Parker hosts $12,000 Bordeaux tasting


Robert Parker and Antonio Galloni are organizing a lunch of 1982 Bordeaux from Parker’s cellar. Yes, the same passive cellar where he brought Charlie Rose and the 60 Minutes cameras in 2001.

For $12,000, attendees will be treated to a lunch at Restaurant Daniel and about 25 wines that Parker says he bought on release. Fully $6,000 per head will go to a charity, which is laudable. The other $6,000 per head, net of the restaurant’s, charges, will go to the self-proclaimed hedonist of wine and life. Since he told Charlie Rose he had 12,000 bottles in the cellar, it remains to be seen if this event will be the first of many. Full details on ’82 Bordeaux after the jump.

In other Wine Advocate news, Parker published a Napa Cabernet 2002 retrospective that included 17 wines that received 100 points.

Antonio Galloni writing on eRobertParker.com: Thanks to everyone for being patient. We hit a bit of a bump last week when we learned Wounded Warrior Project could not accept funds raised by our event because we are in the ‘alcohol’ business. Bob has decided to support the Navy SEAL Foundation, which provides a number of programs and services for the families of active, on-duty Naval Special Warfare forces and veterans.

Tickets for the 1982 Bordeaux: 30th Anniversary Tasting will be $12,000 per person ($6,000 tax-deductible). We will begin taking reservations on Monday July 2nd at 12pmEST. If you would like to make a reservation please send us an email at events@erobertparker.com There will be a limit of two seats per person. Either I or my wife, Marzia, will respond to emails. I am working in France and Italy over the next few weeks, so please do not be concerned if you don’t get a reply right away.

The event will be held at Restaurant Daniel in New York City. Registration will begin at 11:30am. Lunch will begin promptly at 12:00pm. Bob and Daniel Boulud will collaborate on a menu that celebrates the dishes that made Boulud one of this country’s most acclaimed chefs. We will have speakers from the SEALs in the room to share their experiences and talk about the Foundation. It should be a very special day all around.

This is a list of wines Bob has chosen. With one exception, all of the wines come from Bob’s cellar, where they have been impeccably stored since release.

1 Ausone
2 Beychevelle
3 Branaire-Ducru
4 Calon-Segur
5 Canon
6 Certan de May
7 Cheval Blanc
8 Cos d’Estournel
9 Ducru-Beaucaillou
10 Figeac
11 Grand-Puy-Lacoste
12 Gruaud Larose
13 L’Evangile
14 La Lagune
15 La Mission Haut-Brion
16 Lafite*
17 Lafleur
18 Latour
19 Le Gay
20 Leoville-Barton
21 Leoville-Las Cases
22 Leoville-Poyferre
23 Margaux
24 Mouton Rothschild
25 Pichon-Lalande

* Lafite is the only wine that was not bought and stored by Mr. Parker since release
** the information above is correct as of June 28, 2012 and is subject to change.

Related: “Antonio Galloni Talks Wine Advocate Collectors Series, Wine Advocate Ethics

22 Responses to “Parker hosts $12,000 Bordeaux tasting”


  1. Nice story but what is the date of this event?


  2. Parker is like Alan Greenspan?. So true, both created bubbles. Blind allegiance to both came at a cost. Parker’s most valuable asset was his credibility???? That one made me laugh. I’m 100 on that comment.


  3. I know that a lot of you would love to know what goes on at events like this. I can volunteer my time if everyone would like to chip in for the price of admission. I would be more than willing to post a story about the event along with tasting notes and pictures. I am a professional photographer and practiced wine drinker. I await your contributions.


  4. Again, this would be much ado about nothing, if Parker and friends would just back off on their strict ethical standards that are written and yet, not followed.

    Beating dead horse…now.


  5. I’m sure Mike Steinberger will be invited in his journalistic capacity.


  6. because all the wines come from mr. parker’s private collection, there is really only one fraud to be worried about…


  7. Milton – Yes, seems like an important detail that was omitted, no?

    Jack – Yes, that 60 Minutes segment made for interesting viewing 11 years after the air date…What do you think about 30-year-old wines that you’ve had from passive cellars?

    Quizicat, Daniel, and Robin – Do you think this will be a blind tasting format?

    Daniel – I think it would be particularly problematic if he were to have future events that dovetailed on his recent rave reviews, such as the Napa cab retrospective that boosted many wines from the 92-94 range to 99 and 100-point perfection. Or recent CDP vintages. Or recent Bordeaux vintages…

    Gabe – do you mean only one fraud because only one is admitted to not being from Parker’s original purchases nearly 30 years ago?


  8. I haven’t had many 30 year wines from passive cellars Dr. Vino. Considering the heat and lack of electricity in Central Maryland this week, the quality of those 30 year old wines might come into question. I believe Parker stated recently that he expected to install a generator in his cellar. I wonder if he did before the recent loss of power.


  9. Why would you need a generator for a passive cellar? As I recall, Parker never put any cooling into the cellar.

    Tasting 30 year old Bordeaux purchased upon release would be testament to how well those wine have been stored, if that is the case.

    The heat in Maryland this week is no different than any other year. I went to college in Baltimore. It gets freakin hot there over the summer.


  10. Yes, it has been really hot there over the past week.

    I thought the 60 Minutes footage was interesting since it shows that 12,000 bottles have been transported into (and many out of) the cellar through that trap door in the mud room. Also, it is either at grade or partially above grade, thus it may not be that well-insulated. I wonder if Parker would post temperature logs of his cellar in advance of the event or post the current temperature.


  11. Heat rises but if the entire house is hot hot hot, the floors are also hot. Temps rise in the summer in a passive cellar. The house above the cellar should ordinarily be cool. That could affect the cellar if even just slightly.


  12. How can you not trust him??? It’s Parker we’re talking about here 😉


  13. He offered me a discount, my price was only $11,999. And on condition that I never blog again, of course…


  14. Parker installed a generator Dan. He tweeted today.
    Robert M Parker, Jr‏@RobertMParkerJr

    …hellacious &violent storms ripped through Maryland last weekend-some of the worst ever in this region-why I have a large generator:)


  15. Wow, that’s quite a list.


  16. Since he bought these wines on release and he’s keeping $6,000 from each seat purchased, he is selling the wines, and at an extremely handsome profit, no? That means he’s changed his policies, right?


  17. Parker is now speaking about other charities benefiting several hundred thousand from the proceeds. I and others raised the obscene profit potential. The restaurant is expensive. That also comes out of the 6K.
    He changed his policies long before this meal was proposed.


  18. So let’s say $500 a head for the restaurant? $600? Hell, make it $1,000 for the sake of argument, although he’d have to host it at Marc Veyrat or L’Ambroisie to get charged that much. That’s still a huge profit for the guy based on release prices for the 1982s.


  19. Since Antonio Galloni has become more involved, it would seem that he intends to make these events more of the norm.

    La Festa del Barolo at Del Posto
    Masseto Dinner at EMP
    Italian Classes at Tarry Wine Shop
    ANd a host of other events that Galloni is doing through Acker, etc.

    It is great that Antonio intends to get the Wine Advocate “more involved.” Unfortunately, it also comes with questions. The alleged high profits from the La Festa del Barolo last spring, the $1300 per person Masseto dinner, while working with the winery and winery’s winemaker, etc etc etc.

    Now a $12,000 dinner for charity, where only half is going to charity and anyone calculating is struggling to get past $7000 in expenses.

    The bottom line is that the Wine Advocate needs to change its stance on ethical standards.

    Of course, we have exhausted this subject for years. Even Parker’s hired investigation team for Jay Miller and his pay for reviews issues in Spain, recommended a change to the ethics page that Parker appears to very proud of.

    Dr Vino,

    Of course, it will be interesting if we start seeing more of these big ticket events. There are always rumors that Parker has a serious amount of Guigal La Las stashed away. Maybe that would make for another interesting “charity” dinner.


  20. Guess that’s what happens when you get an MBA investment banker on board. Show me the money!!!


  21. Hey Wino, nice. I guess it could have been worse if AG had also been a member of the Federal Reserve Bank.


  22. Is AG’s middle initial “I”? That would be cool.


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