The Wines of the Northern Rhône [Hardcover]

John Livingstone-Learmonth (Author), Kermit Lynch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2005

For anyone who wants to understand the full story that lies within a glass of wine, this book opens up the inner secrets of the geology, the vineyards, the wines, and the growers of the northern Rhône Valley in France. Home to the spicy Syrah, or Shiraz, and the floral Viognier grapes, the northern Rhône Valley is one of France's oldest wine-growing regions; its appellations include Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Crozes-Hermitage, St-Joseph, and Château-Grillet. With evocative descriptions and marvelous insights, this accessible, elegant book, the culmination of more than thirty years following the Rhône, is a comprehensive and authoritative survey of the various estates, winemakers, and their wines.
Taking a deeper look at the northern Rhône than Livingstone-Learmonth's highly regarded previous volumes on the Rhône Valley, this revised and up-to-date edition covers more producers and includes more in-depth information on the various terroirs, the histories of the wines, and the methods for making the wines. Livingstone-Learmonth concentrates on letting the producers explain their outlook and methods and includes much local color.
The Wines of the Northern Rhône includes
* Assessments of thousands of wines, with guide dates onwhen to drink and how long to age them
* Winemakers' views on what foods best accompany their wines
* New vineyard maps for each appellation
* Detailed descriptions by growers discussing the effect of different soils on their wines
* Precise information on how each domaine makes its wines
* New research on the historical links between Hermitage and Bordeaux

Editorial Reviews

Review

["A] magisterial and compelling tour de force of a passionate wine guide....a dip into the book at virtually any point is almost as satisfying as a visit."--"Decanter

From the Inside Flap

"If you want to know who is who in each appellation, and who produces the best wines, just look in here. Livingstone-Learmonth's understanding and feel for the region, its wines, and its winemakers shines out through every page."--Clive Coates, MW, author of The Wines of Bordeaux

"As one who visits the major producers in the region annually, I can testify to the superior scholarship underlying this work. It is utterly reliable and contains vast amounts of important information, much of which has not previously appeared in print."--Claude F. Kolm, Editor of Fine Wine Review

"This up-to-date, in-depth look at one of the most historic winegrowing regions in the world provides a human face to famous places and names and yields a wealth of information."--Joel Butler, MW, Educator and writer; WSET, Diageo Chateau & Estates Wine Co

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 720 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520244338
• ISBN-13: 978-0520244337
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Drinks & Beverages > Wine > Wine & Winemaking

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top notch review of the Northern Rhone, January 31, 2006

By 

Chambolle (Bainbridge Island, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: The Wines of the Northern Rhône (Hardcover)

The thinking person's alternative to The Emperor's '100 point grading system' tome on the Rhone. Livingstone-Learmonth provides a highly personal account of the vineyards, the growers and the wines, along with tasting notes and vintage profiles that reward style, character and finesse more than brutal extraction and sheer "hedonistic fruit bomb" amplitude -- a rare perspective on the wines from this sun-drenched part of France, the land where the pundits go to find big chunky monkey "special cuvee" reds and oily high alcohol whites slathered liberally (and uncharacteristically) in new oak. Rather than you-know-who's hyperbole about the "greatest in history" 2003 vintage, for example, Learmonth offers a thoughtful and even handed view that acknowledges the question marks surrounding the wines from that freakish growing season. In my humble view, this book is the English language reference standard on the northern Rhone, and a great follow up to Learmonth's earlier Faber publication on the northern and southern Rhone vineyards. My taste and my cellar are overwhelmingly skewed towards Burgundy, but this book sent me back down to my cellar to pull the corks on some older bottles of Cornas, St. Joseph, Cote Rotie and Hermitage and has me ready to lay down more of them -- and perhaps to head a bit further south on my next trip to France. A must have volume.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Love The N. Rhones, You Need This Book, July 23, 2006

By 

A. Feiring - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wines of the Northern Rhône (Hardcover)

Livingstone-Learmonth does a knock up job, has meticulously researched and what's more--- knows that you should make your drinking decisions by looking into the vigneron or negoc behind the wine and the way they work and not by looking at a score.

Who knew that a guidebook to the Rhone could not only be a necessary resource book but also a hell of a read? This is an in-depth and entertaining insight into a region that produces the ne plus ultra of syrah (yes, viognier and the other whites, but it's all about the syrah, isn't it?).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wines of the Northern Rhone, March 1, 2006

By 

Herbert H. Kaplan (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wines of the Northern Rhône (Hardcover)

Every serious wine lover will find The Wines of the Northern Rhone indispensable. It is profound in its knowledge of the soil, grape, vineyard, and the wine makers of the Rhone. John Livingstone-Learmonth's writing is lucid and sensitive. It is not only a scholarly study of reference but also one that will be consulted to select a wine for dinner, for purchase and for cellaring. It is also a wonderful tourist guide of the northern Rhone valley.

Herbert H. Kaplan
Philadelphia