French Wine Chateaux

An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the stunning estates of France’s most prestigious and long-standing vineyards. Hennessy, Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Mercier, Krug, Ruinart, Veuve Clicquot, Château d’Yquem, and Cheval Blanc: across the world these names are synonymous with prestige, secrets passed down from generation to generation, and the inimitable genius of French wine production. These producers, who together comprise the Moët Hennessy group, weren’t satisfied with simply striving to make the best Cognac, Champagne, Sauternes, or Saint-Emilion. Since they were founded, each has been dedicated to cultivating an environment in which these exceptional French products can be fully appreciated. And so, in order to entertain in style, these legendary institutions have constructed elegant estates. Guests savor meals that have been composed to subtly complement and ultimately intensify the experience of tasting the sought-after libations. Stunning countryside surroundings, beautiful interior design, a friendly atmosphere, and often contemporary art all play a role in entertaining guests; many eminent designers and architects have contributed to these exquisite locales. This volume is an invitation to discover the magic of these beautiful retreats, and the institutions behind them.

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.

Exploring Wine Regions-Bordeaux France is the second book in its series that brings a unique approach in educating and inspiring readers about the wine regions of the world. Bordeaux takes you on a journey exploring the long and fascinating history of wine, gastronomy, castles and joie de vivre, the French way of living life. The perfect companion for any wine lover or travel enthusiast. With a passion for wine and travel, author and photographer Michael C. Higgins delves deep into the history of Bordeaux, which he refers to as the "center of the universe for wine." Combining wine education, insiders travel guide and his spectacular photography, Higgins continues to dazzle his audience with another informative and beautiful book. Higgins helps readers understand the complexities of Bordeaux wine by presenting each region separately and explaining their nuances. He helps them navigate their own way through this historic wine region by highlighting the chateaux, including the ones where you can stay in their castles, restaurants and experiences with detailed maps and insider tips. With breathtaking photography and personal commentary, readers are mesmerized by the Bordeaux world of wine, food and travel. Extensive resources are provided for wine lovers who want to know where to go, what to look for, what questions to ask, and how to understand complex answers. Everyone can learn how to develop a palate to appreciate the finest wine and food the French has to offer. Both connoisseurs and novices turn to this book series for insider information and inspiration. A must-have book for expanding your knowledge of Bordeaux and its wines.

Discover a dozen exceptional Bordeaux wine estates, complete with tasting notes from a renowned wine critic. From Lafite Rothschild to Angélus to Cheval Blanc, Bordeaux produces the world’s finest wines. In this gift volume with silver gilded pages, the histories of the wineries is completed with detailed tasting notes. JFK’s beloved Petrus—the world’s most expensive wine—emanates a balance of "dark fruits, black olives, dark chocolate, and earth." Château Margaux—Thomas Jefferson’s favorite—still seduces with its "valentine of dark chocolate and roses melded with the aromatics of licorice, blackberry, and cocoa." Esteemed architects reflect the elegant wines in the graceful lines of a dozen estates and cellars: Lord Norman Foster’s renovation preserves the neo-Palladian spirit of Château Margaux, Jacques Garcia softens Château Cos d’Estournel’s steel-and-glass winery with India-inspired decorative elements, and Jean Nouvel tucks a high-tech new winery inside La Dominique’s listed UNESCO World Heritage site.

Step inside the châteaux of the fabled red wines of the Médoc and white wines of Sauternes on this insider’s tour, complete with tasting notes for the great vintages. The landmark creation of the Grands Crus Classés in 1855 set the benchmark for wine quality around the world. The sixty-one reds of the Médoc and twenty-seven whites of Sauternes are considered the finest wines in the world. The care that goes into creating these exceptional wines is an art, and the picturesque domaines where this craft is perfected are as beautiful as their wines are refined. This is the first book dedicated to the red and white wines that offers the history of each domaine, along with a guide to the great vintages and an address book to the vineyards. Newly commissioned photographs capture the region throughout the seasons, making this handsome volume both a glorious voyage and an important reference for any wine lover. The wineries stand beside the stunning properties and belie the meticulous and magical work that they shelter, where a long line of elite winemakers fastidiously watch over the laborious tradition that has defined these exceptional wines for more than 150 years. A château’s history can be a riveting saga, but it invariably demonstrates that the splendor of great Bordeaux wines resides in perfect balance. This volume includes a focus on Château d’Yquem, a Premier cru supérieur and the only wine of the Sauternes region to be awarded this rating through the 1855 classification.

"A survey of the long-term history of wine in France, this is a readable and relatively compact history of the 2,500 years that separate the present from the time that Etruscans, Greeks, and Romans first brought to ancient France and planted the first vineyards there. The book traces this long history at a number of levels: the expansion and contraction of regional and national vineyard areas; long- and short-term changes in the volumes of wine produced; the effects of long- and short-term climate shifts on viticulture and wine production; the emergence of recognizable wine regions and designated appellations; changing methods of viticulture and winemaking; the marketing of wine locally and regionally within France and internationally; the reception of wine on domestic and foreign markets; the diverging levels of quality and the emergence of prestigious wine regions and estates; the evolving definition of terroir; the regulation of wine production and sales and the prevention of fraud; patterns of wine consumption in France; and the relationship of wine to gender, class, health, religion, and identity in France."--Provided by publisher.

“This sharp critique of French winemakers, and Bordeaux’s Saint Emilion region in particular, caused quite a stir when it was published in France in 2014” (Publishers Weekly). Already provoking debate and garnering significant attention across France and within the wine world, Vino Business is a “truly eye-opening exposé” of the dark side of French wine by acclaimed investigative journalist Isabelle Saporta (Booklist). In recent decades, Bordeaux has come under the influence of large-scale international investors. Unafraid to name names, Saporta sheds a harsh light on how this influence has corrupted the region’s centuries-old traditions of winemaking excellence. She uncovers how the classification system was manipulated in 2012 to ensure that the wines of Saint-Émilion—Bordeaux’s most prestigious appellation—were certified premier grand cru classé A. Giving extra points to a chateaux for the size of its parking lot, the quality of the wine itself counts for only thirty percent of that coveted rank. In other chapters, Saporta investigates issues of wine labeling and pesticides, and draws comparisons to Champagne, Burgundy, and the rest of the wine world. “This fast-paced, provocative read” is a cri de coeur for the lost values of traditional winemaking (Dave DeSimone, Pittsburgh Tribune Review).