Customer Reviews

The World's Greatest Wine Estates: A Modern Perspective

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is interesting in that it lists one man's opinions about the world's best wine estates (although many of the choices are obviously common sense and no-brainers). Granted this man is a formidable wine critic, so his opinion certainly carries a lot of weight.

What was disappointing with this book, as another reviewer wrote, is the disappointing quality of the photography in this book. For what looks like a coffee table sized book from the world's premier wine critic, you would expect organized, world class photography with some explanatory captions. This book lacks that.

I also have mixed feelings about the pages for each producer devoted to tasting notes--on the one hand they are informative, but on the other hand it's too much nitty gritty detail for a coffee table type book such as this.

I really enjoyed Parker's Bordeaux book, which is more like an encyclopedia, but very helpful in sorting out the myriad producers in that region.

Bottom line--decent book, but not great.

Ten years ago I was primarily a California chardonnay and cabernet drinker, but then I discovered Robert Parker, and my wine world opened up to so many different kinds of marvelous wines.

Parker has many notable qualities, and aside from his unimpeachable integrity, and sterling work ethic, is his true love of so many different kinds of wines from around the world. Because of him, I have become a regular fan of tempranillos from Spain, malbecs from Argentina, grenaches from Southern France, and some amazing wine values from unkonwn grapes in Southern Italy.

His newest book focuses on the world's greatest wines and it is not only beautifully produced but flushes out so many of the wizards and brilliant men and women behind the wines, and in his very democratic way, gives recognition to many producers and regions ignored for decades, especially the great Chateauneuf-du-Papes that are my favorite wines today because of what I have learned from Parker.

I have all of Parker's books but this is his finest work to date, and one I predict will leave all of us who love wine an important work of reference as well as legacy to all wine producers who strive for excellence. Very Highly Recommended!

I was thrilled to receive this book as a birthday present from my wife. After leafing through and reading some of it, I was even more thrilled.

You gotta love Parker. The man loves controversy. Here, he writes a definitive book on the World's Greatest Wines Estates about 175 of them. What first came to my mind was, will my favourite wines make it on his list, or for that matter, what list will he compile as to not to offend anyone.

I for one am certainly not disappointed. He starts off by providing a guideline as to what makes a wine great. For instance, he tells us that wine has be both sensory and intellectually appealing, and that each sip has better than the previous, as well as other criteria, all very helpful.

The Bordeaux section alone is great. Imagine, leaving out Chateau Le Pin as one of the World's Greatest, when the Wine Spectator in 1994 declared Le Pin as #3 on their Bordeaux Greatest Estates. Hmmm. On the other hand, Chateau Leoville Poyferre did make it.

The US list is also not without any controversy. For instance, among notables that did not make the list were Joseph Phelps, Silverado, Stag's Leap, and Duckhorn , while Berringer and Shafer made the grade.

All in all a wonderful book. I was not too much bothered by the photography, which some reviewers thought were of bad quality.

I have literally dozens of wine books in my library but none quite covers the topic addressed by Robert Parker's latest book: What really constitutes great wine and who makes it.

In Parker's typical style, this new book is fact filled and provides comprehensive coverage of its topic. Atypically for him, it has some of the elements of a "coffee table book" because of the large page size and the "hundreds" (I didn't count them) of gorgeous full color photographs, wine labels and maps. However, unlike most books of that genre, this one provides many, many details about some 150 of the world's greatest wine producing estates and could serve either as an introduction to wine for the beginner or as a reference source for the more expert wine afficiando.

I recommend it without reservation.

I like Robert Parker. I have all of his books and subscribe to the Wine Advocate newsletter. I have been using his cellar management software for years and subscribe to eRobertParker.com as well. I have over 7,500 bottles of wine in my cellar, virtually all of which are rated 90 points or higher by Monsieur Parker. I trust his palate and use his ratings to guide my purchases.

But this book is disappointing. It looks like a coffee-table book, but doesn't have enough photographs (and few good photographs). It reads sort of like a wine guide due to the inclusion of a few notes about specific years for each estate listed, but it appears to be more of an effort to fill space between photographs. In the end it is neither a picture book nor a wine guide.

I bought six copies of this book, all signed by Parker, to give as holiday gifts to some of my wine-loving friends. But after receiving the book, I am now reluctant to give them as gifts, because there is really nothing of value in the book. In my opinion, this is a mediocre effort from someone with a reputation for much better.

I have several of Robert Parker's books and am a long time subscriber to his website and his bulletin. His advise and his insights drive the wine world. I use his tasting notes and rating as the basis for my wine cellar. There are many critics in this industry but he is the recognized best for his knowledge, his palate and his fierce independence from the wine industry. This position of independence has separated him and made him different from the rest of his peers. That's why I was not surprised at the top quality of this book nor the fact that is not just another coffee table book.

Critics in general often say one very important fact, that great producers create great wines even in the down years. This book gives you Parker's insight into the best producers of wine in the world and how they do it.

Done in the style of coffee table book, it is more then a book of pictures. The book is focused on the question of the greats and why. It is jammed with information. He gives you background, history and detail of each country and estate. Parker's answers are accompanied with many, many great color pictures as illustrations.

I recommend this book to novice and the expert.

There's much in this book that would fly over the head of a novice, but for someone interested in getting to know Bordeaux - really get to know Bordeaux - this is a great introduction (if you want to spend the money). Color photos demonstrate the beauty of the chateaux, and there is a wealth of information here. What vintages were considered good at what estate and why - that's one of the most important things a novitiate can learn, and one of the most difficult to pick up on the fly. Here it all is for everyone...even the seasoned pros.

The contents of this great coffee-table book are mostly drawn from Parker's other publications. Mostly his other books on Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone Valley, and of course the wine advocate (Parker's famous bi-monthly review of the world's wines). It conatins some very nice pictures of Chateaux and related scenery. However, most (if not all) of the wine producers featured in the book produce wines that are unfortunately reserved to the super-rich due to their prices. In a way, this book resembles one of those beautiful coffee-table books about Ferraris, Porsches or super models, which showcase masterpieces only to be dreamt about by the common man.

I've followed Robert Parker's entire career and I think this is his best work. Insightful commentary, beautiful color photos. This book is the perfect Christmas gift for wine-loving friends and famliy!

My husband loves to research wine - this book was a highlight of Christmas! Thick book - well-researched.