Grands Vins
The finest Châteaux of Bordeaux and their wines
By Clive Coates MW
University of California Press
Hardcover, 736 pages
ISBN: 9780520202207
816 pages
published March 1995
UK £50 – US $68.95
One hundred Châteaux profiled, with notes of vertical tasting going back in some cases to pre-phylloxera times, in many cases to the 1940s.
Vintages 1990-1928, red and white Sauternes.
Which are the best wines?
When are they at their best?
All the great wines assessed:
Many both vertically and horizontally.
Over 10,000 copies already sold.
“This seminal work...an appealing freshness... admirably direct and unfussy style, happy to point out the underachievement of some and the expense of others, while never being whimsical. The directness of his tasting notes - in preference to dozens of overpowering descriptors - is a joy to read.”
“[This book]... cost(s) less than a single bottle of 2000 Palmer and offer(s) an unrivalled Bordeaux database.”
“An indispensable tome….from this expert taster.”
“Required reading.”
“English Master of Wine Clive Coates has written a superb and elegantly understated book. It is a thoughtful antidote to the hype and hyperbole of other wine experts.”
“A comprehensive guide to one of France’s leading wine regions. . . . A great gift.”
“[Coates’] knowledge of Bordeaux is nothing short of encyclopaedic.”
“A must-have for oenophiles. [Coates’] meticulously researched book not only tells you which wines and vintages thrill him—and he’s tasted them all—but also assesses even the most obscure chateau and includes maps, facts and figures about each appellation.”
“While many books and periodicals give similar information on Bordeaux wines, their history, their sources and style, I know of none in English that does the job so well as here.”