2020 Bordeaux: bottled classic

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 21 October 2023 TASTING NOTES CLICK HERE Dear Readers, It has been a while, but after buying a new apartment with renovation work, prioritizing articles in magazines for which I am paid, and work from my day job at the Council of Europe, I took a hiatus from this website. […]

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Mouton Rothschild: reaching back 40 years

And some talk of “first growth bias” By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com  A wonderful evening at the cozy and elegant French restaurant La Chaumière in Georgetown in Washington D.C. It was great to catch up with wine friends most of whom I hadn’t seen since Covid struck. We chose as theme the venerable First Growth […]

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Pauillac 2018

Power and refinement By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 24 January 2021 Pauillac boasts some excellent wines in this vintage, some in my Top Ten. As said in the intro text, in many cases 2016 (and even 2019) may outshine 2018 in the longer run. However, some estates were capable to tirer son épingle du jeu, as […]

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Bordeaux 2019 from barrel

The tasting notes! By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 29 September 2020 Left Bank: Graves/Pessac-Léognan – Médoc/Haut Médoc/Moulis/Listrac – Cru Bourgeois – Margaux – Pauillac – Saint Estèphe – Saint Julien – Sauternes Right Bank and More: Bordeaux and Côtes AOC / Fronsac / Pomerol / Saint Emilion And because the vintage ends in -9, two […]

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In praise of Philippe Dhalluin

Château Mouton Rothschild director – and all around great fellow – to retire by Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com  14 July 2020 “People in the north of France, they know Bordeaux wines. They love wine in general.” I met Philippe Dhalluin, the director of Château Mouton Rothschild, last month while on a short visit to Bordeaux […]

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For hedonists and intellectuals: Bordeaux 2018

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com  7 May 2019 My top barrel samples from 2018 Full tasting notes by appellation and area: Pessac-Léognan+Graves (reds) / Médoc-Haut-Médoc-Listrac-Moulis / Margaux / Saint Julien / Pauillac / Saint Estèphe / Saint Emilion / Pomerol / Fronsac and other bargains / Dry whites including Graves / Sauternes & Barsac NOTE […]

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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. […]

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Northern Médoc: Sweet spots confirmed in 2016

A modern era 1986? Great stuff in Saint Julien, Pauillac and Saint Estèphe ? (Bordeaux 2016 from bottle, part 2) 11 November 2018 By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com  Just as we saw how well Pomerol excelled in 2016, another area of consumer interest, also in terms of quality across all price points, is the northern […]

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Wine serendipity in Switzerland

Great wines, great friends By Panos Kakaviatos for Wine-Chronicles.com 17 August 2018 While pouring a glass of the Heida Visperterminen, Michel Falck, owner and director of the fine wine shop Au Millésime in Strasbourg, France, says that Swiss wines count among “Les meilleurs du monde“. Now, Heida Visperterminen may sound like some Swiss medicine, but […]

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Pauillac and Saint Julien: Sweet Spots

Bordeaux 2016 barrel tasting notes New addition: Sensual and strong Saint Julien! By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com  2 May 2017 When I was tasting barrel samples in Bordeaux with wine author Jane Anson, exclusive Bordeaux en primeur critic for Decanter, blogger and ace photographer Miguel Lecuona and Bloomberg writer and wine author Elin McCoy, we […]

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