The ultimate report on the world's vintage wines is offered by the man the "Wine Spectator" calls "the world's most experienced taster."

The half-century of Michael Broadbent's wine trade experience has seen unprecedented change throughout the wine world. Few people have done more to influence that change and none can claim a better-informed perspective on it. Published to coincide with Michael Broadbent's 75th birthday and a celebration of 50 years in the wine trade, VINTAGE WINE will concentrate on the wines which are now in universal, high-level demand, those that are being collected, consumed and traded by vast and increasing numbers in all corners of the globe. More selective than his earlier works, this book features personal reflection as well as specific opinion. Years of cellars visited and pillaged for sale at Christie's, involving the checking and packing of dust and grime laden bottles in distinctly dank and chilly conditions, plus the jet-set auctions around the world, the legendary tastings and the society events have yielded an unrivalled store of vinous anecdote and amusement as well as an unsurpassed winetasting record.

The rivetingly strange story of the world's most expensive bottle of wine, and the even stranger characters whose lives have intersected with it. The New York Times bestseller, updated with a new epilogue, that tells the true story of a 1787 Château Lafite Bordeaux—supposedly owned by Thomas Jefferson—that sold for $156,000 at auction and of the eccentrics whose lives intersected with it. Was it truly entombed in a Paris cellar for two hundred years? Or did it come from a secret Nazi bunker? Or from the moldy basement of a devilishly brilliant con artist? As Benjamin Wallace unravels the mystery, we meet a gallery of intriguing players—from the bicycle-riding British auctioneer who speaks of wines as if they are women to the obsessive wine collector who discovered the bottle. Suspenseful and thrillingly strange, this is the vintage tale of what could be the most elaborate con since the Hitler diaries. “Part detective story, part wine history, this is one juicy tale, even for those with no interest in the fruit of the vine. . . . As delicious as a true vintage Lafite.” —BusinessWeek

This updated pocket version of the classic and award-winning "Vintage Wine" presents Broadbent's tasting notes in a handy format that puts his unrivaled expertise at readers' fingertips while traveling, buying at auction, or dining out.

"It is the first book to deal with wine not just geographically but in the context of time; and it is the first book to examine the two uncontrollable variables - the weather which creates the character of the vintage and the wine, and the passage of time, which shapes its development".--BOOKJACKET.

The great wines captivate like lovers with their harmony and complexity - and especially their rarity. But what are the greatest among them? In this compact volume, international wine expert Michel Dovaz identifies the finest wines of our times and recounts how they came about. From the legendary 1900 Chateau Margaux to the blockbuster 2008 Pol Roger Champagne, the exceptional wines are mainly French, but also include vintages form Germany, the United States, Australia, Italy, and now South America. Dovaz provides an informative overview from year to year: land, climate, soil, grape varieties, harvest time and conditions, fermentation, and aging. In the following, newly expanded section, Dovaz lists the best vintages by year. Each entry features a detailed description of the wine itself, as well as an enlightening discussion of the vineyard's history and the specific conditions that led to superior vintages. They are paired with practical pricing information as well as photographic spreads that will provide enthusiasts and collectors with a fuller understanding of these favored wines within the historical and social context of their times. AUTHOR: Michel Dovaz is the author of more than one dozen books about wine, including Bordeaux, a Legendary Wine, and Chateau Latour. Michael Broadbent, author of the introduction, is founder and senior consultant of Christie's international wine department. ILLUSTRATIONS 375 illustrations

The head of Christie's wine department, Michael Broadbent has been sampling virtually every great vintage, new and old, for more than 40 years. This new, expanded, and fully updated edition of his classic wine guide is more than 90 percent new, and incorporates another 10 years of notes on tasting into its already comprehensive text.