Wine ChroniclesBordeaux 1966, fifty years on (and other surprises)
Posted on January 13, 2016
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
13 January 2016
I have to thank my lucky stars for the great wine loving friends I have in Washington D.C. Since I am turning … 50 in December this year, I wanted to organize a 1966 dinner. And so six of us gathered at the famous wine friendly restaurant Ripple in Washington DC to pop some corks from many half-century old bottles. One participant, Laurent Lee, had just celebrated his 50th birthday. The result? A great time.
One of two great Beatles albums from 1966
1966 was an Indian Summer vintage, it is said. While the summer was not optimal, sunny September weather helped ripen grapes enough to make some excellent wines – especially in the Medoc.
Of course winemaking was different back then, with less selection in the vineyard, and earlier picking times, so alcohol levels sometimes did not even reach 12%. You want to talk about old school? This is it.
Several factors had to be taken into account. First and foremost, such old wine means that you have to rely on the quality of the cork over time. Second, the producer. Even a great terroir cannot result in a great wine if the producer is negligent. Kevin Shin, Ken Brown, Laurent Lee, Chris Bublitz, David Zimmerman and I had brought top notch classified growths, including Latour, Margaux, Ducru Beaucaillou, Montrose, Pichon Baron and Haut Bailly. The wines were well matched with the excellent cuisine at Ripple. The duck breast I ordered for example was perfectly seared, with really tasty spaghetti shaped squash. Others enjoyed roasted venison loin, or the restaurant’s perfect roseda farms new york strip and a yummy potato-parsnip gratin, which I have ordered in the past. Read on for the notes : when in bold, I liked particularly; in red and bold even more. If underlined, too, wine nirvana.
Please be sure to read the excellent notes from this 1966 dinner by my friend Kevin Shin, who is a world class wine taster:
DC winos ring in 2016 with fabulous wines
Posted on January 9, 2016
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
9 January 2016
Welcome 2016! And a very special holiday dinner.
Like minded wine loving friends from my hometown of Washington D.C. get together to appreciate great wines, simply, with fine food.
It turned out to be almost too fast paced, as we could have taken a bit more time with each of the wines, but the idea was to have a festive time, which was very much the case.
Fine menu at Ripple
Indeed I look forward to what has become an annual early January event in the past few years when I visit home. Ken Brown takes the initiative to organize our gathering, as we each bring two or three bottles to be paired with a multi course dinner at a fine restaurant. Read More
Heady joys of vin chaud
Posted on December 3, 2015
France’s oldest Christmas market and … mulled wine
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
3 December 2015
Here in the heart of Alsace, Strasbourg is known as the Christmas capital. With little wonder. Founded in 1570, the well-known Christkindelsmärik in Place Broglie is considered to be the oldest Christmas market in France.
Starting in late November, through to Christmas, the old town turns into a mecca for all things Christmasy. Throughout the city, including Place Broglie, emblematic wooden huts line up along cosy streets and feature local arts and crafts, gifts, foods and beverages for all visitors and city dwellers.
As I did last year, I plan to purchase some excellent foie gras from the Maison Kammerzell stand near the Cathedral.
But one of the most famous offerings is mulled wine known as vin chaud or – in German – Glühwein. Read More
Gevrey Chambertin and the 2014 vintage
Posted on November 30, 2015
With improved dollar-to-euro and pound-to-euro exchange rates, savvy buyers should check out 2014 Burgundy
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
30 November 2015
Gevrey Chambertin is one of the most famous wine appellations in the world, full of famous grands crus. The appellation dates from September 1936, but its glory predates the 1930s. Vineyards can be dated back to 7th century AD, evidence of a long and intimate involvement in the history of Bourgogne’s wine industry.
Excellent exposures vary from east, to south-east. The premiers crus occupy the upper portion of the Côte at heights of between 280 and 380 meters (brown limestone soils, rather shallow). Below are the appellation village vines on brown calcic or limey soils. The vines reap the benefit of marls covered with screes and red silt washed down from the plateau. These stony mixtures confer elegance and delicacy on the wine while the clayey marls, which contain rich deposits of fossil shell-fish, add body and firmness.
Gevrey-Chambertin includes a fabulous set of grands crus with the top of the pyramid being Chambertin and Clos de Bèze. Pinot Noir can be at its peak performance here. Read More
A Virginia wine chronicle in the heart of Alsace
Posted on November 28, 2015
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
28 November 2015
My wine loving pal Dave McIntyre should have been there. Well, at least it will make him smile.
It was an ironic evening. I had gone to the recently revamped wine bar, the Hotel Hannong’s “Black and Wine” with a couple of friends: journalists based in Strasbourg, France.
Javier Aguilar prolifically reports on all sorts of stories for EFE, the Spanish news agency. He had just gone to an annual international art show in Strasbourg. Read More
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