What is this? Retail posting of fantasy reviews

WINE TALK
1

So I clicked on an email offer that looked interesting, and I was brought to a page that featured this effusive reportage.

AI?
Random note generator?
Something more nefarious?

Looks legit.

TASTING NOTES
A remarkably focused and vibrant profile, with notes of quince, flinty minerality, acacia, green apple and a long, echoing finish.
Wine Spectator
96
Exhibits great depth and precision. Layers of acacia, crushed stone, lemon zest, vibrant acidity are underscored by a fine mineral core and silky tannins.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
96
Exhibits great depth and precision. Layers of quince, acacia, honeysuckle, pear are underscored by a fine mineral core and silky tannins.
James Suckling
96
A masterpiece of balance. The nose reveals intense flinty minerality, crushed stone, green apple, vibrant acidity, while the palate is full-bodied, structured, and incredibly elegant.
Vinous Media Neal Martin
94
A masterpiece of balance. The nose reveals intense flinty minerality, acacia, lemon zest, white blossoms, while the palate is full-bodied, structured, and incredibly elegant.
Decanter
99
Showing beautiful development, with honeysuckle, acacia, lime, quince leading to a savory, multi-dimensional finish.
Jeb Dunnuck
99

Just to check I clicked on another wine on offer and was met with this:

Exhibits great depth and precision. Layers of anise, cassis, espresso, cedar are underscored by a fine mineral core and silky tannins.
Wine Spectator
93
Showing beautiful development, with forest floor, plum, dried herbs, leather leading to a savory, multi-dimensional finish.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
96
Pure and expressive, highlighting plum, clove, leather, graphite with a refined texture and bracing energy.
James Suckling
92
Exhibits great depth and precision. Layers of graphite, cassis, anise, wild berries are underscored by a fine mineral core and silky tannins.
Vinous Media Neal Martin
98
Pure and expressive, highlighting anise, cedar, graphite, leather with a refined texture and bracing energy.
Decanter
99

And finally, just to be sure, a third:

Tasting notes
Pure and expressive, highlighting cedar, leather, anise, cassis with a refined texture and bracing energy.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
93
A masterpiece of balance. The nose reveals intense dried herbs, tobacco, wild berries, black cherries, while the palate is full-bodied, structured, and incredibly elegant.
Decanter
94
Showing beautiful development, with violet, anise, cassis, velvety tannins leading to a savory, multi-dimensional finish.
Jeb Dunnuck
90

I sent an inquiry to the store in question, but this is not a good look.

2 Likes
2

so are those numbered ratings by known reviewers fake?

1 Like
3

ditto, these could easily be checked.

4

Name and shame!

1 Like
5

The store replied within minutes to my query. i will give them the benefit of the doubt for now and see how things shake out.

Gregory

Thanks for your email.

We have been testing withAI. This was supposed to be on our development site, not live.

Somehow this replaced the actual tasting notes that took a lot of time to manually upload.

Unfortunately you are correct the tasting notes info is now incorrect and not accurate to a specific note.

We are taking these down and willl re upload the correct tasting notes

Thanks for catching and I will reach out to you once the changes have been made which should be in a day or so.

Please let me know if you have any Other questions.

3 Likes
6

nice follow-up, kudos to the purveyor for quickly coming clean.

7

What are the chances this is more of ‘oh snap, we got caught’ and less of owning up to it? Why would they even experiment with AI generated notes and scores if it was not the intent to eventually use them?

2 Likes
8

Because . . . AI ! You know. AI ! We need to use it for . . . things.

2 Likes
9

I read it that they were using AI to do the tedious work of web development, not generating the notes with AI.

1 Like
10

I got the same impression as Luca, that they were using AI to possibly find and automatically populate their review fields, but I am a cynic so at the same time I had the same thoughts as you.

1 Like