Wine Choice

* I was shocked, shocked, I tell you, to read the revelation about Robert Parker in David Shaw’s Feb. 24 article. No, not the staggering number of wines Parker tastes annually; nor the report that some winemakers allegedly assemble special “Parker cuvees” for the famed critic to taste. Rather, I was horrified to read Shaw’s description of Parker’s meal at Pinot Blanc, when he apparently chose to wash down a plate of fresh oysters with a bottle of Harlan Estate. The world’s leading wine critic paired a full-bodied Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with oysters? Mr. Shaw, can this unspeakable act possibly be true?

JEAN T. BARRETT

Los Angeles