Wine ChroniclesSauternes and Barsac 2018
Saved by the October (Botrytis) Bell By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 24 January 2021 Readers may recall that a hailstorm reduced yields for some estates to near nothing, if not nothing. Château Guiraud for example had announced that it would only make dry white wine in 2018, because of the devastating hail. As for the […]
Hedonism and hard work
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 30 May 2019 I started reflecting on these two words while in Bordeaux during the famous Vinexpo event earlier this month. Every two years, this massive wine and spirits trade fair for professionals includes many fine lunches and dinners. I usually stay for the entire gig, but I was only […]
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 […]
#Bdx17 from barrel: Sauternes & Barsac
Residual sugar to the max? By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 23 May 2018 I am not sure about the overall quality of Sauternes and Barsac in 2017. Some critics have oohed and ahhed about the richness of these wines, including the super star Château d’Yquem. But I am a fan of late-harvest Bordeaux that have […]
Fine wine fireworks
Happen once a year From a magnificent Salon 1996 to a surprisingly great Latour 1967 – in a vertical of the first growth – by way of Yquem 83, we had a fabulous time. By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 31 January 2018 Once again Ken Brown succeeded in organizing a most memorable holiday dinner for […]
Krug 96 from magnum
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 24 December 2017 Did I get your attention? Good, because that was not the only bottle that we enjoyed. Tis the season to drink well. And, well, I enjoyed myself too much, as I had left my written notes behind from a fabulous, over four hour lunch on 22 December at […]
Fit for a wine groundhog 2017
Top Bordeaux back to 1970, with Marla Maples By Panos Kakaviatos for Wine-Chronicles.com 3 February 2017 Bravo to Kevin Shin for making this happen. The DCWino is in top form. And I got to meet some new wine-loving friends in the area as well as seeing old friends. Once again, we found ourselves at Ripple. […]
Haut Brion and Yquem verticals and so much more
Starting 2017 on the right foot By Panos Kakaviatos for Wine-Chronicles.com 6 January 2017 2017 already started with a wine bang, thanks to this dinner organized by Randy McFarlane. So consider this text a part 2 of sorts – and what a great tasting dinner this was, too. Each January, Ken Brown organizes our annual holiday […]
Sauternes satisfaction #Bdx15
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 11 May 2015 Thanks to Christie’s consultant, harvest expert and Sauternes promoter Bill Blatch and his fellow Bordeaux Gold partner Steve Webb, I kicked off en primeur week assessing barrel samples from Sauternes and Barsac. Afterwards, we enjoyed a great barbecue that started off with fresh raw oysters. Oysters and Sauternes go together – as counterintuitive […]
DC winos ring in 2016 with fabulous wines
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 […]
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