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Meet the Wine Critic

Wine critics and their wine scores play a very important part in the wine world. Their opinions and scores influence wine buying decisions, a wine score or a review from a wine critic can make or break a wine and its reputation. Wine critics offer a valuable opinion when we're not sure which wine to choose, and at the most basic level they help many wine consumers to avoid buying the 'wrong' wine. Today, many people check wine scores before making a decision on which wine to buy. You may also be interested to know that we go every year to taste Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone En Primeur wines. See below for further information on our Fine Wine Buying team; James Goodhart and Andrew Ray.

Our Fine Wine Buying Team

James Goodhart, Bon Coeur

Founder and Chairman of Bon Coeur, James Goodhart also heads up our Wine Buying Team and orchestrates all our En Primeur campaigns. His first En Primeur campaign was the 1996 vintage. With over 20 years experience he plays a lead role in our Fine Wine team. Whilst James doesn’t score wines, he writes all his own tasting notes, picking out his personal favourites and only buys wines he would recommend. See our vintage review for Burgundy and Bordeaux to read his take on recent vintages and see our Fine Wine section for the latest En Primeur and Investment Wine news. You can also follow the highs and lows of the campaigns by signing up to our En Primeur mailing list and view our Fine Wine Broking List here.

Should you wish to discuss Fine Wine with James, please contact him directly.

Andrew Ray, Bon Coeur

Following an Undergraduate Degree in French and Spanish, Andrew discovered his passion for Fine Wine when living in La Rioja, Spain where he was able to taste regularly with one of the best winemakers in the region.

Bitten by the wine bug, he moved home to the UK and began working at 1* Michelin restaurant, Kenny Atkinson at House of Tides. Andrew progressed to become Head Sommelier, where he crafted a wine list and recommended some exceptional Fine Wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy and beyond to clients.

With several Bordeaux En Primeur campaigns under his belt as well as treading the grapes during the harvest at Quinta do Vargellas (Taylor’s), he has gained a wealth of knowledge that he continues to develop having recently started his (WSET) Wines and Spirits Education Trust Diploma.

Should you wish to discuss Fine Wine with Andrew please get in touch.

Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

American wine critic Robert M Parker is arguably the most influential wine critic in the world and whilst he has now retired, his scores are still very much respected.The Wine Advocate newsletter first became known after Parker accurately predicted the high quality of the 1982 Bordeaux vintage. It soon became a standard reference for fine wine consumers in the United States and all over the world. The Wine Advocate is believed to have a profound effect both on prices and market demand for fine wines around the world. Find out more about Robert Parker here.

Wine Scores
- 96-100 - Extraordinary
- 90-95 - Outstanding
- 80-89 - Barely above average to very good
- 70-79 - Average
- 60-69 - Below average
- 50-59 - Unacceptable

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent

Lisa Perrotti-Brown is a Master of Wine (MW) from Maine, USA. Lisa has worked in the wine industry for over 20 years, in both the UK and Japan, and from 2008 she began writing a column for the Robert Parker website. After spending many years working for Robert Parker Wine Advocate, in 2021, Lisa left to become co-founder of The Wine Independent. Find out more about Lis Perrotti-Brown MW here.

Neal Martin, Vinous

The UK based wine critic and journalist has recently moved to Antonio Galloni’s Vinous Media, where he has become Senior Editor after 11 years at Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate. Founder of the Wine Journal, Neal Martin is positioned to become one of the most influential wine critics in the business. Down to earth, he is also extremely passionate about music and photography. Find out more about Neal Martin here.

James Suckling

James Suckling is an American wine critic and journalist who spent 30 years writing for Wine Spectator magazine until 2010 when he started his own website, JamesSuckling.com. Find out more about James Suckling here.

Wine Scores
- 95-100 - A must buy
- 90-95 - Outstanding
Wines rated from barrel are rated with two point ranges such as 90-91.

Jancis Robinson MW

Jancis Robinson is a British wine writer and critic who rose to fame after becoming the first Master of Wine (MW) from outside the wine trade in the mid-1980s. Jancis is now one of the most influential critics in the trade and writes a weekly column for the Financial Times. Learn more about Jancis Robinson here.

Wine Scores
- 20 - Truly exceptional
- 19 - A humdinger
- 18 - A cut above superior
- 17 - Superior
- 16 - Distinguished
- 15 - Average
- 14 - Deadly dull
- 13 - Borderline faulty or unbalanced
- 12 - Faulty or unbalanced