Robert M. Parker, Jr. – arguably the world’s most famous, but unarguably its most influential, wine critic – is hangin’ up the spurs.

Last week, The Wine Advocate announced that Parker, who had steadily been down-shifting his wine review duties over the better course of a decade, is retiring from the publication.

What’s poised to change in the wine world? Probably next to nothing; the days when the words of a lone critic such as Parker directed huge swings of the wine-buying needle for industry buyers and consumers alike are increasingly far behind us, a type of influence that has been on the wane for, well, the better course of the same decade in which Parker down-shifted his wine-reviewing beat.

Wine Advocate’s Lisa Perrotti-Brown once tried (unsuccessfully, IMHO – hey, I simple know too many winemakers at this point, so I know better) to downplay the effect of “Parkerization” on the wine world. But in that argument, she missed out on the most important aspect of Parkerization, or, in more positive terms, Parker’s enduring legacy in the wine world.

Namely, that the days of wine brands coasting their lazy asses on the basis of past performance, and consumers being forced to suck up junk-ass wines as a result, are largely a thing of the past, and that is in no small part due to the work ethic of one Robert M. Parker, Jr. In other words, like him or hate him, love points or gag at the sight of them, Parker’s influence in the wine world writ large is and will always be net positive…

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
 
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

• 2017 Domaine Elodie Balme Côtes du Rhône (Rhône): A bit funky, a lot peppery, and even more fruity, friendly, and crowd-pleasing. $NA B+
• 2016 Domaine Combe Juliere (Rasteau): Sexy, grippy, and with the kind of density that requires advanced physics calculations. $30 B+
• 2016 Domaine du Trapadis ‘Les Adrés’ (Rasteau): Red fruits and spices, tied together with leather straps that are still tightening. $NA B+
• 2013 Cave de Rasteau Ortas Rasteau Prestige (Rasteau): Licorice, lavender, and power, in an easy to appreciate package. $18 B
• 2017 Chateau de Trinquevedel Tavel ‘Autrement Tavel’ (Tavel): A modern take on the Tavel power structure, and one that’s dangerously easy to imbibe. $NA B+
• 2016 Youngberg Hill ‘J Block’ Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley): Apparently the “J” is short for “jubilantly spicy.” $60 A-
• 2013 Jamieson Ranch Vineyards Double Lariat Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Getting earthy; as in, roots-to-branches earthy. $40 A-
• 2017 Halter Ranch Estate Adelaida District Picpoul Blanc (Paso Robles): Underrated region, underrated grape, damned good wine. $28 B+
• 2016 Wrath Wines Ex Dolio Falanghina (Monterey): Well, that’ll teach me about formulating premature hating notions on orange wines… $29 A-
• 2013 Ferrari-Carano Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley): Nearing the end? Dunno about that; there’s a lot of leathery, perky goodness left… $34 A-

Smack up against the Dentelles de Montmirail mountain range sits Gigondas, a former ancient Roman soldier retirement home area and Southern Rhône cru that, technically, contains more woodlands than vineyards. And that’s after a killer frost in the 1960s wiped out a good portion of olive tree plantings, ushering in a shift towards more vine plantings. All in all, Gigondas is about one third the size of its more famous, direct-competitor cousin, Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Terroir here is “like a layer cake,” noted Domaine Pierre Amadieu’s Henri-Claude Amadieu when I visited on a media tour last year. “A layer cake of limestone and clay, limestone and clay…” While Grenache is the name of the game here, there are a few main differences between Châteauneuf and Gigondas, excluding the fact that Gigondas’ slightly warmer climate has a tendency to make their reds even more powerful than CdP.

The entire Gigondas AOC has a North-Northwest orientation, and it’s plantings are almost exclusively at elevation – in some cases, upwards of 500m. It’s rugged, hillside farming on soils that range from marls, to sandstone, to Miocene sand, to Cretaceous limestone rich in fossilized marine life.

The short version when it comes to Gigondas: height matters (see what I did there?). The higher elevation makes for stout reds that might be compact, but pack a big, tall punch…

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
 
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

• 2015 Ravenswood Winery Angeli Carignan (Sonoma County): High-toned, perfumed, and about as large-and-in-charge as Carignan can possibly get. $42 B+
• 2016 Turley Wine Cellars Hayne Vineyard Petite Sirah (Napa Valley): When the Valley puts on its best Mountain Man impersonation, & it’s a good one. $75 A-
• 2017 St. Amant Winery Alicante Bouschet (Lodi): Linear, brambly, and sporting ample florals that belie the OOMPH! your mouth is about to receive. $21 B+
• 2016 Hartford Family Winery Hartford Dina’s Vineyard Zinfandel (Russian River Valley): For all of its sexy polish, there’s no denying it’s a wild child deep at heart. $60 A-
• 2015 La Pandolfa ‘Pandolfo’ Romagna Sangiovese Superiore Riserva (Emilia-Romagna): Smokes tobacco. Also smokes oragne peel, herbs, and if it could, it would smoke mineral rocks, too. $NA B+
• 2016 La Pandolfa ‘Godenza’ (Romagna Sangiovese Predappio): Dark cherries that have a firm grip on their tobacco pipe, as well as on your gums. $NA B+
• 2016 Domaine Brusset ‘Les Travers’ (Cairanne): A hipster’s paradise of black pepper, low abv, and floral vibrancy. $17 B+
• 2017 Brotte ‘Les Eglantiers’ Rosé (Tavel): So in touch with both its masculine and feminine sides, it might as well be called Tiresias… $NA B+
• 2016 Brotte ‘La Marasque’ (Gigondas): Dark blue sexiness, about as far as the eye [tongue?] can see. $23 B+
• 2015 Brotte ‘Bouvencourt’ (Vacqueyras): Brought to you by the letter “L” – for Leathery, Lithe, Long, and Lovely. $NA B+