The Wine Advocate

Robert Parker is a renowned wine critic and publisher of The Wine Advocate. Over the past few years, Parker has brought on other reviewers to join the publication. Note that an RP next to a wine means that it was rated by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, not necessarily Robert Parker himself.

Tastings are conducted in peer group, single-blind conditions, which means the same types of wines are tasted against each other and the wineries' names are not revealed, so niether price nor the reputation of the winery influences the rating in any way. If tasted several times, the scores represent a cumulative average. Overall, the score assigned to a specific wine reflects the quality of the wine at its best. Parker encourages readers to rely on the score with the written notes rather than the score alone.

The Wine Advocate's 100-Point Scale:

• 96-100 – Extraordinary; a classic wine of its variety
• 90-95 – Outstanding; exceptional complexity and character
• 80-89 – Barely above average to very good; wine with various degrees of flavor
• 70-79 – Average; little distinction beyond being soundly made
• 60-69 – Below average; drinkable, but containing noticeable deficiencies
• 50-59 – Poor; unacceptable, not recommended