What are the essential books on Burgundy? Listed by copyright date, I’ve read all of the following:
Burgundy by Anthony Hanson, 1982 Making Sense of Burgundy by Matt Kramer, 1990 Burgundy: A Comprehensive Guide to the Producers, Appellations, and Wines by Robert Parker, 1990 The Great Domaines of Burgundy by Remington Norman, 1992 Romanee-Conti: The World’s Most Fabled Wine by Richard Olney, 1995 A Tribute to the Great Wines of Burgundy: Henry Jayer, Winemaker from Vosne-Romanee by Jacky Rigaux, 1997 (English translation by J. Finkel) Cote d’Or: A Celebration of the Great Wines of Burgundy by Clive Coates, 1997 The Wines of Burgundy by Clive Coates, 2008 Inside Burgundy: The vineyards, the wine, & the people by Jasper Morris, 2010 The Great Domaines of Burgundy: A Guide to the Finest Wine Producers of the Cote d’Or by Remington Norman and Charles Taylor, 2010 Grand Cru: The Great Wines of Burgundy through the Perspective of Its Finest Vineyards by Remington Norman, 2010 The Pearl of the Cote: The Great Wines of Vosne-Romanee by Allen Meadows, 2010 The Finest Wines of Burgundy: A Guide to the Best Producers of the Cote d’Or and Their Wines by Bill Nanson, 2012 The Original Grand Crus of Burgundy by Charles Curtis, 2014
What other books on the subject are essential? What other books, if not essential, are still good and worthwhile? Though I can only read sufficiently in English, I’d be happy to be aware of excellent books in other languages, too.
Thanks, Mark. Yes, Kermit Lynch’s Adventures on the Wine Route is an engaging book; in a similar vein, I enjoyed Terry Theise’s Reading between the Wines, though not addressing Burgundy.
At this point, Dennis, I’m not reading these books for purchase recommendations. I’ve learned enlightening and useful information on Burgundy’s vineyard histories, terroir, grapegrowing, and winemaking, among other things.
No problem, Tim. I like the suggestion. Actually, Charles Curtis’s The Original Grand Crus of Burgundy started as a translation of the sections of Lavalle’s Histoire et Statistique that evaluated and rated Burgundy’s vineyards. In his preface, Curtis wrote that he felt Lavalle’s work owed a debt to Dr. Denis Morelot’s Statistique de la Vigne dans le Department de la Cote d’Or, so Curtis then translated relevant sections of Morelot; this led to Curtis translating relevant sections from Andre Jullien’s Topographie de Tous les Vignobles Connus and, eventually, earlier works by Claude Arnoux, Abbe Claude Courtepee and Edme Bequillet, and later works by Charles Albert d’Arnold Bertall, Rene Danguy and Charles Aubertin, and Camille Rodier.
Why is this a joke? I have the book, bought at Athenaeum in Beaune, reprinted by Bouchard pere et fils. I am sure you can order it and have it shipped worldwide. It’s a very interesting read indeed.
I was joshing with Maison Ilan fans and disgruntled buyers. I took that from the NYT profile of Ray Walker, but back before the distribution problems, pretty much all the press mentioned him using that and other old texts as preparation to make Grand Cru Burgundy.
Frankly, I thought it was cool at the time, and the subsequent problems don’t relate to reading of old French wine books. So never mind and pardon my sarcasm. I’m going to order the Curtis, as my French is rudimentary at best.
I like Yoxall’s book for its discussion of changing vinification techniques and British bottlers during the post WWII years.
Gwynn’s book appears based on Danguy and others for info. So it is not terribly useful but there is a wine list or two with prices from 1934. I guess there are also scattered references to some old vintages the author had drunk.
I have this in the 2005 edition. A slim, but very good book. Handy to have along at big tastings. I doubt it has any more/better info than what you already have.