Making it with Macon, pulling rabbits out of the Pouilly hat

More deals from Burgundy

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 

23 March 2016

Just as one can find high calibre, low price octane wines in Chablis, the same can be said for the Mâconnaise region of Burgundy, billed as the Symphonie Mâconnaise during this wine filled Grands Jours de Bourgogne week in late March, a wonderfully festive biennial event for wine professionals and hacks like me.

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2014? A no brainer vintage for white Burgundy. And from quality minded producers in the Maconnais like Domaine de la Garenne.

As I have told people many times over, you can find premier cru Puligny Montrachet for $150 a bottle, that is probably going to be very delicious. But what about finding delicious $15 white Burgundy? It is possible. And here some wines that prove that point. Please, people. Wine is not just a status symbol with which to impress your neighbors. It is not a work of art that you hang on your wall so that everyone can say ooh and ah. Well, yes, I love expensive wines that are amazing. Who doesn’t? But is a wine that costs 10 times more necessarily 10 times better? Read More

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Clos Vougeot vertical 2005-1985

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 

23 March 2016

What better place to taste Clos Vougeot than at Clos Vougeot?

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Lovely day to taste, legendary location

Part of the fantastic week here at the Grand Jours de Bourgogne included a media invite for a vertical of this famous appellation, from a variety of estates stretching from 2005 to 1985.

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With Norwegian wine taster Christer Byklum

A few months ago, I enjoyed a horizontal of 2013 Clos Vougeot, thanks to Fine+Rare Wine in London. Now, time for a vertical. Wines in bold, I liked in particular. When red and bold, even more. When underlined, too, a kind of nirvana. Read More

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Where #winelovers find Burgundy bargains: Chablis

Yes, Virginia, they do exist

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com

Here I am, with many #winelovers, in Chablis, to kick of the weeklong biennial event Grand Jours de Bourgogne. A record number here since this shindig started on Monday 21 March, with 2,500 registered professionals in the wine trade, in media, in restaurants among others.

Already on day 1, here in Chablis, I have run into great friends from a group of winelovers I had met in Ukraine to merchants from the U.S.

What can I say about Chablis that really matters?
How about the fact that you can find wines with excellent depth, precision, flavor and length – and the wines are not nearly as crazy expensive as top wines from the Cote de Beaune. Yes, Virginia, you can find … bargains in Burgundy. But should I write about this? 😉 

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Video reports from Pichon Comtesse and Pichon Baron

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com

20 March 2016

It was great to visit both Pichon estates late last year, to prepare an article that I wrote for Decanter, as published in the April 2016 issue.

The always gorgeous Pichon Baron estate

Dear friend and celebrated author Jane Anson contributed tasting notes.

In deference to the publication, I only post my tasting notes after the article went to press, based on a visit with Jane to Pichon Comtesse, where we were welcomed by director Nicolas Glumineau and on a visit on my own to Pichon Baron, where I tasted through many wines with director Christian Seely who also walked me through the vineyard.

Vertical tasting with Jane Anson organised by Pichon Comtesse director Nicolas Glumineau

As you can see, I include here some video recordings from both visits as well as some pics.

Christian Seely points out the fine terroir of Pichon Baron, in a glorious setting with the nearby Latour, Leoville Las Cases and of course, Pichon Comtesse. Read More

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Blind tasting at Mundus Vini 2016

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com

21 February 2016 in Neustadt, Germany

We began businesslike. Our chair, German sommelier Jochen Benz, who tastes with the Grand Jury Europeen, spoke not a word during the entire first flight, which proved a bit disconcerting. We began with two “warm up” wines, and thought that we would have discussed these two before going on to the 20 or so Rieslings to taste in this first of three wine flights.

We did not know where the Rieslings came from, but, as it turned out (we only found out after having submitted our notes and scores), they were almost all German. Some boring, others good to excellent and a few rather awful, including a bitter and boring Riesling all the way from… Krasnodar in the Russian Federation. Read More

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