Wines that won’t wilt your wallet #Bdx15

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 24 July 2016 In celebrated Bordeaux vintages, consumers may find that prices are out of reach. Sure, wines like Ducru Beaucaillou and Léoville Las Cases are excitingly delicious, but not all us mortals can afford them. A sign of a top vintage is finding barrel samples that please your palate across all […]

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Welcome Merlot al dente #Bdx15

And other tales from Saint Emilion By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 5 May 2016 OK, the title is a bit misleading. Not everyone picks Merlot earlier in Saint Emilion. The influence of ultra-late picking to please critics, and to get an upgrade (or avoid a downgrade) every 10 years for appellation-sanctioned revisions (often ending up in courts […]

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(In spite of) Bordeaux 2014 in barrel: Saint Emilion oak saga continues

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com  MAIN BORDEAUX 2014 BARREL TASTING PAGE Some faves? Belair-Monange, Berliquet, Cheval Blanc, Canon, Corbin, Pavie-Macquin and Quinault l’Enclos Irony is a word that comes to mind. Château Quinault L’Enclos counts among 16 estates that had been promoted to grand cru classé in the 2012 classification of Saint Emilion. In contrast to […]

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2014 Bordeaux: Hundreds of barrel samples coming

My new educational blog for Total Wine, too   By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles  On the eve of a week of intense barrel tastings of Bordeaux’s latest vintage, I look forward to what promises to be a classic style in a positive sense. If tasting Chateau Corbin (grand cru classé) and Chateau Canon (premier grand […]

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