Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Robert M. Parker Jr. (born July 23, 1947) is a leading U.S. wine critic with an international influence. His wine ratings on a 100-point scale and his newsletter The Wine Advocate, with his particular stylistic preferences and notetaking vocabulary, have become influential in American wine buying and are therefore a major factor in setting the prices for newly released Bordeaux wines. He is widely acknowledged to be the most widely known and influential wine critic in the world today. Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson of the Financial Times described his as "the world's most prized palate". Likewise, Lettie Teague of The Wall Street Journal has described him as being "widely regarded as the world's most powerful wine critic". Max Lalondrelle, fine wine buying director for Berry Bros & Rudd says: "Nobody sells wine like Robert Parker. If he turns around and says 2012 is the worst vintage I’ve tasted, nobody will buy it, but if he says it’s the best, everybody will."