Product Description

First published in 1985, this landmark consumer guide launched one of the most illustrious careers in wine criticism. Robert Parker's mission, in his newsletter The Wine Advocate and his many bestselling books, has always been to give wine drinkers honest, informed advice about which wines are worth their money, and which wines aren't.

The fourth edition of Bordeaux presents a complete guide to vintages between 1961 and 2001. This latest volume brings readers up-to-date on the abundance of new producers in France's most important wine region and for the first time includes more than 700 wine labels. Parker has retasted and reevaluated many of Bordeaux's finest wines -- and adjusted their ratings accordingly -- so readers of his previous editions will discover herein a wealth of new material.

Parker begins with an overview of each year, which includes insight into growing conditions and yields, notes on anticipated maturity, general price ranges, and lists of best wines. The heart of the book is the chapter "Evaluating the Wines of Bordeaux," in which he meticulously reviews wine producers of every appellation. Organized geographically, the chateaux are listed in alphabetical order, and entries include contact information, vineyard size, details about the wine-making style, and a general evaluation of the chateau's wines. Best of all, each entry includes extensive tasting notes on important vintages, all of them featuring Parker's celebrated rating system -- in which every wine is assessed on a scale ranging from 50 to 100. In later chapters, he also offers essential information about the elements of a great Bordeaux wine, practical travel information about the region, a glossary of wine terms, and more.

An invaluable guide for consumers, Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s Bordeaux provides all the information amateurs and connoisseurs alike could possibly need in their search for that perfect bottle.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #60532 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1264 pages

About the Author
Robert M. Parker, Jr. has been the author and publisher of The Wine Advocate for nearly a quarter of a century. In 1999, Parker became the first wine critic to ever receive La Croix du Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur (The Cross of the Knight of the Legion of Honor), France's highest honor, conferred on him by President Jacques Chirac. In 1993, President Mitterand had given him France's other national honor, knighthood in the National Order of Merit. He won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional in 1998, and he is now the author of thirteen books, including Burgundy, two editions of The Wines of the Rhone Valley, and six editions of Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide. He lives in Parkton, Maryland, with his wife Patricia, his daughter Maia, and numerous basset hounds and English bulldogs.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
PREFACE TO THE 2003 EDITION

WHY BORDEAUX IS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER TODAY THAN IT WAS 25 AND 50 YEARS AGO

The oldest courtier firm in Bordeaux, Tastet and Lawton, has provided Bordeaux vintage assessments since 1795. In order to make the following argument I have used their evaluations of vintages in which the highest are rated exceptional, then good to very good, followed by mediocre or poor. For the period from 1900-1939 (40 vintages) only three vintages were rated exceptional, 10 good to very good, and 27 mediocre or poor. In contrast, during the last 21 years, 1980-2000, four vintages were rated exceptional by Tastet and Lawton, 13 were good to very good, but only three were mediocre or poor (1992, 1991, and 1984). I do not believe that global warming can be held accountable for this extraordinary change in the quality of Bordeaux vintages.

Looking back over my tasting notes of the last quarter of a century, it is interesting to note how many truly legendary wines were produced in some of the most noteworthy vintages. Being as generous as possible, the 1945 Bordeaux vintage, considered to be one of the mythical vintages of the last 100 years, actually produced only 25-30 profoundly great red wines. Even in 1982, which established my reputation as a serious wine critic, the number of monumental reds is less than three dozen. In 2000, according to my tastings, approximately 150-160 great wines -- about 28-30% of what I tasted -- were produced. Obviously I cannot go back in time, but my instincts suggest the raw materials available in 1945 as well as 1982 were not dissimilar from those that were harvested in 2000.

Why is modern-day Bordeaux so much better than it was a mere 20, 30, 40, or 50 years ago? I have listed the reasons in five categories: 1. progressive changes in the vineyard, 2. techniques and modern methods that take place in the wine cellars, 3. changes in the wine's upbringing and bottling, 4. the competition that exists in the modern world and the role of the informed consumer, as well as the influence of wine critics, and 5. miscellaneous changes such as improved methods for weather forecasting.

Progressive changes in the vineyard

In the 1960s and 1970s, octogenarian professor Dr. Emile Peynaud and famed professor of oenology Dr. Pascal Ribeau-Gayon, departmental head of oenology at the University of Bordeaux between 1977 and 1995, began advocating significant changes in viticultural management. Later harvest dates were encouraged in order to pick riper fruit with lower acid levels as well as sweeter tannin and greater fruit characteristics. Later harvesting automatically produces wines lower in acidity and slightly higher in alcohol. Moreover, if the harvest is not undone by rain, exceptional fruit and ripeness can be achieved. This advice is 30-40 years old.

Along with these changes, modern-day sprays and treatments aimed at preventing rot in the vineyard were begun in the 1970s and accelerated in the 1980s. Recent good vintages such as 1999, 1994, 1983, 1979, and 1978 would undoubtedly have been destroyed by mildew in the 1950s and 1960s. At the same time, there was a growth in the philosophy of going back to the vineyard (where most serious wine producers believe 90% of the quality emerges) to promote more organic techniques to encourage the health of the vines. There was also a movement toward developing a better understanding of viticulture. New techniques (called "extreme" or "radical" viticulture) became standard practice in the late 1980s and 1990s. This included the curtailing of yields by aggressive pruning in the winter and spring and crop thinning (cutting off bunches of grapes) in summer to encourage lower yields. With extremely healthy vines, yields would be expected to rise, but the opposite is actually the case as yields have dropped significantly for the top estates, from highs of 60-100 hectoliters per hectare in the mid-1980s, to 25-50 hectoliters per hectare in recent vintages. At the same time, other more radical viticulture techniques have been implemented. These include leaf pulling (to encourage air flow as well as allowing more contact with the sun), shoot positioning (to enhance sun exposure), and the ongoing research with clones and root stocks designed to eliminate those root stocks and clones that produce overly prolific crops of large-size berries. The movement of harvested grapes is also done with much more care and, in smaller containers, is designed to prevent bruising and skin breakage.

In 2003, the Bordeaux vineyards are healthier, have lower vigor, and are producing smaller and smaller berries and crops of higher and higher quality fruit. All of this is designed to produce the essence of the terroir, enhance the character of the vintage, and reveal the personality of the varietal or blend.

Techniques and modern methods that take place in the wine cellars

The famed first-growths Haut-Brion and Latour were two of the earliest estates to invest in temperature-controlled stainless-steel fermenters: Haut-Brion in the early 1960s and Latour in 1964. The advantage of temperature-controlled fermenters, which are now being replaced by some avant garde producers with open-top temperature-controlled wood fermenters (a new wrinkle on the old wooden vats used prior to the advent of temperature-controlled steel), is that it allows a producer to harvest as late as possible, picking grapes at full phenolic maturity and with high sugars. In the old days, this often happened by accident. In fact, it was often both feared and discouraged, as fully ripe grapes were tricky to vinify without temperature control. Many of the Médoc 1947s, not to mention some of the 1929s, were ruined by excessive volatile acidity because producers did not have the ability to control fermentation temperatures. If temperatures soar to dangerously high levels, the yeasts that convert the sugar into alcohol are killed, setting off a chain reaction that results in spoiled wines with excessive levels of volatile acidity. This was frequently a problem when harvests occurred during hot weather. Stories of producers throwing in blocks of ice to cool down their fermentations is not just another vineyard legend. It actually happened in 1959, 1949, and 1947. Certainly the advent of temperature-controlled fermenters, whether steel or wood, has been a remarkable technological step for the advancement of wine quality. It allows producers to harvest (assuming weather permits) at their leisure and bring in fully mature grapes knowing that at the push of a button they can control the temperature of each of their fermentation vats. This has resulted in significantly better wines with fewer defects, sweeter fruit, as well as riper tannin in addition to lower acidity.

Moreover, all of the top properties do an extraordinary selection (or culling out damaged or vegetal material) on what they call the table de tri. This is essentially a labor force that inspects the grapes as they come in to the cellars, discarding any that appear rotten, unripe, unhealthy, or blemished. The degree of this inspection varies from property to property, but it is safe to assume that those properties producing the finest wines practice the most severe selection. Some perfectionist estates have a second table de tri after the grapes are destemmed. This means another sorting team searches through the destemmed grape bunches to further pull out any vegetal material, stems, leaves, or questionable looking berries.

Cold soaks, or pre-fermentation macerations, have become increasingly à la mode. They have been used in the past in some of the colder northern viticulture areas (Burgundy and the northern Rhone) because fermentations often did not kick off for four or five days simply because the cellars were so cold. In Bordeaux, cold soaks have been gathering support, with some avant garde producers utilizing 4-8 day cold soaks hoping to extract more phenolic material, greater aromatics, and darker colors.

Fermentations, which used to be 10-15 days, are now often extended, the theory being that the molecular chain that forms the tannin structure will become sweeter and riper with prolonged fermentations of 21-30 or more days.

The bottom line is that every top Bordeaux property has invested in state-of-the-art temperature-controlled fermenters, whether they be stainless-steel or the smaller open-top wood type (which have become the rage in St.-Emilion over the last decade). All the top properties do a severe triage before and sometimes after destemming. More and more properties use cold soaks and some use extended macerations, but overall, the vinification of modern-day Bordeaux is done under strictly supervised, temperature-controlled conditions in a far more sanitary, healthy environment than 30-50 years ago. It is a far cry from the seat-of-your-pants fermentations of the past that could become stuck or troubled, thus causing the development of unwanted organisms and/or volatile acidity.

Lastly, the most controversial technique in the wine cellar today is the use of reverse osmosis and entrophy (the removal of water under a vacuum system to concentrate the grape must). In the past, the technique generally employed was called saignée, which consisted of siphoning off a portion of the juice in the fermentation tank to increase the percentage of skins to grape must. That worked reasonably well, but in the early 1980s some top châteaux (Léoville-Las Cases was one of the first) discreetly began using reverse osmosis. This technique involved pushing the grape must through an apparatus to remove the water. The practice called entrophy was also developed. These concentration techniques have now been in use for 20 years, and while I was initially skeptical, the fact is Léoville-Las Cases has been producing wines of first-growth quality. In years where there is good ripeness but dilution from harvest rains, these machines, when used with discretion, can increase the quality of the wine with apparently no damage. Twenty years after Las Cases first used reverse osmos...

Customer Reviews

Be careful.
I've got two objections to what you may or may not find to be a terrific book. One. It seems that everyone is ready to cede his personal wine tastes to Robert Parker. If you have the same taste as Parker, this book is great. What would be not to love? Parker highlights some great bargains, offers some "must-drink" wines (often not great bargains), and gives a very nice general history of each area. If your taste happens to be different than Parker's, however, get ready for some surprises. Example: The 2000 Lagrange that is supposed to be within its plateau of maturity starting in 2008 appears to me to be far too closed and tannic. Ten years from now, I'm sure it will be a beautiful wine. But I think that this really highlights something about Parker's tastes; he prefers "big" wines, heavy in fruit. Again, if this is your personal taste, you'll get along nicely with Parker and this is a great book to buy. If not, you might run into some trouble. Certainly tasters like the late Emile Peynaud and Michael Broadbent do not express the same proclivities as Parker. I find it ignorant to suggest that any of these men has "better" taste than the others, but due to established biology, it is safe to say that they have "different" tastes. If Parker's taste matches yours, you're good to go. If you're in the Broadbent/Peynaud camp, you might want to reconsider.

My second objection is a shorter one, and it is a criticism of the 100 point system used by Parker. Wines taste very different under different conditions. Parker tastes all of his wines in a very carefully controlled setting. You may not, and your experience of the wine will surely be different than Parker's. And what's the difference between an 89 and a 90? An 89 and a 91? The scale starts at 50 and goes to 100, making point by point distinctions along the way that seem, to be honest, frivolous.

So why do I still think this book is worth buying? It's comprehensive and fairly cheap for what it is. If you know how your taste compares to Parker's, in buying this book you'll have a comprehensive reference point for a lot of wines. Just don't feel compelled to agree with "the Emperor of Wine" at every turn. It's easy to be influenced by the numbers Parker attaches to each wine, but the differences may not be all that substantive and, barring faults or poor wine-making, they may not be objectively negative either.

Bordeaux Bible
Anyone that enjoys good bordeaux need this book.
Excellent reference book.
A must have for bidders, wine collectors and wine buyers.
Extensive information of the best and not so good vintages and chateau's wines.
Love french wine from bordeaux you will love the book.
User friendly
Easy to read and search.
Excellent historical record of chateau's evolution.

Indispensable Guide
Recently I toured wineries in Bordeaux. Robert Parker's book is the indispensable guide to wineries in that region. He discusses each estate in detail and is quite frank in his reviews. He also recommended some hotels and restaurants, which proved to be excellent recommendations.