Customer Reviews

The Heart of Bordeaux: The Greatest Wines from Graves Chateaux

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No question, this book is lovely to look at. It includes a brief photo essay and profile of each of an interesting group of sixteen Graves estates, from the top tier Chateaux Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion, to consistent and elegant Domaine de Chevalier, to some more off the beaten path strivers, like Chateaux de Fieuzal and Couhins-Lurton. For each of the estate profiles, there is a recipe matching a good recent vintage from each property with food from a star chef. Yes, one day I will open a bottle of 2005 Haut Brion (actually, I'd be more likely to pull a bottle of Haut Brion from the 80s out of the cellar, what a shame to open a 2005 anytime in the next decade or more!) with Daniel Boulud's "roasted squab with foie gras, peppered apricots, spinach and turnip confit." Sounds like a great Graves-friendly plat and the recipe does not appear to be a merely "aspirational" exercise -- a reasonably skilled and careful home cook could likely pull it off with aplomb.

However, do not look to this volume for a detailed history of the region or of any of the sixteen chateaux featured here. Don't seek any depth of analysis. In fact, don't even look for a bibliography or an index -- you won't find one. This large format volume is mostly about being pretty, which it undeniably does tastefully and well.