WINE CRITICS - WHO KNOWS ABOUT WHICH REGIONS
Take the recommendations of wine critics with a grain of salt, because they are only human and as such only partially objective. It is better to learn through experience to assess the subjective judgments of wine critics for yourself, so that their reviews and ratings can serve as a tool to help you buy wines that are exactly to your taste. In the hope of making your purchasing decisions easier, we will not only introduce you to the most reliable critics here, but also name their strengths in concrete terms. So that you can reach your goal, your favorite wine, faster!
Jeb Dunnuck
It's no coincidence that we name our buddy Jeb, an airplane engineer, as our first wine critic. He reminds me so much of my friend Robert M. Parker Jr, once the most reliable and independent wine critic. Bob hired Jeb in 2013 to help him with the Rhône wines, and later with the California wines. When Bob retired, the culture at the «Wine Advocate» changed and Jeb ventured out on his own.
No one writes as enthusiastically about wine as Jeb Dunnuck. Let yourself be carried away and discover the wines of (as yet) unknown winemakers.
We blindly trust Jeb’s judgment when it comes to wines from the following regions:
- Rhône
- Languedoc-Roussillon
- California
Antonio Galloni
I share a love of Piedmont and its archaic wines with Antonio. I met Antonio for the first time in August 2005, when he was reviewing the wines of Italy and some from California for my friend Robert Parker. It was in Daniel Boulud’s bar that the perfect Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve 2001 from Clos du Caillou kicked off a magical evening.
Antonio had to find a way to publish his impressions, collected in a classic way, in a contemporary form. This is how «vinous media» was born, a platform for anyone who wants to find out more about wines and their winemakers.
We particularly trust Antonio when it comes to the wines of the following regions:
- Champagne
- California
- Italy
Neal Martin
Neal Martin also worked for Robert Parker and was initially responsible for Burgundy and later also for Bordelaise. Neal is an extremely meticulous person whose aim is to understand every wine. His descriptions of the wines are detailed; and the way he portrays the winemakers is in a class of its own, where only William Kelley, who we will come to later, can hold a candle to him.
In 2016, Neal Martin joined «Vinous», where Antonio Galloni entrusted him with the wines of Burgundy and Bordeaux, regions, or rather wines, with which Neal identifies and where he feels at home.
It is clear that we trust Neal Martin's judgment, especially when he talks about:
- Burgundy
David Schildknecht
David began his journalistic career in the late 1980s at Stephan Tanzer's «International Wine Cellar» before moving to Robert Parker’s «The Wine Advocate». Here he devoted himself to the wines and winegrowers of Germany and Austria for us, just as he does today at «Vinous» –.
If you are already familiar with David's writing, you will not be surprised to learn that he is a trained philosopher. We met him on a beautiful spring day in 1998, when we were sitting under Knoll's apple trees and I was enjoying a slice of Knoll's fabulous Tafelspitzsülze before tucking into a schnitzel with potato salad.
Like us, become a follower of the philosopher David when he teaches us about the wines of the following countries:
- Germany
- Österreich
William Kelley
Not only his enthusiasm for the subject of wine, but also his enormous practical knowledge in all areas related to viticulture and winemaking is evident in every conversation, every e-mail and every text message from William, almost tangible.
Oxford University was William's stomping ground, where he enrolled in history and earned his doctorate. Along the way, he presented the Oxford Wine Circle for years. Today, William is not only a journalist, but also a winemaker in Burgundy, where he has been making an interesting wine since the 2019 vintage. Interested? Stay tuned!
Although I haven't known William for long, we get on very well, «are on the same page» when it comes to the following wines and wine-growing regions:
- Champagne
- Burgundy
Erin Brooks
Thanks to my buddies Bob Parker and Oliver Mummenthaler – Oli is in Lucerne in the service of Robert Parker – I am very familiar with the team at «Wine Adovcate». Only Erin Brooks I have not yet met in person. But thanks to all the articles I have read about her, she is no longer an unknown quantity to me.
Lisa Perrotti Brown commissioned Erin to take a close look at the wines of Oregon, Sonoma County and the Central Coast. To talk to the winemakers and develop a feel for the land, the people, the climate and the wine. In my opinion, Erin has done this extremely well!
We trust Erin especially when it comes to the wines of the following regions:
- Oregon
- Sonoma Coast
- California's Central Coast
Stephan Reinhardt
Stephan is hard to put into a box, his interests are too diverse - a virtue, I think, and ultimately one of his qualities. Reinhardt began writing about wine in the late 1990s and has written countless articles for all the major German-language wine magazines and newspapers.
A respected journalist whose judgment carries considerable weight, Stephan has been around for many years, but since joining the robertparker.com team in May 2014 from Lisa Perotti Brown, he has been a heavyweight in the industry.
We trust Stephan's judgment especially when he reports on the winemakers and wines of the following wine regions:
- Switzerland
- Germany
- Österreich
- Alsace
Monica Larner
Monica Larner has been more than a household name to me for many years. Because her family is synonymous with «cutting edge wine farming» in California's Central Coast. In Ballard Canyon, north of Santa Barbara, the Larners grow the finest grapes, which the region's most renowned winemakers virtually tear from their vines. Because these grapes are among the best that can be bought in California, the Larners can choose who turns their fruit into wine. Now you know how Monica got into wine and that, as a wine journalist, she has more comprehensive knowledge than most of the wine critics you might otherwise read.
In 2013, Lisa Perotti Brown convinced Monica, who has been writing about the wines of her adopted country Italy since 2003, to join the robertparker.com team.
Monica is particularly knowledgeable about the wines:
- Italy
Joe Czerwinski
Joe has been a stalwart member of the wine journalists' guild for many years. Although he was with the «Wine Enthusiast» for more than 18 years and even headed its fortunes at the end, he was completely unknown to me until the moment he took over from Jeb Dunnuck at Robert Parker. Today, Joe has settled in and his reports and ratings are becoming more reliable and consistent, so that we are happy to quote him here and there.
He has really got to grips with what's going on along the Rhône and reports reliably on:
- Rhône
Luis Gutiérrez
Luis is a wild guy who was already working in IT when it was all nerds. A rocker among them, he must have stood out like a sore thumb. When we launched the Zürcher Edition of Parker’s «A Matter of Taste», Luis was also there and I got to know a man who loves wine more than anything and likes to meet people who share his love. Good conversation and great wines made this evening unforgettable.
Luis has been writing about wine since 2000 and, thanks to his open-mindedness, he can get something out of even the most outlandish wines, provided they are authentic and perfectly crafted.
Luis has earned our trust through his reports on the wines of the following countries and regions:
- Spain
- Portugal
- Jura
James Suckling
James Suckling is a veteran wine journalist. For almost 30 years he edited the «Wine Spectator», America's wine tabloid magazine, which also features nice restaurant stories and reads easily and casually.
Suckling had long felt that it was time to take wine journalism to a new level, to offer readers more than just reviews and prose. In 2010, he went online with jamessuckling.com; here he still reports reliably in words and writing - and occasionally also with videos.
James Suckling has earned our trust for the following countries and regions:
- Champagne
- Montalcino
- California
- Oregon
Stuart Pigott
Pigott, an eccentric wine journalist, or rather an eccentrically dressed British wine journalist, not only drew attention to himself at the end of the 1990s with various publications about German wine, but also to the renewing wine culture in Germany. Pigott could be seen as the hub engine of German wine, visible only to insiders, with a highly efficient effect.
I am quite sure that Stuart Pigott has made a considerable contribution to the new German wine feeling, to the dynamics among German winegrowers and has given us wine lovers many a great wine along the way.
It's clear that we trust Pigott when he reports on German wine, but not only that:
- Germany
- Österreich
Robert M. Parker Jr.
Nobody shaped the wine world like Robert M. Parker Jr. did. Nobody understood like you, dear Bob, how to get winemakers to make better wines. You retired in 2019 and handed over your life's work to the Michelin Guide. A good decision, I'm sure of that.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, my dear friend Bob, for your commitment, your infectious passion that has inspired us all for so many years!
I can hardly wait until we meet again, tell each other stories late into the night and laugh about a thousand and one jokes until our diaphragm muscles ache.