2004-06-04 Noble Rot excels

"Noble Rot" covers the dynamic changes occurring in the most famous wine region of the world - Bordeaux. It describes the frictions - sometimes pleasant, sometimes much less so - between Right Bank and Left Bank producers, between the old and the new ... and in my own personal opinion from tasting, between the historically good and contemporary outstanding.

Here you will find insights into the world of wine making, the history of Bordeaux, family relationships and corporate takeovers, and on almost every page the sheer enjoyment of a glass of wine.

The storyline keeps you hooked; the information would not overwhelm a novice, but has sufficient detail for the connoisseur; a smallest criticism would be that it would help at some stage to have some charts and maps showing who people are, the wines they make, and where their chateaux are. No doubt this is something for the second edition, of which there is sure to be one.

For a book which will keep you entranced, and cause you to salivate at the wine (and even the descriptions of French food) - I have read none better.