Robert Parker stops reviewing California

Wine critic Robert Parker has announced that, after two decades of reviews, he will pass on the coverage of Californian and Burgundian wines.

Antonio Galloni will take over the Californian reviews, as well as those for the Cote d’Or and Chablis.  Following a three year stint in Piedmont from 2000 to 2003, Galloni became editor of the "Piedmont Report", which quickly became a comprehensive guide to the region’s wines, distributed in 25 countries. In 2006 Parker invited him to join "The Wine Advocate", where he continued to write extensively on Italian wines.

Parker announced that he would be using his free hours to conduct a mixture of horizontal and vertical tastings of Californian, Bordeaux and Rhône wines from perfectly stored cellars to see how they were progressing.

At 63, Parker is edging closer to retirement and this latest announcement is a clear reminder of that.

With Parker’s, at times controversial, taste for the big and the bold and its subsequent effect on wine styles, it remains to be seen what Galloni will bring to the reviews and how they will compare or differ.

Rupert Millar, 10.02.2011