On wine tasting and objectivity

Too oaky? Too green? Does it depend on the taster? By Panos Kakavatos for wine-chronicles.com  4 February 2017 At a tasting lunch in New York City recently organized by the Wine Media Guild and specifically by my dear friend in wine tasting Mark Golodetz, we went through various bottles of Grand Puy Lacoste, Branaire Ducru and Smith […]

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Price-worthy Bordeaux 2014: Live-Ex weighs in

Special Report: Bordeaux 2014 – where is the value? Submitted by Liv-Ex in London 3 February 2017 As Bordeaux 2014 is released in bottle, Liv-ex takes a closer look at it in terms of price, quality and value compared to other vintages. 2014 is the first recent vintage that has not been reviewed by Robert Parker. […]

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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. […]

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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 […]

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Diamonds in the rough: Cru Bourgeois 2014

Heterogeneous in quality, the sprawling cru bourgeois category from Bordeaux also can mean diamonds in the rough (This is part 2 of a two-part article on affordable Bordeaux. For part 1, click here.) 22 January 2017 By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com I recently visited Washington D.C.-based fine wine importer/retailer Calvert Woodley. Owner Ed Sands said that shelf space for […]

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Port in the Winter

A snowstorm? Or just cold? Port is perfect! By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com  20 January 2017 So far, Washington D.C. has not seen excessively cold weather. But I have seen photos and videos from colleagues and friends in Strasbourg, France, with plenty of snowfall. And more than likely, Washington D.C. should see some snow. Port is […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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Randy McFarlane’s feast of wine at 1789

Haut Brion, Climens, Dom Ruinart, Dauvissat, Barolo – and so much more By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 4 January 2017 Leave it to Randy McFarlane to organize such a great event. I have known Randy and his wife Caroline for over 10 years now, and we get together annually on several occasions to drink and […]

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Bordeaux 1966: 50 years on

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 9 December 2016 Wine is a drink for civilized discourse, as I found out yet again, close to my 50th birthday, over dinner with friends and family, with a horizontal of mostly 1966 Bordeaux. Host Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier has a justified reputation as being savvy, gentlemanly, suave, fun […]

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