From Broom To Gavel: Michael Broadbent MW

BY NEAL MARTIN | MARCH 25, 2020

Introduction

Michael Broadbent is the single most influential person in my career. Thanks to him, a job became a passion. There would inevitably come a day when I would write about him posthumously. Thankfully that day took many years to arrive. I did not want to write, nor do I think Broadbent deserves, a facts-and-figures chronological run-through of achievements during a career that saw him ostensibly invent the tasting note, establish London as an epicenter of the wine trade and become an exemplar of how wine should be appreciated and enjoyed. Instead, I have written an article that I hope would have earned Broadbent’s nod of approval. It is an intentionally personal piece that that does not take itself too seriously and borrows some of its subject’s wit. I hope it will give readers an insight into the man behind the name.

This turned out to be a long piece, but many of us have plenty of time on our hands at present. Therefore I decided to split it into two parts and publish them on consecutive days. This first part is my own perspective on Michael Broadbent, an anecdotal account of how we intersected toward the end of his career and the beginning of mine. I never knew him as well as others, even though he could make you feel you were lifelong friends, but for several years we became well acquainted both professionally and socially, resulting in the second part of this article. “A Man of Polite Learning” is the title of my interview with Broadbent, originally published on my fledgling website 15 years ago. It has not seen the light of day for many years – kept in reserve, I guess, until the day that Michael Broadbent was no longer among us.

Michael Broadbent and me in April 2004 in Tokyo. Yes, that is yours truly in a suit and tie.

Michael Broadbent: A Personal Appreciation