism is at an all-time high
• Parker still reigns supreme in Bordeaux where his proclamations drive in primeur pricing
• The wine world’s power base by dollar spend is quickly moving to China
• China loves Bordeaux
• China is an “open” opportunity for influence in a cultural structure that absolutely respects hierarchy
• The domestic auction market is growing to be more inclusive of general wine enthusiasts and less about high net-worth individuals and restaurant buyers, creating a broader market that is in its very earliest stages of development.
Taken together, what do these large-scale trends mean? Simply, Parker is moving his area of work to the areas where he can hold the greatest sway, leaving behind general, current release reviewing to other members of his team – a game that has reached its peak of influence.
In my opinion, Parker’s announcement is less about “semi-retirement” and California and more about where he can wield the biggest influence – carry the biggest stick—in the latter stages of his career.
So, what can we expect to see out of Bob?
He’s likely going to spend a significant amount of time in China in the near future in order to cement himself as the doyen of that wine culture.
He will still continue to review Bordeaux where his influence moves markets on the global stage, including Asia.
He will review vintage wines in a largely untapped market that has an opportunity to bear significant influential currency in the U.S. in the nascent, broadened auction market.
To me, Parker’s moves have all the hallmarks of not “semi-retirement” but of a savvy, strategic business move. To quote Kobe Bryant from the earlier aughts when he was feuding with then teammate Shaquille O’Neal, “Turn my game down? I need to turn it up.” And, that’s precisely what Parker is doing. He’s turning his game up for the last stretch run of his career.
Finally, coming back full-circle to the speculation that Galloni might bring a different stylistic sensibility to California wine. Ahem. I always watch in wonderment when people assign figureheads to movements. While Galloni may, indeed, bring a more Euro-centric palate to California wine, what he shouldn’t get credit for is being the influencing reason why California wine moves back to a more food-friendly profile with an acidic backbone. That trend is already well under way. Galloni may/could shed a magnifying glass on that trend, but he won’t be the cause of that trend.
Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/the_contrarian_view_on_parkers_announcement/
Danny Kladis Hans Klenk Peter de Klerk Christian Klien Karl Kling