Bordeaux has long symbolized the peak of prestige for French wine. Yet, despite its outstanding reputation, the region has remained relatively closed to consumers. This book identifies 90 producers from both the Left and Right banks with the finest wines, and takes us inside their chateaux. It also contains chapters on history and winemaking.
Parker's phenomenally successful first book, which established him as the most influential wine writer in the world today (Los Angeles Times), now completely updated. It is also expanded to contain discussions of 100 more chateaux and tasting notes for 1,000 more wines. Decorative art and maps.
With this fourth edition of the classic that launched his career, Parker strives to maintain his unprecedented independence, objectivity, clarity, and enthusiasm in reporting on the vintages of Bordeaux. Parker has not only added tastings for the vintages in the intervening years since the last edition, but he has also retasted and reevaluated a majority of the earlier vintages. His accessible and direct style welcomes both the seasoned wine collector and the eager beginner to the pleasures of fine wine and France's most illustrious chateau. Organized by appellation, Bordeaux moves alphabetically from one producer to the next, providing essential information and an overview of the property and its owners. Parker then lists each vintage, and includes numerical ratings and detailed tasting notes for most of that chateau's wines. At the end of each tasting note, Parker estimates the "anticipated maturity"—the range of time when the wine should peak in flavor and balance—and each entry concludes with a summary of the chateau's earlier vintages. Hailed by The New York Times as “the critic who matters most,” Robert Parker's Bordeaux is the most complete consumer's guide to the wines of Bordeaux ever written.
An inside view of China's quest to become a global wine power and Bordeaux's attempt to master the thirsty dragon it helped create The wine merchants of Bordeaux and the rising entrepreneurs of China would seem to have little in common—old world versus new, tradition versus disruption, loyalty versus efficiency. And yet these two communities have found their destinies intertwined in the conquest of new markets, as Suzanne Mustacich shows in this provocative account of how China is reshaping the French wine business and how Bordeaux is making its mark on China. Thirsty Dragon lays bare the untold story of how an influx of Chinese money rescued France's most venerable wine region from economic collapse, and how the result was a series of misunderstandings and crises that threatened the delicate infrastructure of Bordeaux's insular wine trade. The Bordelais and the Chinese do business according to different and often incompatible sets of rules, and Mustacich uncovers the competing agendas and little-known actors who are transforming the economics and culture of Bordeaux, even as its wines are finding new markets—and ever higher prices—in Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong, with Hong Kong and London traders playing a pivotal role. At once a tale of business skullduggery and fierce cultural clashes, adventure, and ambition, Thirsty Dragon offers a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges facing the world's most famous and prestigious wines.
“There is no better introduction to the world's most dazzling wine region.” --Decanter Written by one of the world's most respected and knowledgeable wine experts, this is the finest one-volume, full-color introduction to Bordeaux. Oz Clarke has created a refreshingly witty and readable guide to France's famous wine region, filled with evocative descriptions, engaging personal anecdotes, stunning images, and practical information. He turns his spotlight on the most notable Bordeaux wine areas (including St-Emilion, Pomerol, Margaux, and Pauillac), examines the state of French winemaking, suggests best buys, and recommends hundreds of affordable, modern chateaux where one can enjoy a glass. This is Oz Clarke at his witty, incisive best.
"A fresh and authoritative addition to the Bordeaux library." Eric Asimov, The New York Times "This new edition is the ultimate guide to perhaps the greatest wine area in the world. Whether you use the book in your local wine store or tote it on a journey to Bordeaux itself, this book is definitive. And magnificent." Huffington Post The wines of Bordeaux are universally recognized as being among the finest in the world and in this fully revised and updated edition of his classic text, renowned wine expert Stephen Brook provides an unrivalled survey of the region and its wines. The Complete Bordeaux offers detailed information on the many communes and appellations of Bordeaux as well as descriptions and assessments of all its major properties. As well as incisive portraits of the leading properties and their produce, Stephen Brook provides a detailed look at Bordeaux's lesser-known areas and chateaux. There is also an invaluable vintage guide to the last four decades. Bordeaux encapsulates an incredible 13,000 wineries throughout 54 appellations and this book includes a thorough explanation of Bordeaux's history, terroir, and winemaking styles.
Unconstrained by tradition or viticultural regulation, California winemakers enjoy a freedom that has resulted in a remarkable range of world-class wines. Beautifully illustrated with original photographs and detailed color maps, this guide introduces California wine by exploring the best that the state has to offer —from lush Sonoma Chardonnay to spicy Santa Barbara Syrah to heady Amador Zinfandel. At the heart of the book, award-winning wine writer Stephen Brook offers 90 intimate profiles of top producers—from Napa and Sonoma to the North and Central coasts, the Sierra foothills, and beyond. Brook also includes general information on California wine history, wine culture, grape varieties, and more. Throughout, he searches for the characteristics that make California wine distinctive despite its tremendous diversity—and finds the answer in the state’s unusual climate, especially the shifting interplay between fog and sun, as well as a lively and constant questioning of received ideas about viticulture, vine age, terroir, and winemaking techniques, all of which have helped winemakers to create complexity,individuality, and nuance in their wines.
The great wines captivate like lovers with their harmony and complexity - and especially their rarity. But what are the greatest among them? In this compact volume, international wine expert Michel Dovaz identifies the finest wines of our times and recounts how they came about. From the legendary 1900 Chateau Margaux to the blockbuster 2008 Pol Roger Champagne, the exceptional wines are mainly French, but also include vintages form Germany, the United States, Australia, Italy, and now South America. Dovaz provides an informative overview from year to year: land, climate, soil, grape varieties, harvest time and conditions, fermentation, and aging. In the following, newly expanded section, Dovaz lists the best vintages by year. Each entry features a detailed description of the wine itself, as well as an enlightening discussion of the vineyard's history and the specific conditions that led to superior vintages. They are paired with practical pricing information as well as photographic spreads that will provide enthusiasts and collectors with a fuller understanding of these favored wines within the historical and social context of their times. AUTHOR: Michel Dovaz is the author of more than one dozen books about wine, including Bordeaux, a Legendary Wine, and Chateau Latour. Michael Broadbent, author of the introduction, is founder and senior consultant of Christie's international wine department. ILLUSTRATIONS 375 illustrations
The wines of Tuscany were famous long before Leonardo da Vinci described them as “bottled sunshine,” and they are at the forefront of the remarkable renaissance of Italian wine over the past 30 years. In this groundbreaking new book, Nicolas Belfrage shares his insider’s knowledge acquired as a specialist wine trader and writer. Mindful of the region’s fascinating past, Belfrage brings its story up to date, discussing such subjects as geology and geography, grape varieties, and the latest research into Sangiovese, the variety used in the top wines of Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. He also clarifies the regulatory framework and follows the recent controversial developments in viticulture and winemaking, including the rise of the Super-Tuscans and the ongoing “Brunellogate” scandal that broke in 2008. At the heart of the book are in-depth, illustrated profiles of more than 90 of the most interesting producers, large and small, with insightful notes on the essential character of their finest wines. The author also offers a comprehensive review of vintages and selects his top 100 wines in ten different categories, while wines of special quality or value are indicated throughout.
Written by the leading international expert on French wine and sumptuously produced with a wealth of color illustrations and stunning line drawings, this book covers all the vineyards of Bordeaux.
