And yet, 19 were both marvelous, made from higher yields. Their investments in the vineyard and the vat room have borne fruit especially in vintages since 2000.

Jean-Rene Matignon вЂ“ who flew to Washington for this tasting dinner вЂ“ has been at the helm since 1987 as technical director, when AXA Insurance bought the property. This was my sixth consecutive annual Bordeaux gala dinner in Washington D.C.В The wines of Pichon Baron have been particularly excellent in recent memory since the 2000 vintage. There are many regions around the world capable of producing wine of exceptional quality but some of the notable examples include: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based reds from Bordeaux Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Burgundy in Spain, Tempranillo from Rioja and Ribera del Duero, and Albarino from Galicia Barolo is produced from Nebbiolo in Piedmont and Sangiovese and Brunello are the mainstays in Tuscany in California, Cabernet Sauvignon is king but Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are world-class Shiraz or Syrah is the most famous grape of Australia Chile and Argentina are home to the finest Malbec New Zealand is dominated by Sauvignon Blanc South Africa delivers to worldвЂ™s finest Chenin Blanc.Д«rowse our collection and read the criticsвЂ™ reviews and ratings to understand more before making your choice.By Panos Kakaviatos for The same situation exists across the wine-growing world, where quite large volumes of exceptional wines can be made from blends of vineyards and even growing regions, such as Penfolds legendary Grange, but also certain single vineyards can be identified as producing very small volumes of particularly high quality wines of notable character year after year. By contrast, the Grand Crus of Burgundy are restricted in their size by ancient legislation meaning total production is naturally capped in some vintages, just a few barrels can be produced. Indeed many of the Chateaux of Bordeaux see annual production reaching into the tens of thousands of cases even the First Growths - ChГўteaux Margaux, Latour, Mouton Rothschild, Lafite Rothschild and Haut Brion вЂ“ can produce upwards of 8,000 cases per year. Some consider production size to be significant and while boutique producers who operate in the hundreds rather than the tens of thousands of cases can arguably have a greater control over their overall quality output, smaller doesnвЂ™t always equal better. Some of these wines display these characteristics to an extent that they can be bought as investments: increasing complexity in age, and thus desirability, combines with a reduction in availability (as the wine is consumed) inflating their value over time - further adding to their status.

What makes a wine вЂFineвЂ™ can best be described as a reputation вЂ“ be it centuries old or growing rapidly вЂ“ for quality, consistency, ageability and a definable вЂcharacterвЂ™. There are myriad factors which make up the final quality in the bottle (and in the glass) and with global production skills improving year on year, along with greater understanding of which grapes grow best in which regions and countries, more wines are reaching the standards considered requisite to be вЂFine WinesвЂ™. Sometimes, wine names may include phrases such as Grand Cru or Premier Cru for French wines, Reserva or Gran Reserva for Spanish wines, or Riserva for those from Italy but this is by no means exhaustive. The common denominator of fine wine is most certainly quality as defined by a number of factors: where the vines are grown, what grape varieties are used, the reputation of the vineyard and / or producers in question, the skill of the winemakers, and to a certain extent the perception of the wineвЂ™s performance over time.

Pichon baron 1989