A very cold November morning, just days before the 2013 Hospices de Beaune auction. Thibault Liger Belair – in photo above – began with four fine Moulin a Vents. He has 8 hectares in this superior Beaujolais village and makes 4 cuvées, of which the last two conveyed particular interest. He is a big fan […]

Christmas dinner wines Chateau Malescot St Exupery Margaux 2000: Good floral aromatics mitigated by a hint of brett, but not obtrusive. Fine. Overall, a pleasure to drink. Got better in glass. 92-93 Chateau Giscours Margaux 2000: A better wine. I bought this en primeur for $35 a bottle. The Malescot was $50. Both now trade […]

Just had a conversation with Louis Cinelli, wine manager at The Vineyard, a wine shop in northern Virginia. We were talking about various wines and got to Bordeaux. He will be attending a vertical of Domaine de Chevalier I am organizing with MacArthur Beverages at the lovely Black Salt restaurant next month – 29 January – […]

Today, I will be visiting three fine Pessac Leognan properties in part to re-taste the 2009 and to see how things are going for the coming 2010 harvest. Stay tuned for tasting notes and photos!

After a month in Prague where I did a TEFL certification course and tasted little wine – more often one-euro bottles of Pilsner Urquell – I will be heading to Bordeaux to re-taste some 2009s and work on a couple of articles on blogging and wine and on the Boissenot father-and-son winemaking team. Will also […]

So I am wrapping up a month in Prague to teach English as a foreign language. I have met many interesting people, including a 70-year-old Australian woman who does development work in … North Korea! If this sounds like a gear shift from the wine world, it certainly is. I am about to go to […]

By Panos Kakaviatos In two tweets this week, the influential American wine critic Robert Parker said ‘the Bordelais are indeed killing the golden goose’ and ‘the ridiculous and painfully slow release of prices for the 2009s is both stupid and arrogant, moreover… expect sticker shock… dumb and dumber.’ Amidst mounting criticism that Bordeaux 2009 prices […]

I love Bordeaux. I first visited Bordeaux in 1998 to complete a CIVB tasting class. Two years later, I visited Langon, the heart of the southern Graves region, to participate in the harvest festival for what turned out to be the first of three vintages of the century in less than 10 years. And now, […]

Yes, they do exist with the few chateaux that have been released so far. Today, 14 June, Calon Segur for €58 per bottle. I really like Chateau Poujeux at $27 per bottle for example. You may even find it for less. That was one of the star Moulis Medoc wines. Now, of course, I recall that […]

Here is the 11 June article in decanter.com From what I have been hearing, the Bordelais may be on the verge of making an error with Asia. Already Gruaud Larose and Giscours are at about $60 per bottle. That is very high for both estates. Imagine what wines like Palmer, Cos and Ducru will sell […]