Hard Cover
560 pages
$82.50 |
A masterful reference by one of the world’s top wine authorities, Vintage Wine is a pleasure to read and a must-have for collectors and avid students of wine alike.
Master of Wine, wine educator and head of Christie’s wine department since 1966, author Michael Broadbent quite possibly knows more about fine, old wines than anyone else alive. All this said the only dry thing about Vintage Wine is many of the wines.
It’s a thrill to read his decidedly unstuffy tasting notes extracted from over 85,000 journal entries amassed over half a century. He covers hundreds of vintages and thousands of wines right up to the present including the oldest wines in the book, a 1784 Chateau Margaux (outstanding) and a Chateau Lafitte of the same vintage, which was not surprisingly undrinkable.
Broadbent declares that he tastes wines with the consumer in mind and that he deems himself a fair and conscientious taster, not a great one. His diligence, expertise and massive wine experience have resulted in a volume of intelligent tasting notes that detail the best vintages acquired by a half century of tastings in dank cellars, at far-flung auctions and society events at home and abroad. Scattered throughout are anecdotes about the wines, the people behind the wines and places he’s seen, a ringing endorsement for a life lived with wine.
Reviewed by Judith Lane, wine writer |
