The Tastingbook.com has rated Bordeaux s best red wines from 2020 vintage without actually tasting them.
The revolutionary Tastingbook Artificial Intelligence formulated the scores by mining metadata from over 1.4 million Tastingbook.com data sources. It combined the 60,000 Bordeaux wine ratings from the Bordeaux vintages 1980-2019 created by the world s 50 most esteemed wine critics, and scoring from thousands of other Tastingbook s wine professionals. The algorithms also took into account finer details such as the climate conditions, the consistency of the producers, and their ability to produce wines in vintages similar to 2020. As a result, a unique list of the Best Bordeaux red wines has been produced, with predicted scores.
Raise your own cow
Having tasted vineyard ownership, Nock began discussions with Deaker and Thomson about buying land in Otago with the potential to produce truly great wines. Land near Lake Wanaka was generating buzz and so the three decided to drive around the area scouting for empty blocks.
Nock ultimately purchased just under five hectares of farmland, a small enough plot to avoid the need for Overseas Investment Office approval, which he planted in 2020 with roughly equal portions of pinot noir and chardonnay. He chose chardonnay based on a prediction from Jancis Robinson MW that New Zealand would one day produce some of the world’s best whites. The vines should come on stream in about two years and, based on successful nearby vineyards like Archangel, Nock’s hopes are high. But the small scale means he’s not overstretched. As he says, “Don’t go all in.”
Château Grand Puy Ducasse 2017 (Pauillac)
Having had input from both late Bordeaux icon Denis Dubourdieu and Chateau Angelus’ Hubert de Boüard, GPD is always a sure bet for ageing and a bargain to boot. The 2017 is an exercise in classicism with a lapsang souchong, graphite and blackcurrant nose, and seamless, polished structure with ample acidity and supple tannins.
Château Duhart-Milon 2017 (Pauillac)
Château Duhart-Milon 2017 (Pauillac)
Forever in the shadow of its neighbour and stablemate Lafite Rothschild, Duhart- Milon was once thought of as that illustrious property’s “second wine”. In fact there is a shared courtliness and translucency between the two. In this already lighter year, the fruit shaded into strawberry with a hint of cabernet franc-like paprika, despite there being nary a trace of franc in the blend.