Pessac-Léognan 2018 reds

Hits amidst gravel and heat By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com  24 January 2021 2018 was not the ideal vintage for warmer soils, so I would tip my hat more to 2016 as the recent vintage to purchase from Pessac-Léognan. Still, some very good to excellent wines. A few stars and several superb price/quality ratio wines make 2018 […]

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Bordeaux 2018 dry whites

Some excellent wines in a challenging vintage By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com  24 January 2021 The warmth of the vintage not truly ideal for dry whites, some producers did craft excellent wines, including some from outside the famous Graves (including the northern Pessac-Léognan appellation) region, known for its dry white wines. While tasting the dry […]

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White Bordeaux: 2014 vintage

With a focus on Château Smith Haut Lafitte By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 15 September 2020 Top three 2014 whites from this tasting? Domaine de Chevalier, Château Pape Clément and Château Smith Haut Lafitte  Last week Decanter Magazine published an article I wrote – subscribers only – about how fine dry white Bordeaux can be, with […]

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Ode to France, Les Accabailles and Les Crus Classés de Graves

Tasting dinner of top Pessac-Léognan wines at Château Carbonnieux By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 21 November 2019 A round-trip on the high-speed train TGV traversing France from Strasbourg to Bordeaux and back took less than 6 hours. No stop in Paris. Comfy, first class seat at €170: Convenient, efficient and greener than flying or driving. […]

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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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Bordeaux 2015: Could rains complicate potentially excellent vintage?

14 September 2015 By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com The weather chart looks worrying. Rain, rain … and more rain expected this week. It already rained Friday to Sunday, 11-13 September. This brings back memories of reporting on Bordeaux’s 2006 harvest on location in Pauillac for decanter.com. I was talking with Jean-Rene Matignon, director of the famous second […]

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2014 Bordeaux in barrel: smoking Graves

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com MAIN BORDEAUX 2014 BARREL TASTING PAGE 15 May 2015 My faves: Among reds, Haut Brion rather rules the roost, but watch out for an excellent and (hopefully) well-priced Domaine de Chevalier red and the usually fine Haut Bailly. Pape Clement has more linearity than I can ever recall – and that’s […]

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