Posted on February 11, 2018
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
11 February 2018
A few years back, I attended a symposium of Masters of Wine in Florence Italy. It was a fantastic gathering, and I learned many things about the world of wine.
One negative memory, however, also sticks in my mind: a California producer sponsoring a lunch and serving too many over-the-top BIG wines that still seem to define California. It did not help that they were served on a hot afternoon, but still.
Now, I am not a California wine expert by any means, having focused the vast majority of my wine tasting to France and other so-called Old World wine producing regions and countries. So, yes, I have some basic knowledge that reflects as well my upbringing in the U.S. – with childhood memories of Orson Welles flagging simplistic American wine in the 1970s for example, long before we even thought of evoking Cult Cabs that cost loads of cash.
Of course, those who appreciate fine wine know that California is capable of making wonderful reds of both balance and refinement. I have posted about this as well in the past. For example, take a look at this tasting from 2015.
The famous “Judgment Of Paris” confirmed that back in 1976, when French judges deemed California wines better than their French counterparts. And not just any counterparts, but wines like Château Mouton Rothschild and Montrose, among others. Read More
Posted on January 31, 2018
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 the owner since 2005. Savare, a Parisian businessman and winemaker pronounced having a “real crush” for Château Franc-Mayne, and in a press release said that he was “seduced” by the “consistency” of the property: a vineyard of seven hectares, located on both the plateau of Saint-Emilion and the slope below, just near Châteaux Beau-Séjour Bécot and Grand Mayne. He also said that he appreciates its wine tourism aspects.
Martine Cazeneuve is taking over Château Franc Mayne’s management. Read More
Posted on January 31, 2018
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 a group of great wine loving friends in the Washington D.C. area.
Each of us brought wine and the overall effect of the evening was (far) greater than the sum of the wines brought. It was quite important to spit, because there were quite a few bottles, divided into 8 flights.
Many thanks to Karl, Randy, Howard, Charles, Ken Barr, Ken Brown, Paul, Scot, Chris and David for bringing so many fantastic wines for one dinner sitting in late January.
Tasting notes: As usual, if in bold, I like in particular. If red and bold, even more. If underlined, too, a veritable wine nirvana.
Flight One: Apart from one faulty bottle, a great series of bubbles
Posted on January 30, 2018
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
UPDATED 30 January 2018
It is always fun to review the wines of the Graves in Bordeaux because they are known just as much for whites as they are (these days) for reds. Furthermore, red Graves – dominated for the most part by Cabernet Sauvignon – tend to be more supple than the Left Bank wines of the Médoc further north. And of course, the Graves region is the oldest of Bordeaux: wine was being made there when the Médoc was still a swamp.
Tasting recently bottled 2015 AOC Graves wines – primarily from Pessac-Léognan – I was thinking that the whites would not be as good as the reds, given the nature of the vintage.
But based on wines tasted at the UGCB, on the first stop in Washington D.C. of their annual multi city U.S. whistle stop tour (and, in this update, including wines tasted in New York City also in January 2018), the mixed bag was not so much whites being not as good as reds, but somewhat varying quality throughout.
Don’t get me wrong. Most UGCB members are making darn good wines these days – they don’t call it the Union of Grands Crus for nothing – and in a high quality vintage like 2015, one expects (very) good things. And, yes, broadly speaking, the reds were better, but I was surprised how some whites performed as well as they did… and how some reds did not measure up to vintage hype.
It is clear that making white wine was more challenging in 2015, as Olivier Bernard, owner of Domaine de Chevalier, explains in the video below.
Posted on January 29, 2018
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
29 January 2018
I recently met with friends at a Chinese restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland where we enjoyed 1970 Palmer and 1975 Trotanoy among other treasures with Chinese food.
“Heresy” you say?
The crazy spice and umami intensity often associated with Chinese food obliterates the soft finesse of a nearly 50-year-old Margaux from a high yield vintage with no second wine, right?
Well, no.
It depends on the restaurant and the level of spice.
The restaurant we enjoyed over a long lunch is Q by Peter Chang.
Peter Chang is an award winning chef specializing in Szechuan cuisine who has cooked for restaurants throughout cities in the American southeast and the Washington D.C. area. Born in Hubei Province and trained in China, Chang cooked a meal for former Chinese president Hu Jintao. He moved to the United States to work as the chef at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. Over the past few years, Chang has inspired a group of fans in Internet discussion boards, such as DonRockwell.com and Chowhound.
Q , which stands for Qijian, means “flagship” in Chinese.
One could say that his Peking Duck at Q is the best in the competitive Washington D.C. food market. The duckmeat we enjoyed was at once savory and delectable, and of a fine texture. And not spicy: a perfect foil for fine Bordeaux. Selected from top quality breeders, the ducks are prepared through a five-step procedure resulting in fatty richness but never greasy. Home-made pancakes, soft and smooth, accompanied by scallions and sweet bean sauce add to the tasting experience although I only used the sauce sparingly.
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