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63-552: Château Lascombes is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France . The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Seconds Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 . In the 1950s, the estate was purchased by French wine writer Alexis Lichine who continued to own part of the estate till 1971 when Bass Charrington took over principal ownership. In 2001 it

126-693: A grape variety distribution of 50% Merlot , 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot . The château annually produces 250,000 bottles of the Grand vin and 70,000 bottles of the second wine Chevalier de Lascombes. In 2008, it was reported that Lascombes had rented vineyards that belong to Château Martinens , a former Cru Bourgeois , which had 28 hectares (69 acres) of vineyards within AOC Margaux plus 25 hectares (62 acres) of Haut-Médoc AOC . Classified growths are allowed to expand their vineyard holdings without losing their classification, but only with vineyards of

189-434: A bandage to stop the bleeding from his leg, Hebrard instead gave him a copy of the offending newsletter. Hebrard denies that Parker was bleeding. Wine critic Prial says "The Bordeaux wine establishment feels threatened by these new-style wines... and is engaged in an increasingly bitter fight against Parker and his influence." There is evidence that Parker's rating scale has a dual effect on prices and sales, with claims from

252-674: A commercial winery under the same name. He promised never to review any wines produced there in The Wine Advocate . Two of Parker's tasters had, or still have, an interest in the distribution or the sale of wines, according to published accounts. Robert Parker's goddaughter, Marie Raynaud, is the daughter of Alain Raynaud—the co-owner of Château la Croix-de-Gay in Pomerol and former owner of Château Quinault in Saint-Émilion. Mr. Raynaud

315-456: A high wastewater output. To a lesser degree, wastewater is produced if boilers or water conditioning equipment is used. Robert M. Parker Jr. Robert McDowell Parker Jr. (born July 23, 1947) is a retired American wine critic. His wine ratings on a 100-point scale and his newsletter The Wine Advocate are influential in American wine buying and are therefore a major factor in setting

378-462: A homogenization of wine styles around the world as Parker's "tastes are irrevocably changing the way some French wines are made", according to the BBC's Caroline Wyatt. Indeed, certain low-producing "boutique" wineries, among others, have received high scores from Parker for wines made in this style. Parker disputes the notion of growing homogeneity and argues for the opposite: "When I started tasting wines, in

441-477: A positive article Parker wrote in the second issue of The Baltimore/Washington Wine Advocate about MacArthur Liquors and its manager, Addy Bassin. That article fails to mention that Mr. Bassin sold Parker a list of MacArthur's customers for use in mailing out the first, free issue of the Advocate , a potential conflict of interest. In issue 164 of The Wine Advocate , Parker wrote a long article about Jeffrey Davies,

504-647: A relatively large scale, if not evidence of actual wineries, has been found in the Middle East . In 2011 a team of archaeologists discovered a 6000 year old wine press in a cave in the Areni region of Armenia , and identified the site as a small winery. Previously, in the northern Zagros Mountains in Iran , jars over 7000 years old were discovered to contain tartaric acid crystals (a chemical marker of wine), providing evidence of winemaking in that region. Archaeological excavations in

567-405: A scale from 50 to 100 points based upon the wine's color and appearance, aroma and bouquet, flavor and finish, and overall quality level or potential. Therefore, 51 rather than 100 different ratings are possible. Although some critics, such as Jancis Robinson , argue that numerical rating systems are questionable—given the subjectivity of wine tasting and the variance in scores that a wine's age and

630-717: A second wine of higher quality, Chevalier de Lascombes, which was matured in oak barrels (a third of which being new) for 14–20 months. Château Segonnes is still being produced, but now as a third wine. Following Vanatelle's retirement, Bruno Lemoine , formerly of Château Montrose , was named new winemaker. In 2001, the estate was purchased for $ 67 million by US-based Colony Capital with the entrepreneur Yves Vatelot . The new owners invested heavily in modernizing Lascombes, which had been considered an underperformer in relation to its classification. While Lascombes has been awarded high notes for its wines by many wine critics (such as Robert M. Parker Jr. ) and managed to significantly increase

693-519: A significant impact on the price of en primeur Bordeaux wines: Taking the Saint-Émilion grands crus , for instance, Parker ratings alone account for 33 per cent of the variance in release price and a staggering 50 per cent of the variance in increase in release price between 2004 and 2005. Very similar effects are seen for the Médoc classed growths, with Parker score alone accounting, again, for just over

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756-420: A small farm vineyard is a small wine producer or may not have its own vineyard , and instead sources its grape product from outside suppliers. The concept is similar to a microbrewery , in that small batches of product are made primarily for local consumption. The concept of the micro-winery is not as easily accepted as that of the microbrewery, however, as the general public has been conditioned to associate

819-468: A special permit to open a satellite store in a tourist area. New York's passing of the Farm Winery Act of 1976 set an example for other states to pass similar laws. Farm wineries usually operate at a smaller scale than commercial wineries. Farm wineries are a form of value added marketing, known as agritourism, for farmers who may otherwise struggle to show a profit. A micro-winery can either be at

882-592: A syndicate of American investors that included David Rockefeller , in 1952. Shortly before, Lichine also purchased another Margaux estate, Château Prieuré-Lichine . Lichine improved the vineyards through his expertise and commitment. In 1971 the backing company was taken over by the British brewing company Bass Charrington, bringing the Lichine era to an end. Following the acquisition by the Bass Group, winemaker René Vanatelle

945-660: A third of the total variance in release price and 38 per cent of the variance in increase in release price between these consecutive vintages. Moreover, even if we control for position in the official classification, with which Parker ratings are strongly correlated, they account for an additional 8 per cent of the variance in release price and an additional 9 per cent of the variance in increase in release price. Hay also argues that Parker's ratings are more influential, and prices more sensitive to his en primeur scores , where—as in Saint-Émilion—the official system of classification

1008-452: A wider range of wines; as it is not tied to the grapes it grows. New York State provides a specific micro-winery license that requires the microwinery to purchase local ingredients. The urban winery is a recent phenomenon whereby a wine producer chooses to locate their winemaking facility in an urban setting within a city rather than in the traditional rural setting near the vineyards . With advances in technology and transportation, it

1071-535: A wine trader based in Bordeaux. As Hanna Agostini and Marie-Françoise Guichard point out in their book Robert Parker, Anatomy of a Myth , what Parker failed to mention was that he tasted wines with Davies, not by himself—yet Parker has repeatedly stated that an impartial wine critic should taste wines alone. Davies advised Parker not to publish his comments on the 2004 Bordeaux in issue 164, as Parker had planned, because they would have suffered from their comparison with

1134-420: A winery as having a vineyard. A winery uses similar wine-making equipment as a major commercial winery, just on a smaller scale. Glass carboys and sanitary plastic pails are often seen in the facilities of a micro-winery. Typically, each batch of wine yields 23 Liters (6 US gallons). One of the primary differences of a micro-winery as compared to a typical winery is that a micro-winery is typically able to offer

1197-428: Is his 100-point rating system, which he popularized in conjunction with his friend Victor Morgenroth. Parker designed the system to counter what he believed to be confusing or inflated ratings by other wine writers—many of whom he accused of a conflict of interest, as they often had a financial interest in the wines they rated. The scale, now widely imitated in other publications (such as Wine Spectator ), ranks wine on

1260-605: Is more flexible and less prestigious. But it also suggests how Parker scores may play a crucial role, alongside well-established and highly respected classification systems (as for instance in the Médoc), in building up and, in particular, restoring the reputations of châteaux generally regarded to have fallen below their official place in the classification. In this respect, rather than overturning local classificatory schema, Parker's external influence may well work in parallel with them. Hay notes that Parker's influence on consumer preferences

1323-578: Is most keenly felt by Bordeaux, California , and Rhône wines . Parker's influence on Burgundy wines was lessened as the result of a libel lawsuit filed against him by Domaine Faiveley . In the third edition of his Wine Buyer's Guide , Parker reported that "the Faiveley wines tasted abroad would be less rich than those one can taste on the spot [...]". In other words, Parker accused Faiveley of cheating. Faiveley sued Parker for libel ; in February 1994, Parker

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1386-458: Is not a problem for an urban winery to grow their grapes in a remote location and then transport them to the urban facility for crushing, fermentation and aging. Urban wineries have been opened in cities across the United States including San Francisco; Sacramento; Portland, Oregon; Seattle; Frederick, Maryland; New York; Cincinnati; San Diego; and Los Angeles to name a few. Wilridge Winery was

1449-498: Is not so great as it is on prices. Parker strongly influenced the creation of garagiste wines, created by a group of innovative winemakers in the Bordeaux region of France. Parker is an avid fan of Bordeaux, and some of his critics observe that his focus is largely limited to French wine . In recent years, he has taken on additional staff for The Wine Advocate , which has enabled the publication to expand into other areas, such as Greek and Israeli wines . Still, his influence

1512-447: Is perfect, but a system that provides for flexibility in scores, if applied by the same taster without prejudice, can quantify different levels of wine quality and provide the reader with one professional's judgment. However, there can never be any substitute for your own palate nor any better education than tasting the wine yourself. Parker argues that he scores wines on how much pleasure they give him. He, and others, have said that it

1575-549: Is the obscurity, corruption, and other problems of the appellation system that made his consumer-oriented approach necessary. For example, the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 was based entirely upon the château 's reputation and trading price in 1855. However, since then many châteaux have sold much of their vineyards ; others have bought additional vineyards far away. The original winemakers are long dead. Parker says that this state of affairs

1638-720: The Barossa Valley in Australia or the legendary wine regions of France ( Bordeaux , Burgundy , Champagne ) and Italy , wineries can be found nearly everywhere. The east coast of the United States also has winemaking regions like New York's Finger Lakes region, Aquidneck Island , RI and Long Island, NY and Cape May, NJ. Wineries do not have to be located adjacent to vineyards; grapes can be shipped anywhere. In addition, people make wine out of other fruits and plants (dandelion wine, apple wine, strawberry wine, honey wine, passion fruit wine), so these specialty wineries tend to pop up where

1701-416: The conflicts of interest that might taint the opinions of other critics who also make a living selling wine. In 1978, he published a direct-mail newsletter called The Baltimore-Washington Wine Advocate , which was later renamed The Wine Advocate. The first issue was sent free to consumers from mailing lists Parker purchased from several major wine retailers. Six hundred charter subscribers paid to receive

1764-481: The fermentation of fruit, as well as blending and aging of the juice. The grapes may be from vineyards owned by the winery or may be brought in from other locations. Many wineries also give tours and have cellar doors or tasting rooms where customers can taste wines before they make a purchase. While some associate wineries with large winemaking regions such as Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley in California,

1827-597: The tannins can be supple. The wines typically are ready for drinking after eight years and can usually last up to thirty. Winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine , or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company . Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses , bottling lines , laboratories , and large expanses of tanks known as tank farms. Wineries may have existed as long as 8,000 years ago. The earliest known evidence of winemaking at

1890-424: The 1970s, we were on a slippery slope. There was a standardization of wines, where you couldn't tell a Chianti from a cabernet. That's pretty much stopped now." Jacques Hebrard, the manager of Château Cheval Blanc , was once outraged at Parker's evaluation and asked Parker to re-taste the wine. Upon his return, Hebrard's dog attacked Parker as the manager stood by idly and watched. Parker says that when he asked for

1953-518: The Gironde Estuary, and "right bank" in the regions east.) In addition to writing and tasting for The Wine Advocate , which is published six times a year in Monkton, Maryland , Parker has been a contributing editor for Food and Wine Magazine and BusinessWeek . He has also written periodically for the British magazine The Field and has been the wine critic for France's L'Express magazine,

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2016-705: The United States, but with significant readership in over 37 other countries. While other wine publications have more subscribers, The Wine Advocate is still considered to exert a significant influence on wine consumers' buying habits, particularly in America. New York Times wine critic Frank Prial asserted that "Robert M. Parker Jr. is the most influential wine critic in the world." A lengthy profile of Parker entitled "The Million Dollar Nose" ran in The Atlantic Monthly in December 2000. Among other claims, Parker told

2079-516: The World from Parkerization by Alice Feiring , and the 2010 French language bande dessinée comic book , Robert Parker: Les Sept Pêchés capiteux . Parker's nose and palate are insured for $ 1 million. Parker disclosed at the end of 2012 that he would sell a "substantial interest" in his newsletter and step down as editor in chief. His new partners were a trio of Singapore-based hedge fund investors. Parker formally retired from The Wine Advocate at

2142-441: The age of 71 in 2019. Until the 1970s, wine criticism was usually complementary to the production or trade of wine. The conflict of interest that might ensue from this close relationship was accepted by consumers, as they consulted wine reviews to gain an introduction to the world of wine, and not necessarily for advice on getting good value for their money. Hence, before Robert Parker, wine critics almost always had some link to

2205-473: The author that he tastes 10,000 wines a year and "remembers every wine he has tasted over the past thirty-two years and, within a few points, every score he has given as well." Yet, in a public blind tasting of fifteen top wines from Bordeaux 2005—which he has called "the greatest vintage of my lifetime"—Parker could not correctly identify any of the wines, confusing left bank wines for right several times. (In general, "left bank" wines are grown in regions west of

2268-477: The circumstances of tasting can cause—similar 100-point scoring systems are widely used by American reviewers. Many British reviewers, such as Jancis Robinson and Clive Coates , still prefer a 20-point system. Retailers in North America often mark wines with Parker's point scores, using printed cards attached to the shelves. Parker cautions buyers that they should read the tasting notes to determine whether or not

2331-453: The estate, which is situated on the highest knoll of Margaux, takes its name from "la côte" ("height") via "lascote" to "lascombes". Antoine de Lascombes (born 1625) inherited or had possession of the estate from the Durfort de Duras family , with whose properties in the Bordeaux it remained at first integrated; wine is first mentioned in 1700 In the eighteenth century the domaine was separated from

2394-506: The final score is determined. Parker's impact on the style of fine wines has generated controversy. Parker is highly critical of "those who make 'industrial wines with little flavor and no authenticity ' " and he believes that there are still undiscovered regions and wines that can successfully challenge the wine establishment. Critics such as Golo Weber claim that Parker likes less-acidic, riper wines with significant amounts of oak, alcohol, and extract. This supposed "Parker taste" may be less

2457-486: The first time a non-Frenchman has held this position. Among the books and films that have focused on the influence and effects of Parker on the global wine industry are the 2004 book The Accidental Connoisseur , by Lawrence Osborne , the 2004 documentary film Mondovino by Jonathan Nossiter , a 2005 unauthorized biography The Emperor of Wine by Elin McCoy , the 2008 book The Battle for Wine and Love: Or How I Saved

2520-551: The first urban winery in Seattle. Winery wastewater is primarily generated during the cleaning of winemaking equipment and facilities. The quantity and quality of wastewater shows seasonal variations. Wastewater handling involves collection, possible treatment, then disposal and/or reuse. Peak wastewater generation occurs during the "crush", in other words, when grapes are actively being processed into juice for fermentation. This process requires large amounts of clean water and results in

2583-469: The future almost impossible, since— in part because of the success of his scoring system—it is now prohibitively expensive to taste the very wines one should criticize. If it behooves a critic to understand, say, Château Lafite 1982, 2000, 2003, and 2005 before assessing the latest vintage: the critic must drink wine worth tens of thousands of dollars before beginning the review. One of the most influential and controversial features of Parker's wine criticism

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2646-504: The much better 2003 and 2005. Parker followed Davies' advice, and published those comments in the following issue instead. The second issue of The Baltimore/Washington Wine Advocate stated "Robert Parker has no interest, direct or indirect, financial or any other, in importing, distributing or selling wines." In the late 1980s, Parker invested in an Oregon vineyard with his brother-in-law, Michael G. Etzel, called The Beaux Frères Vineyard ("The Brothers-in-Law"), which would soon after become

2709-501: The name Domaine de Lascombes. Through sales and inheritance the estate passed through a succession of owners, until it was formed into a company in 1926, with the Ginestet family, then owners of Château Margaux , as major shareholders. During the later stages of World War II the country house served as a headquarters for the Allied forces. Château Lascombes was purchased by Alexis Lichine and

2772-454: The other substances are grown. For example, a winery in Hawaii produces pineapple wine. A class of winery license known as the farm winery allows farms to produce and sell wines on site. Farm wineries differ from commercial wineries in that the fruit which is the source of the wine is usually produced on the farm, and the final product is also sold on the farm. States such as New York have given

2835-559: The price of its Grand vin since the investment, the US owners made the château available for sale in late 2007. Tony Ryan was also a major shareholder. In 2011, Lascombes was sold to the French insurance group MACSF  [ fr ] for 200 million euro , of which approximately 50 million euro was its stock of wine. Currently Lascombes employs Michel Rolland as consultant of oenology . The vineyard area comprises 84 hectares (210 acres) with

2898-525: The prices for newly released Bordeaux wines . This made him the most widely known and influential wine critic in the world. Parker was born in Baltimore, Maryland . His father was a construction equipment salesman. He is an honors graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park , with a major in history and a minor in art history . He continued his education at University of Maryland School of Law at

2961-404: The production or trade of wines. Two wine critics were particularly influential in inspiring and defining Robert Parker: Parker is a consumer advocate who admires Ralph Nader and has been critical of most wine critics, who traditionally have been part of the wine industry and have had vested interests. According to Mike Steinberger , Parker has inadvertently made becoming a wine critic in

3024-616: The property of the comtes de de Duras and was inherited by Jean-François and Anne de Lascombes. Jean-François de Lascombes was a councillor at the parlement of Bordeaux, king's procureur at the Admiralty and a member of the Académie de Bordeaux (1761). The vineyard remained the property of the Lascombes family for three generations until after the French Revolution . Until 1860 the estate bore

3087-469: The result of Parker's own preferences than of a trend initiated by Émile Peynaud , the French oenologist and father of the so-called "international wines". In the 1970s, winemakers avoided the late harvests, when the grapes were mature, in order to avoid the risks of end-of-season rains. Peynaud proposed that winemakers should wait to harvest until the grape was fully mature, or even over-mature. He also insisted on control of malolactic fermentation through

3150-516: The same appellation as their own, which makes it uncertain to which purpose the Haut-Médoc vineyards would be put. For most vintages , the composition of the Grand vin is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. The second wine, Chevalier de Lascombes, will have a higher composition of Merlot. Château Lascombes is usually rich and full bodied with a concentration of ripe fruit and underlying aromas of cedar . Like many Margaux wines,

3213-503: The second issue published later that year. Parker received worldwide attention when he called the 1982 vintage in Bordeaux superb, contrary to the opinions of many other critics, such as San Francisco critic Robert Finigan , who felt it was too low-acid and ripe. While there is still debate about the timelessness of the vintage, prices of 1982 Bordeaux remain consistently higher than other vintages. More than twenty years later, The Wine Advocate has over 50,000 subscribers, primarily in

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3276-517: The seeming objectivity of the 100-point scale: "I really think probably the only difference between a 96-, 97-, 98-, 99-, and 100-point wine is really the emotion of the moment." Parker is considered an unusually fast taster, and during an initial assessment he may keep a wine in his mouth for only four or five seconds before determining whether it is potentially a wine of 80 points or above. Mediocre wines will then be dismissed while those with potential are tasted twice or three times in succession before

3339-417: The southern Georgian region of Kvemo Kartli uncovered evidence of wine-making equipment (containers called qvevri ) dating back 8000 years. In 2017 the remnants of an 8000-year-old facility for large-scale production was found 20 miles south of Tbilisi , Georgia . Wineries typically employ winemakers to produce various wines from grapes by following the winemaking process. This process involves

3402-611: The urban campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore , graduating in 1973 with a Juris Doctor degree. He discovered wine as a student visiting Alsace , where Patricia, now his wife, was studying. For over ten years, he was assistant general counsel for the Farm Credit Banks of Baltimore; he resigned in March 1984 to focus on writing about wine. In 1975, Parker began writing a wine guidebook. Taking his cue from consumer advocate Ralph Nader , Parker wanted to write about wine without

3465-519: The use of stainless steel vessels. The globalist domination of the oenological press by Parker's ideas has led to changes in viticulture and winemaking practices, such as reducing yield by green harvesting , harvesting grapes as late as possible for maximum ripeness , not filtering the wine, and using new techniques—such as microoxygenation —to soften tannins. These widespread changes in technique have been called "Parkerization", also sometimes known as "The International Style", and have led to fear of

3528-660: The wine industry that a Parker top score is valued at potentially £ 5 million. Whatever his influence, Parker alone cannot impact the market price for a wine if he is alone against the mainstream. The famous controversy around the Château Pavie 2003 is an example of this: despite Parker's positive ratings, the wine in bottle sold 30% cheaper than en primeur . In a statistical analysis published in New Political Economy , political scientist Colin Hay suggests that Parker has

3591-401: The wine is made in a style they will like; he states on his website: Scores, however, do not reveal the important facts about a wine. The written commentary that accompanies the ratings is a better source of information regarding the wine's style and personality, its relative quality vis-à-vis its peers, and its value and aging potential than any score could ever indicate. No scoring system

3654-599: Was able to show that Parker's initial ratings of vintages had been biased upward, requiring him to revise his rankings downward more often than not. Says Ayres, "Both the wine dealers and writers have a vested interest in maintaining their informational monopoly on the quality of wine." Ayres pointed out that Ashenfelter's predictions have proven to be remarkably accurate, and claimed the wine critics' "predictions now correspond much more closely to [Ashenfelter's] simple equation results." The famous English wine writer Hugh Johnson , in his autobiography Wine: A Life Uncorked , noted

3717-513: Was purchased by Yves Vatelot and US-based Colony Capital , who in 2011 sold it to the French insurance group MACSF . In addition to its premier cuvee , a second wine is also produced, under the name Chevalier de Lascombes. Additional brands are Château Segonnes, Rosé de Lascombes, Vin Sec Chevalier de Lascombes and Gombaud. In the 17th century the estate belonged to Antoine, chevalier de Lascombes, and has kept his name. Some locals suggest

3780-478: Was recruited as the winemaker. Vanatelle carried out extensive evaluation of the terroir , now extended to 84 hectares (208 acres ) of Lascombes' vineyards and found that only 50 hectares (125 acres) actually produced wines of Deuxièmes Crus quality. In the 1980s, he began isolating these different segments of the vineyard and used the lesser quality terroir to produce a second wine known as Château Segonnes. In 1997, prior to his retirement, Vanatelle introduced

3843-1072: Was requested to appear in front of the Paris superior court ( tribunal de grande instance ). The case was settled out of court . It was eventually discovered that the difference in taste that Parker identified was due to improper storage of the wine at the American importer's warehouse, causing the wine to be "cooked." Parker delegated coverage of the Burgundy and Alsace regions to Pierre-Antoine Rovani in April 1997. Parker has stated very clearly, both in The Wine Advocate and his books, that his advice stands on high ethical standards, and that independence and impartiality constitute his two most important values. By abiding by these standards, he says, he seeks to guarantee that his valuations will be pro-consumer, and not pro-industry. Several published sources offer accounts that may call Parker's independence and impartiality into question. In her book Emperor of Wine , Elin McCoy describes

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3906-400: Was responsible for creating an injustice for consumers, causing mediocre wine to be sold at too high a price, and good wine to be sold at too low a price. He says of the 1855 classifications, "At most, these classifications should be regarded by both the wine connoisseur and novice as informational items of historical significance only." Parker has admitted that emotions do matter, contrary to

3969-704: Was the President of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux , an advocacy group for the Grand Crus of Bordeaux, between 1994 and 2000. Yale University professor, econometrician, and lawyer Ian Ayres wrote about Robert Parker's conflict with Orley Ashenfelter , the publisher of Liquid Assets: The International Guide to Fine Wines , in his book Super Crunchers . Ashenfelter devised a formula for predicting wine quality based on weather data such as rainfall and temperature that Parker characterized as "ludicrous and absurd." Ashenfelter

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