C?te d'Or: A Celebration of the Great Wines of Burgundy

by Clive Coates

The heart of Burgundy, the Cote D'Or, produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines that are unrivaled in their quality, intensity, and ability to age in the bottle. On this "golden slope" in eastern... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520212517
• ISBN13: 9780520212510
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 1007 Pages
• Weight: 4.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.3" x 7.1" x 10.1"

Customer Reviews

One of the greatest wine books

There is so much information in this book, from the different crus themselves to the producers, as well as history. The only downside is that the vintage information is dated

The best of its kind

Burgundy is one of the most difficult-to-grasp wine regions in the world. Many studies have been done on the soil, climate, wind direction, sun exposure, rainfall, etc., yet nobody really knows, yet, why one acre of Burgundy produces a certain kind of wine and the acre right next to it something different. Clive Coates book comes as close as humanly possible to explain it. He begins his sections with a "History" of the region, then continues with "Location", "Vineyard", and then defines and describes the wines made from the Grand Crus and the Premier Crus, recommending sources and also providing the size of each vineyard. Also, he covers vintages. It's amazing how Coates takes such a difficult region and maps it out so succinctly for us. Far better effort than Parker's "Burgundy".

Excellent single-volume work on Burgundy

This book is an excellent reference work for the serious amateur of Burgundy. The focus is very much on the top estates and domains of the Côte d'Or (Côte de Nuits & Côte de Beaune, as opposed to the Maconnais, Beaujolais, or Chablis -- all technically part of Burgundy in the French appellation system); while well organized and refreshingly jargon-free, debutants looking to ease themselves in to the most complicated wine region in the world might want to look elsewhere.After living in Burgundy for six months, visiting almost 100 domains, and looking at just about every reviewer's notes, I trust Coates above anyone when it comes to Burgundy. He is a believer in terroir, and cares deeply about balance and finesse; those whose tastes track Parker's, who care most about extract, color, and power are probably looking at the wrong book. (They're looking in the wrong region, too -- and at the wrong varietal for that matter.)This book is an absolutely essential part of every oenophile's library. Why only 4 stars? The reviews are somewhat out of date -- a problem for anyone with a relatively new wine drinking/collecting habit (latest vintage reviewed is 1996, I believe, and that one only briefly). Also, the tasting notes are not as comprehensive as one might wish -- Coates sometimes limits himself to notes from a single vertical tasting in a given vigneron's cellar.

If you are serious about Burgundy

Clive Coates has written a scholarly yet lively and entertaining book. A confusing array of locations, producers and other vital information for the serious collector or the serious appreciator of Burgundy wines is clarified and successfully elucidated. Coates tackles the subject with finesse and a refreshingly unbiased viewpoint. A masterwork.

Simply indispensible to every Burgundy wine lover

The most recent and up to date definitive work on Burgundy! Clive Coates, in his sharp and wittily understated British style, has done it all! While coverage of the general and background aspects of Burgundy is not as superb as in Hanson's book, Coates survey of the producers and his countless tasting notes spanning the last 50 years(!) are by far the best of the lot. On top of dedicating at least a paragraph to every known and unknown producer, Mr. Coates gives us in-depth detailed 'profiles' of the best sixty domaines.