Wine ChroniclesSaint Emilion 2015: Changing Tides
2015 from bottle shows return to freshness, if not for all estates … By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 11 March 2018 When assessing more 2015 Bordeaux from bottle at the UGCB tasting in New York, I was struck by just how much fresher some Right Bank wines especially tasted: wines that had not too long […]
Château Franc Mayne sold
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 31 January 2018 Jean-Pierre Savare his family yesterday bought an excellent grand cru classé of Saint-Emilion, which has been known not only for making savory wines, but also for its marvelous bed and breakfast accommodations just near the centre of the most charming town in Bordeaux. Griet Van Malderen was […]
Saint Emilion Multiplex 2016
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 14 June 2017 Saint Emilion tends to be rather heterogenous in quality in any vintage. Given its size, variations in terroir and in style. Sure, a recent trend towards high alcohol and high extraction of tannin is (thankfully) dissipating. Estates like Pavie Macquin and Larcis Ducasse, for example, are being […]
St Emilion 2000, 15 years on
15 years in bottle: How do the “big boys” compare? By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 2 May 2017 Since January this year, I had wanted to organize a blind tasting of Saint Emilion 2000, to compare the top classified growths against “lesser” pedigrees. It would be a follow up to a blind tasting that I […]
Bordeaux 2016 – updates!
The mysterious vintage – updated By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 14 June 2017 Originally published in April, I am adding links to this page on specific 2016 barrel tasting notes by appellation/region. Live links coming soon for the red and whites of Graves and Pessac-Léognan, Margaux and Sauternes. Pauillac & Saint Julien / Saint Estèphe […]
Underrated Bordeaux 2014
Worth seeking out from bottle: both white and red 29 January 2017 By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com When I tasted 2014 and 2015 Château Montrose side-by-side in October last year at the estate, I learned that less than 40% of the harvest was used to make the first wine in 2015, while over 50% was […]
Bordeaux bargains 2014
Part 1 – Tasting wines from the Grand Cercle de Vins de Bordeaux (To go to Part 2, click here) By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 5 January 2017 Like most of you, when I cannot actually do so, I sometimes dream of enjoying Haut Brion, Latour, Petrus and Le Pin. Or Leoville Las Cases, Palmer […]
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 […]
(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 […]
Bordeaux 2005: high tannin, freshness and balance
Some high alcohol Merlots in Saint Emilion annoy me, but most all wines yield balance and poise, with freshness and opulence By Panos Kakaviatos for Wine-Chronicles.com 3 February 2015 Special note: for tasting notes below, I use a simple system: When bold, I particularly liked the wine. If red and bold, even more. If red, bold and underlined: wine nirvana. […]
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