Parker points
Parker points ( PP ) are the results of evaluations of wine by the American wine critic Robert Parker and his co-authors.
Rating System
Parker points are awarded according to the American school grade system, between 50 and 100 points. The individual ratings say:
- 96 to 100 points: extraordinary
- "An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. Wines of this caliber are worth a special effort to find, purchase, and consume. "
- 90 to 95 points: excellent
- "An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short, these are terrific wines. "
- 80 to 89 points: above average to very good
- "A barely above average to very good wine displaying various degrees of finesse and flavor as well as character with no noticeable flaws."
- 70 to 79 points: average
- "An average wine with little distinction except that it is a soundly made. In essence, a straightforward, innocuous wine. "
- 60 to 69 points: below average, simple, harmless wine
- "A below average wine containing noticeable deficiencies, such as excessive acidity and / or tannin, an absence of flavor, or possibly dirty aromas or flavors."
- 50 to 59 points: unacceptable
- "A wine deemed to be unacceptable."
A plus sign (+) marks wines that Parker believes will develop even better over time.
A question mark (?) Is used to mark wines for which Parker is unsure whether these wines were found in the correct condition, whether they would develop slightly incorrectly or similar.
criticism
Critics claim that Parker has a preference for fruity, dense wines, elegance and complexity are underweighted. Parker's favorite wines are those of the Rhone Valley from Côte-Rôtie to Hermitage to Châteauneuf-du-Pape .
Parker himself replies that the customer's interest in good wine alone guides his judgments. He should have no commercial and marketing interests; the winery in which he himself holds shares does not appear in his publications. However, his publishing house, which is dedicated to the publication of wine, has meanwhile become a company with a number of employees: in some regions Parker no longer tastes the wines personally, but leaves it to several employees, who he says work according to exactly the same standards. Robert Parker, the publisher, has the final say on the publications.
Parker is also accused of being too generous with his point allocation, especially the full 100 points. As a result, there is no longer a fine distinction in the top field.
Competing rating systems
Other numerical rating systems used by wine critics are:
- René Gabriel up to 20 points
- Michael Broadbent to 5 stars
- Jancis Robinson up to 20 points
- James Suckling / Winespectator / up to 100 points
- Gault-Millau up to 100 points
- Wein-Plus / up to 100 points
- Guía Peñín / up to 100 points (only Spanish wines)
- Gambero Rosso / up to 3 glasses (only Italian wines)
"Parker Mania"
Examples of the influence of high PP (Parker points) on the price:
- In the subscription for Bordeaux wines from 2003, the “cheapest” wine with a range of 96–00, that is, with the potential to eventually reach 100 PP, was the Montrose 2003. Within the day of publication, the wine review increased in the Switzerland the price of the wine from around 60 CHF to more than double, after all, the wine that was stored for two years cost around 145 euros.
- As a result of the 1986 Léoville-las-Case being valued from 98+ PP to a full 100 PP, the price on eBay Germany jumped by around 50%.
- In the USA, wineries can buy advisory services on how their wine products can be "parkerized"; H. How certain viticulture techniques, certain cellar techniques, wines can be trimmed in such a way that they perform better in the Parker system and are likely to achieve higher prices.
In particular, the wines, which have now been given a full 100 points, are achieving high price increases. There are wine lovers who are specifically looking for 100 PP wines. Bordeaux wines can be a reference for prices : The cheapest 100 PP wines from Bordeaux are the 1986 Léoville-las-Cases , the 1982 Pichon-Comtesse-de-Lalande and the 1990 Montrose .
Parker's judgment is the determining force in wine evaluation. No other critic comes up with the weight of Parker's ratings.