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Bordeaux: A Consumer's Guide to the World's Finest Wines
Wine drinkers around the world refer to Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s Bordeaux simply as "The Bible."
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.
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.
1264 pages, Hardcover
First published November 15, 1985
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August 21, 2020Intro to wine making
https://youtu.be/2PIvfUvlBvg
Emile Peynaud 9 categories of wine notes:
1. Fruit: red/blue/black, stone fruits, fresh/dried/stewed
2. Floral: rose, violets, lilacs, jasmine, white/yellow
3. Balsamic: pine trees, resin, vanilla
4. Vegetal: herbs, mushrooms, veggies, tea
5. Spice: pepper, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, truffle, anise, mint
6. Animal: game, beef/venison, barnyard, fur, leather
7. Wood: oak
8. Empyreumatic: creme brûlée, smoke, toast, coffee
9. Chemical: acetone, yeast, hydrogen sulfide, acidity, mercaptan, fermentation
100 pt scoring system & how Robert Parker differs from James Suckling?
Base score: RP =50; JS starts fr scratch
Colour: RP +5 = 10% (5/50); JS 15% - does color show typicity e.g. Pinot Noir looks like a Pinot Noir and not a Cabernet Sauvignon; does it look attractive? Does it invite you to drink it after looking at it & swirling it?
Nose: aromas & bouquet; complexity; evocative; gives typicity as well as distinctiveness RP +15 = 30%; JS 25%
Palette: flavour, finish (length & depth), balance, complexity, smoothness; distinctiveness; delicious, does one sip leads to another? Are you blown away? Is it transformative? RP +20 = 40% heavier emphasis on big wines w/ long finish vs JS 25%
Overall impression/quality: RP +10 = 20%; JS 35% potential for ageing when drunk from barrel (not the wine as it is now that's why some young Bordeaux vintage can receive such high scores from RP when it is not ready to drink yet).
https://youtu.be/tiZ-_5j6LvU
100 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = 20/20
96-99 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 = 18.5-19+ extraordinary
93-95 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 18 outstanding
90-92 ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 = 17-17.5 cut above superior, excellent
85-89 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ superior = 16.5
80-85 ⭐️⭐️1/2 above average, good = 16
⭐️⭐️ = average wine 15/20
https://www.wine-searcher.com/critics...
Vintage chart
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ro...
Wine for Normal People - Serge Dore
https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast...
Movie: Mondovino
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondovino
https://youtu.be/2PIvfUvlBvg
Emile Peynaud 9 categories of wine notes:
1. Fruit: red/blue/black, stone fruits, fresh/dried/stewed
2. Floral: rose, violets, lilacs, jasmine, white/yellow
3. Balsamic: pine trees, resin, vanilla
4. Vegetal: herbs, mushrooms, veggies, tea
5. Spice: pepper, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, truffle, anise, mint
6. Animal: game, beef/venison, barnyard, fur, leather
7. Wood: oak
8. Empyreumatic: creme brûlée, smoke, toast, coffee
9. Chemical: acetone, yeast, hydrogen sulfide, acidity, mercaptan, fermentation
100 pt scoring system & how Robert Parker differs from James Suckling?
Base score: RP =50; JS starts fr scratch
Colour: RP +5 = 10% (5/50); JS 15% - does color show typicity e.g. Pinot Noir looks like a Pinot Noir and not a Cabernet Sauvignon; does it look attractive? Does it invite you to drink it after looking at it & swirling it?
Nose: aromas & bouquet; complexity; evocative; gives typicity as well as distinctiveness RP +15 = 30%; JS 25%
Palette: flavour, finish (length & depth), balance, complexity, smoothness; distinctiveness; delicious, does one sip leads to another? Are you blown away? Is it transformative? RP +20 = 40% heavier emphasis on big wines w/ long finish vs JS 25%
Overall impression/quality: RP +10 = 20%; JS 35% potential for ageing when drunk from barrel (not the wine as it is now that's why some young Bordeaux vintage can receive such high scores from RP when it is not ready to drink yet).
https://youtu.be/tiZ-_5j6LvU
100 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = 20/20
96-99 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 = 18.5-19+ extraordinary
93-95 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 18 outstanding
90-92 ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 = 17-17.5 cut above superior, excellent
85-89 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ superior = 16.5
80-85 ⭐️⭐️1/2 above average, good = 16
⭐️⭐️ = average wine 15/20
https://www.wine-searcher.com/critics...
Vintage chart
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ro...
Wine for Normal People - Serge Dore
https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast...
Movie: Mondovino
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondovino
August 19, 2009
everything I wanted to know about wines from Bordeaux and more. He's my wine guru.
February 23, 2019
This is a great reference for Bordeaux wine!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews