FoodBanter.com - Robert Parker/Charlie Rose interview

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Robert Parker/Charlie Rose interview

One of the items that stood out in the interview that has gotten no
discussion at all in our group is Parker's statement about discovering the
importers that do really good jobs and then tasting through their portfolio.
He basically said that they are the guys that discover the new wines that
are showing a lot of promise. It would have been nice it he had followed
through on that and named his favorite importers. How about it Joe Beppe
are you one of them?
Bill

Bill Loftin wrote:
>
> One of the items that stood out in the interview that has gotten no
> discussion at all in our group is Parker's statement about discovering the
> importers that do really good jobs and then tasting through their
> portfolio.
> He basically said that they are the guys that discover the new wines that
> are showing a lot of promise. It would have been nice it he had followed
> through on that and named his favorite importers. How about it Joe Beppe
> are you one of them?
> Bill

I don't think that there's much mystery about RP's favorite importers:
he regularly lauds them in the pages of the WA. Off the top of my head,
you've got Bobby Kacher, Therry Thiese, Leonardo LoCasio, Kermit
Lynch, Martine Saunier, Daniel Johnnes and Jorge Ordoñez. Can't say I
recall seeing Da Beppe in dose pages, but maybe I need to look harder ;-)

Mark Lipton

Had lunch with Parker and Joel Butler in 1983. Butler was a friend of Marc
DeGrazia. I got into retail about that time & tried to get DeGrazia's wines
which were at DC's A&A (Tom Hanna) and imported by his step brother, Iano.
Iano was doing business with Franco DeRosa in Maryland, so first these wines
came to where I worked Milford Liquors and State Line Liquors, at some point
DeRosa hired me and I did the sales for MD as both the DeGrazia's agent and
wholesaler salesmen. I met Marco at a tasting held at the new A& A in DC.
Some coked up bimbo tried to leave with Marco, but I diverted her and Marco
& Iano went to see Marco's mom. So when I went to VinItaly in 1985 Jim
Morris & I played a day or two with Marco in Tuscany.

I represented Marco until 1995 when they bailed on me.
Todd Ruby and Bacchus took over from me.
In the meantime I developed my own portfolio of wines.
Marco got Pira and Paitin from me about a year later.

I left Parker my samples on two occasions. The first time the retailer I
left it with on his instructions may have sold the better wines. The second
time, we were supposed to drink them over lunch; after waiting 6 months, I
called and he had me deliver the wines. That was in 1999. To date I've
heard nothing further about these wines.

I saw Parker about 2 years ago when he invited me to one of his
tasting-dinners and we tasted 1997 cult cabs. I had a nice chat with him
before the dinner and never asked him about my clients wines since I was out
of the business.

Over the years Parker has tasted with Marco, David Shiverick and others I
represented. It was made pretty clear to me that I was not needed at these
occasions. Although Marco always briefed me afterwards.

There were a number of people in the wine business in Maryland who
disapproved of my holding a full time job and in my spare time outselling
them. I do not know if Parker was one of them but there were a bunch of folk
telling him things about me that were not true. I got along with him much
better when I was a consumer.

I owe Parker my whole career in wine, so I can't be too down on him. Shit
happens.

I helped 2 people in my life in their early days, Robert Klein and Robert
Parker; I mentored a lot of people in the union business and on my job.
Techniques I used to make up for my limited time were adopted by others in
the wine biz and I got to taste some great stuff and have lots of good
times.

Parker likes the individualists and likes to discover wineries and
importers. It puts him one up on the Spectator, Tanzer, Coates etc. Like
me he belongs to the ABS club--Always be selling, with me it was wine, with
him his services. God Bless.

--
Joseph B. Rosenberg
"Mark Lipton" > wrote in message
...
> Bill Loftin wrote:
> >
> > One of the items that stood out in the interview that has gotten
no
> > discussion at all in our group is Parker's statement about discovering
the
> > importers that do really good jobs and then tasting through their
> > portfolio.
> > He basically said that they are the guys that discover the new wines
that
> > are showing a lot of promise. It would have been nice it he had followed
> > through on that and named his favorite importers. How about it Joe Beppe
> > are you one of them?
> > Bill
>
> I don't think that there's much mystery about RP's favorite importers:
> he regularly lauds them in the pages of the WA. Off the top of my head,
> you've got Bobby Kacher, Therry Thiese, Leonardo LoCasio, Kermit
> Lynch, Martine Saunier, Daniel Johnnes and Jorge Ordoñez. Can't say I
> recall seeing Da Beppe in dose pages, but maybe I need to look harder ;-)
>
> Mark Lipton

Mark Lipton wrote:
> Bill Loftin wrote:
>
> I don't think that there's much mystery about RP's favorite
importers:
> he regularly lauds them in the pages of the WA. Off the top of my
head,
> you've got Bobby Kacher, Therry Thiese, Leonardo LoCasio, Kermit
> Lynch, Martine Saunier, Daniel Johnnes and Jorge Ordo=F1ez.
>

Marc de Grazia, Dan Kravitz & Eric Solomon would be others (I think, my
WA subscription ran out a while ago). While I might not like some of
these wines stylistically, hard to argue with any of those guys as to
quality. When eyeing an unknown wine, an importer strip from a good
name can definitely make a maybe a buy for me. Not neccessarily Parker
favorites, but I would add Kysela and Louis-Dressner as importers whose
names might sell me on a wine.

"DaleW" > wrote in news:1109784039.993134.277170
@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

When eyeing an unknown wine, an importer strip from a good
> name can definitely make a maybe a buy for me.
>

definitely, I have learned to approve, Kermit Lynch and Eric Solomon though
I obviously look for other things like knowing the AOC or at least have a
clue as to vintage quality in general for the region. But a good importer
will often sway a decision.

DaleW wrote:

>
> Marc de Grazia, Dan Kravitz & Eric Solomon would be others (I think, my
> WA subscription ran out a while ago). While I might not like some of
> these wines stylistically, hard to argue with any of those guys as to
> quality. When eyeing an unknown wine, an importer strip from a good
> name can definitely make a maybe a buy for me. Not neccessarily Parker
> favorites, but I would add Kysela and Louis-Dressner as importers whose
> names might sell me on a wine.

I'll second those importers, Dale, although Louis-Dressner wines aren't
easy to find outside of NYC (the outspoken Joe D. would probably
excoriate me for saying that, though). I also like the wines imported by
Grape Expectations and North Berkeley Wines, but those may not be easy
to find outside of CA (although I do see N. Berkeley wines at Sam's).

Mark Lipton