The First Growths of Bordeaux

A comprehensive look at the world-renowned First Growth estates of Bordeaux; Chateaux Lafite Rothschild, Latour, Margaux, Mouton Rothschild and Haut-Brion. This book tells not only their stories, but the story of the Bordeaux wine trade, and the personalities that shaped it, through these five chateaux that have been at its heart for over 500 years.

The narrative contrasts what it means to be a First Growth from within – so their histories, their daily lives, what contributes to the quality of their wines - with what it means for the legion of merchants, brokers and wine lovers that have grown up around them. By retracing the steps they have taken towards becoming the greatest wines in the world, the book also looks at the new realities that are shaping them today, and the effect they have on the global fine wine market.

A series of comprehensive appendices looks at their pricing over several centuries relative to key indices such as gold and bread, offers several never-before-published historical documents, and gives harvest reports for every vintage since the 1855 classification which anointed them as First Growths.

Book Author

Jane Anson is based in Bordeaux, where she is correspondent for Decanter magazine. She is author of the Bordeaux and Southwest France chapters of The Wine Opus (Dorling Kindersley, 2010) and is currently working on their follow-up, provisionally titled 1000 Great Wines for Every Day. Other books include Michelin Guide to the Wine Regions of France (Michelin Publications, 2010, sole contributing writer), Travellers Southwest France (Thomas Cook Publishing, scheduled release March 2011), and three other guidebooks to Bordeaux, Toulouse and Corsica (Thomas Cook Publishing, 2008 and 2009). She...
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