Robert Parker & Charlie Rose

Michael Pronay

For those of you who have not seen the video, RMP Jr aka the Pope of Parkton, seemed more relaxed then in his previous Rose interview as did Rose who in the earlier interview almost wet his drawers over the 2000 Bordeaux vintage. Bob was always a subtle self promoter from the time I first met him in 1978 or so, but I believe he has accepted his noteriety more in the last few years then before and that was reflected in the interview. He is no longer "the new kid on the block" fighting for confirmation from the British wine community or the French propriators-merchants. He has set a proactive style of consumer-oriented criticism and created a possesed band of cork-dorks and acolytes among consumers who are at best an annoyance to local merchants. There are many who take the Wine Advocate scores and commentary in the way it was meant as a guide, but there are those who become frenetic in their search for 95+ point wines and insistence that they imbibe nothing less rated. None of this seems to faze Parker, in private, and as he showed in the Rose piece he still is mildly amused by his ascendency to fame and fortune. How awful would our hobby be if he were as heavy handed as the Wine Spectator or as dense to Americans as Michael Broadbent?