286735 Sun Nov 19 23:48:40 -0800 2000 4 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1538655 The lead article (long) in December's Atlantic Monthly is about the wine critic Robert Parker, Jr., his influence on wine production and sales, and proposes that he may be the most influential critic in the world (wine or otherwise). Interesting and provocative reading. Link below. Link: http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2000/12/langewiesche.htm Sun Nov 19 23:48:40 -0800 2000 0 Caitlin 1 1538657 I'm hoping Melanie will chime in on this one. Parker's got lots of flaws. But he's The Man, like it or not. Sun Nov 19 23:53:24 -0800 2000 1538655 0 Jim Leff 2 1538667 Gotta admit he is. Only proviso is figuring out if your palate is tuned to his or not. IMO, he knows Bordeaux and Rhone inside out. I don't buy Cabernet family wines anymore (so that leaves out Pomerol, too), but from what I've tasted in the last year when it comes to southern Rhones (ie, Chateauneuf du Pape), he's pretty reliable. I trust him about as far as I can throw him (and he's a hefty boy) when it comes to Pinot Noir. His problems with red Burgundy began in the 1983 vintage and only got worse. Personally, he tolerates much more new oak in a wine than I do. I do admire him for his consumer-oriented stance. If our palates agreed more, I'd pay more attention to his reviews. Tanzer's palate is more to my liking. Mon Nov 20 13:21:43 -0800 2000 1538657 0 Larry Stein 2 1538678 Coincidently, a Salon article on Jay McInerney's wine writing. I've only seen a couple of McInerney's wine pieces, but I do agree that this is the perfect beat for him (and I'm anything but a fan of his fiction). Also: I think the writer of the Atlantic article deserves praise for doing an interesting profile of someone who seems like an incredibly uninteresting subject. Link: http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2000/11/20/mcinerney/index.html Mon Nov 20 19:27:14 -0800 2000 1538657 0 Steven Stern 2 1538724 I agree with you. Haven't finished reading the 4-part article . . . back soon. Tue Nov 21 19:57:42 -0800 2000 1538657 0 Melanie Wong