Suckling Retires

[bassman]

Before CA, Sucking has a very high profile at Wine Spectator. Porbert Parker's palate was much more in tune with mine. This guy has had some dream jobs, thought. Got to give him credit for that.

[khomeinist]

I think James inspires a lot of haters, largely because he smokes and drinks better than most of us. Would I have liked to see more articles penned by him on the less flashy marcas and vitolas? Of course. That being said, the magazine will likely be worse off without him (cigar journal was really the only interesting thing in Aficionado). Some great interviews with old-timers in the industry were fairly common.

Keep writing. Invest in a pair of shades so the glitz of society is less dazzling. Stay thirsty.

[samb]

Well congrats on his retirement!!

[Puros Y Vino]

Hmm.. smoke fine cigars and drink wine for a living and retire? That equation does not seem right.

It's too bad. I enjoyed his insight on the Cuban market and a bit on the wine side too. Sure, I found him to be a bit pompous at times but overall he seemed to enjoy what he did and shared his thoughts with us eloquently.

I must admit I'm curious as to why he'd retire. I did find an article with a bit more info.

http://www.decanter.com/news/news.php?id=300137

[MoneyPit]

Either JS suddenly realized that the cA ratings system is tripe and couldn't be a part of it any longer, or...

tigger, I couldn't agree more. I've been a CA subscriber for quite a while and won't be renewing my subscription when it ends. I often enjoy the articles, but the ratings are a joke.

[OZCUBAN]

There is something fishy about this departure,In that he has been working for Shanken for like he said 30 years or more ,and his former boss seems less than gracious

May be it's me but there is more to this than meets the eye

Cheers OZ

[Ken Gargett]

a couple of the decanter pieces. must say that although there was always some of the tall poppy stuff for both his wine and cigar reporting, he was/is well respected as far as his wine reporting goes and will be sadly missed. i suspect we might also find out he'll be missed re cigars as well. devil you know etc. i'm sad to see him go and keen to see what he'll do next.

In a move which has shocked the wine world, James Suckling has left the Wine Spectator.

Speaking from Los Angeles, the highly-respected critic told decanter.com he left the magazine which he helped found to 'pursue other projects'.

'You get to a point where you say “Now what?” I worked at Spectator for 30 years and it's been great. Now I've got some cool projects for the future.'

Related stories:

<LI>Shock as Suckling leaves Wine SpectatorSuckling would not be drawn on what those projects are, though they include 'a lot of public speaking in Europe and the Far East' and new ways of distributing his tasting notes.

He said he will stay in Italy and will continue to travel widely.

'There is no better time to go out and explore the wine world,' he said.

He would also not be drawn on the extraordinarily ungracious nature of his send-off from Wine Spectator, by which his former boss Marvin Shanken said he would be missed, but not that much: indeed, things would actually improve.

'We are very fortunate to have significant depth in our editorial team,' Shanken said. 'In fact, moving these tastings to New York, where we have a larger staff and better logistical control, will allow us to strengthen our coverage of these important wine regions.'

Suckling said he had not spoken to anyone about how his areas – Bordeaux, Italy and Port – would be covered.

'I read about it like everyone else did. I'm not surprised – they are a good team and super well-organised. They will send someone over from New York for En Primeur.'

As for his career as a cigar critic, Suckling said in a tweet that that would go on.

'I will continue to cover cigars as always and in a more meaningful way. I am smoking one now planning an exciting future.'

Finally Suckling hinted there could be a winemaking project in the offing. 'All wine critics have a dream to make wine. It gets under your skin. Whatever happens I'm really excited about the future. Watch this space.'

[CanuckSARTech]

Came across something, and thought it should be added to this thread, rather than start a new one...

This is a statement from Gordon Mott, Executive Editor of Cigar Aficionado, on a CA Forum thread regarding this issue (http://forums.cigaraficionado.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7666095/m/604102257/p/3):

Gordon Mott

Executive Editor, Cigar Aficionado

Posted July 16, 2010 08:24 AM

Gentlemen,

As I've already said, and as James Suckling has said in a third party publication, the parting of ways between him and our company was amicable, and we do wish him the best, as I'm sure he wishes us continued success in producing the greatest cigar magazine on earth.

From the minute Marvin received Mr. Suckling’s e-mail resignation, we've worked quickly and wisely to put in place an appropriate and comprehensive plan to ensure that you, the readers of Cigar Aficionado and cigaraficionado.com, don't have any disruption in the coverage that Mr. Suckling supplied to us about Cuba. As we have all been to Cuba -- it's cigar producing areas, it’s factories and it's administrative offices at Habanos S.A. -- the immediate future is more a matter of freshening up our contacts, not creating them for the first time. As journalists, and certainly for me as the Executive Editor of Cigar Aficionado, it has always been incumbent on us to stay abreast of the cigar market, and the people who run it, in Cuba, as well as Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and other cigar producing countries.

Yet I've always known, and I’ve made sure others know it too, that the magazine, and the company inside which it exists, is bigger than any one person. Because of our efforts to ensure that everyone who works for us is a professional, it will be here long after each of us is gone. We work hard to be sure that every member of our team is a dedicated journalist, a passionate cigar smoker and a believer in our mission to always provide you with the best information that we capable of reporting with the honesty, integrity and accuracy that the task requires. It's up to you to decide if that's important to you or not, or if we fulfill that mission.

What you all need to do is give us a chance; I love Cuban cigars as much as anybody, and I have smoked my fair share of vintage Cubans as well as current production cigars; you might be well-served to look at our tastings--every issue has current release Cuban cigars, as well as cigars from every cigar producing area and every major and minor company, including many who do not do business with us at this point. The tasters of Cigar Aficionado have smoked as many brands from more different countries, including Cuba, as anybody on the planet. Because of the sheer logistical problem of getting cigars to him, prepared properly for our blind tastings format, Mr. Suckling stopped being a regular member of our magazine's tasting panel more than 10 years ago. That in no way diminishes his authority because his travels to Cuba gave him many opportunities to sample those same cigars in a non-blind setting. But don't assume the palates of Cigar Aficionado's tasting panel are not familiar with Cuban cigars.

Some aspects of any company's business with its employees, present and former, are private matters. Without the full knowledge of how things have transpired, it is sheer hubris to make any accusations of impropriety or cast aspersions on the way things have been done. You've read Mr. Suckling's quotes and my commentary--it was amicable, and it will remain that way.

You all may enjoy the modern parlor game of engaging in speculation and gossip to try get at what you perceive to be the 'real story' behind Mr. Suckling's departure from the magazine. Read it in his own words. Mr. Suckling has chosen to pursue his own interests, outside the umbrella of M. Shanken Communications. That was his choice, not ours, but an understandable one after doing essentially the same thing for 30 years for Wine Spectator, and 18 years at Cigar Aficionado.

What I can assure you is that our promise of continued, uninterrupted coverage, is a real one. Each one of us is charged with executing that promise. We are taking it very seriously, and as a true professional challenge.

Stay tuned. We'll be doing some exciting things in the near future too.

[CanuckSARTech]

Now, this is a statement that was a few weeks old now, but I hadn't heard anything more of this until I saw a recent news article that pointed it out.

I've seen a bunch of stuff in the last few days, about how James Suckling was "tweeting" about how he didn't "retire", etc., etc., and that there was much more to the story.

But Gordon Mott's statement pointed out a few things to me.

Firstly, that James Suckling resigned. Not "retired", but resigned. After 30 years with WS, and 18 years with CA.

Secondly, that Jame Suckling "stopped being a regular member of our magazine's tasting panel more than 10 years ago". WHAT?!! I did not know this. I had thought, being that James was their "man in Cuba", and that he frequently did non-blind tastings of cigars in his magazine and web articles and blogs, that he was in fact a taster on their main reviewing panel. I mean, come on - "...because of the sheer logistical problem of getting cigars to him"???!! Please. It isn't that hard. If you can get the cigars from Cuba, you can certainly make sure all the reviewers have sticks to review. And/or, he can easily travel into New York.

Like others have said, I'm not sure if this is necessarily a pro or con for the magazine. I think that, over time, it will show to be a major con right now, and hopefully they can get out of the "funk". I'm kind of neutral on James and his tastings/ratings, etc. But, his articles no doubt transcended the pages and illustrated Cuba and Cuban cigars and cuisine perfectly. He related, what is a forbidden fruit for many, the intricasies of Cuba and Cuban cigars to the world. His passion and knowledge were real and transfixing. I honestly only really buy the magazine for both his articles, and their cigar tastings list.

This definitely changes some things.

[CanuckSARTech]

Interesting. I found a listing of Suckling's Twitter postings on the matter of his leaving CA & WS.

Here's an interesting selection - some eyebrow raising, some funny:

The reports of my retirement have been greatly exaggerated. Stay tuned for exciting things to come.

8:42 PM Jul 14th via web

I am so overwhelmed and touched by all the positive comments about my life's work. Thank you all!!!!

11:16 AM Jul 15th via web

Please rest assured that although I left Wine Spectator, I haven't left the wine world and never will!!!

11:18 AM Jul 15th via web

I have too much to share with all of you and I have too much great wine to still taste and review.

11:19 AM Jul 15th via web

I will continue to cover cigars as always and in a more meaningful way. I am smoking one now planning an exciting future.

11:32 AM Jul 15th via web

Strange how people have spoken of my retirement. I feel like I am just starting my career as a wine critic. So cool.

5:56 PM Jul 15th via web

I feel in awe with all the comments about my resignation from Wine Spectator and Cigar Aficionado. So positive about my life's work so far!

2:45 PM Jul 18th via web

I have so much more to accomplish as a wine critic and cigar writer, not to mention life in general. Thanks to you all for you support!!!

2:46 PM Jul 18th via web

I have lots of plans that I am putting together now. Very exciting for all of us.

2:46 PM Jul 18th via web

Lusitania 2009 June Habanos is so classic with cedar and tea with hints of cream. Like 1994. 92 points. Serious!

1:53 AM Jul 21st via Twitter for iPhone

Why do people forget to mention my buddy Joe Bastianich on MasterChef? So much better than an arrogant tool like G. Ramsey

6:51 PM Jul 21st via Twitter for iPhone

Still telling people I am not "retired!"

11:02 AM Jul 23rd via Twitter for iPhone

Just told a San Diego wine retailer that I am not RETIRED! I never retired. I resigned.

10:54 PM Jul 24th via Twitter for iPhone

Is it important for a wine critic to have visited the region where he or she is supposed to be an expert?

11:10 AM Jul 26th via web

Asked my 102 year old grandma if she was still enjoying life: "not if it goes on much longer."

6:37 AM Jul 28th via Twitter for iPhone

1996 Partagas Solomones II so great with mint, tobacco an mineral. Full and mouth filling. So long. 98 pts. Thank you Senor Woltners!

5:44 PM Jul 28th via web

Yesterday was officially my last day at Wine Spectator and Cigar Aficionado. It has been 29 great years. Looking forward to the future now.

6:21 AM Jul 31st via web

Smoked Padron 1964 Anniversary Petit Corona natural last night. Can still taste the creamy, tea and tobacco character. 92 pts.

6:23 AM Jul 31st via web

[CanuckSARTech]

Just got and read the new Cigar Aficionado edition (October 2010, with Adrien Brody on the cover). James' last story for CA is in there - "The Queen of Cigars", about Jemma Freeman of H&F in the UK. At the end of the article, there's a text box with a message from Gordon Mott:

Editor's Note:

This is James Suckling's final column for Cigar Aficionado. He has decided to leave M. Shanken Communications to pursue personal projects.

Senior Editor Dave Savona and I will be taking over Cuba coverage for the magazine. Since the launch of Cigar Aficionado in 1992, Mr. Suckling has contributed significantly to the magazine's editorial content, and his Cuba coverage was both unique and comprehensive. We plan on continuing that coverage for our readers in the years ahead.

Definitely no fanfare there. It will be interesting to see how badly their Cuban coverage lacks. For the last few issues, I've noticed that any articles wrote by David Savona or Gordon Mott, when interviewing Spanish speaking cigar makers (be it within H S.A., or like this recent issue, the Padrons), there seems to be this one thing - "...translated by..." To me, it seems like they may be missing a fair bit, by relying on a translator, or a family member to translate - they may miss some unspoken cues or things not translated for whatever reason. As bad as Suckling's Spanish may have been, I think he may have caught more than these two are going to potentially.

Time will tell. We can only keep our fingers crossed that things don't suffer or go lacking - the only thing I really get CA for is the Cuban coverage and such.