Parker's out and they're off

It's so odd to be sitting by the beautiful garden of a country house hotel (Casa Velha do Palheiro), the view from my armchair pictured) on the tiny island of Madeira in the middle of the Atlantic and being told  that Robert Parker has given 11 wines near-perfect scores in his report on Bordeaux 2009 just out.

This is because of the speed and efficiency of modern communications and because Julia and I are accompanied on this madeira tasting jaunt by Neal Martin who is now part of Team Parker and who has therefore been following Big Bob's...