Winefuture: Parker announces its “Magical 20”

American wine critic Robert Parker has unveiled the twenty Bordeaux wines he will taste on November 8 at the Winefuture conference in Hong Kong.
Parker will sample twenty castles (dubbed the "Magical 20") that he considers promising in the near future.

“I have chosen estates that produce wine of Premier Grands Cru quality although they do not have the official title. This makes them undervalued wines and therefore very good buying choices,” Parker said.

According to organizer Pancho Campo, tasting Parker could have a phenomenal impact on the Bordeaux trade in Asia.

“Parker has chosen twenty estates to which he attributes the potential of Premiers Grands Crus. This selection could be a real game-changer in the Asian Bordeaux market,” said Pancho Campo. Parker will taste each wine's 2009 vintage, considered one of the best ever for Bordeaux. This will be one of the first tastings of this vintage since its bottling.

Delegates from each of the twenty châteaux will accompany him to present the wines and help him answer questions from the public.

Winefuture is organized by The Wine Academy of Spain and will take place in Hong Kong from November 6-8. Experts from around the world will meet there to discuss topics such as consumer trends, sales, labelling, the environment and emerging markets.

The Magical 20 are:

1. Ch. Cos D'Estournel,
2. Ch. Pontet Canet,
3. Ch. Pichon Lalande,
4. Ch. Léoville Poyferré,
5. Ch. Léoville Las Cases,
6. Ch. Palmer,
7. Ch. Malescot St. Exupéry,
8. Ch. Pape Clement,
9. Ch. Haut Bailly,
10. Ch.Angelus,
11.Ch. Trotanoy,
12. Ch. La Conseillante,
13. Ch. Pichon Baron,
14. Ch. Lynch-Bages,
15. Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte,
16. Ch. La Fleur-Petrus,
17. Ch. Clos Fourtet,
18.Ch. Rauzan-Segla,
19.Ch. Brane-Cantenac,
20. Ch. Le Gay

Source: Lucy Shaw
The Drinks Business
Sep 2, 2011