Hanna Agostini, Parker's past point-woman in Bordeaux who in 2003 had been questioned in connection with improper exploitation of Parker’s stationery and his good name, (I don't know what happened to that case, does anyone?)
has released a kiss and tell book about the world’s most famous wine critic’s work practices.

Who would have thought that the book that puts Robert M. Parker on a skewer and placed him over the barbecue could have generated press from the front page of Yahoo to the New York Post and of course all around the world?

Yet as shoddy as the Agostini book might or not be, the reportage surrounding the book was mostly schlock. Except for an interview in Sud Ouest it seemed that no journalist bothered with any real research. Storiess seemed regurgitated from a press release (if you have one, I would love to see it.***) I think this one must have been the Christmas fruit cakes of press releases to have been passed around and fed so many pens.

The world-wide repetitive ink was on the news that Parker has important friends in Bordeaux (shocking! ) who makes wines he loves and awards points and that he recycles some tasting notes.

The journalism was so shoddy that I had to read four articles before I could uncover the title, which is Robert Parker: Anatomie d’un Mythe**. (I can't figure this one out. On the Amazon site it is listed as Portraid d'un Mythe.) The point repeated often was that Agostini’s point was to show that Parker was not the pure critic he tells the world he is. No one cited the actual book.

From what I could see galleys of the 378 page book were not spread about. Decanter reported that by the week of release, no review copies were available. Eager journalists seized on the news like raw meat thrown into the zoo's lion’s den.

What a marketing coup.

So far, the lack of actual reviews has not been a problem for sales. While not available in this country le livre is rated 94(!) in books on Amazon.Fr., a prominent place in the top 100. On Tuesday it drifted down to the 300 zone.

*** This entry on the book sellling site Mollat (http://www.mollat.com/livres/hanna-agostini)seems to be at least one source of the oft quoted material.

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