Wine ChroniclesStalwart Sauternes 2018
Challenging vintage, but some nice wines By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 26 April 2019 A horrific hailstorm reduced yields for some estates to near nothing, if not nothing. I recall writing this news story about the harvest in Sauternes and Barsac for Decanter last year: including Château Guiraud’s announcement that it would only make dry […]
Pauillac 2018 from barrel
Suave, tannic and sometimes extraordinary by Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 26 April 2019 Just about as consistent as Saint Julien, Pauillac included many great wines from barrel. I suppose you could say that that is self explanatory, seeing that Pauillac boasts no less than three of five official “first growths” from the ballyhooed 1855 classification. […]
Pessac-Léognan and Graves from bottle 2016
Cannot recall a better Les Carmes Haut Brion red than the 2016. Buy it, today. But many other Graves shined in 2016, including Smith Haut Lafitte, Haut Bailly, Domaine de Chevalier and Malartic Lagravière. Do not hesitate to look at some fine showings from second wines, too, which I had tasted late last year at Château Bouscaut. Cheers!
Assessing 15 vintages of Léoville Poyferré
By Panos Kakaviatos for Wine-Chronicles.com 24 January 2019 Over the last nine years, I have been organizing comprehensive verticals of top Bordeaux estates, sometimes several times in one year, and often in Washington D.C. The most recent, a Friday evening 18 January 2019 dinner at the French embassy in Washington D.C., featured Château Léoville Poyferré, […]
Off to Philly to taste Bordeaux 2016
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 18 January 2019 Dear Readers, I am off to Philly this coming Sunday 20 January to taste many Bordeaux 2016 from bottle. In October and December last year, I already had the chance to taste many Bordeaux 2016 from bottle, so this visit will fill in some gaps, such as […]
Ringing in 2019 with good vintages (not “great”)
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 11 January 2019 After an annual holiday dinner with wine loving pals – this year at the French embassy in Washington D.C. – the overriding theme was “good” vintages. Neither “off” nor “great”, but vintages that sometimes get overlooked by critics seeking to obtain fame with 100 point scores. And […]
Pomerol 2016 from bottle wins big
Including brands at $35-$55 per bottle (Bordeaux 2016 from bottle, part I) 4 November 2018 By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com Writing about 2016 from bottle, let’s start with Pomerol, an appellation that is often better now in bottle than it was from barrel in April 2017. This small appellation of some 150 estates is not […]
Bordeaux 2017 futures campaign: “underwhelming” and “spoiled”
With the permission of Liv-Ex 8 July 2018 Dear readers, I am enjoying some fresh summer mountain air in the Swiss Alps as I post this text, coming from the informed people at Liv-Ex. But before you read their rather dour assessment of the #Bdx17 futures campaign, just a few words I have heard from […]
Through the years with Château Figeac
Going back to 1949, but looking forward to new cellars By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 17 June 2018 Some of the best wine experiences I can recall involve older vintages of Château Figeac. Take for example a dinner in Saint Emilion that did not happen: hail destroyed table settings just as participants were enjoying magnums of […]
Mixed bag for en primeur Bdx17 sales
Interview with Sarah Phillips of Liv-Ex.com 13 June 2018 A wine market specialist explains the challenges of selling Bordeaux futures in this 2017 vintage campaign. Prices are the key issue of course: Is it worth your while to lock in hard-earned money on wine that you will not see as a final product for up to […]
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