World-renowned Robert Parker’s first ever illustrated book; a guide to 175 of the world’s greatest wine estates, from Australia to United States. Lavishly illustrated with stunning photography, and featuring useful maps, visitor information, and tasting notes on each estate’s best vintages this is your ultimate vintage reference to wine. “The single most influential person in the world of wine” Daily Telegraph

Over the past twenty-five years, renowned critic Robert M. Parker, Jr., has visited both legendary and fledgling wineries all over the world and has tasted hundreds of thousands of wines. Only a fraction of those wines have earned his highest ratings and are considered by him to be truly legendary. In his latest book, Parker brings together what he calls "the best of the best," taking readers on a personal tour of the wineries that have impressed him most with their dedication to quality, consistency, and excellence. The World's Greatest Wine Estates pays homage to exceptional wines and the exceptional people who make them. These lavishly illustrated pages showcase 175 of the world's most accomplished -- and most spectacular -- estates. Parker goes be-yond the labels, bottles, and ratings to present the land, the history, and the dedicated artisans practicing their craft. Though they form a wildly diverse group, all of these producers "share an inexhaustible commitment to their vineyards, a passion to produce as fine a wine as is humanly possible, and a vision that the joys of wine are infinite and represent the pinnacle of a civilized society." Parker begins with an overview of what makes a wine great -- the ability to please both the palate and the intellect, to offer intense aromas and flavors without heaviness, to improve with age, to reflect its place of origin as well as the skill of its producers -- and explains how he came to choose the profound wines he features here. He also offers insider tips for ordinary wine-lovers who want to get their hands on extraordinary bottles. The heart of the book contains profiles of the greatest estates of Argentina, Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United States. Each region is illustrated with a full-color map and accompanied by an introduction explaining the general wine history of the country. In his profiles of individual estates, Parker offers essential geographical information such as grape varietals, average age of the vines, and density of plantation; details about the estate's history and techniques and the wines it produces; visiting information for those who want to see the process up close; and tasting notes on the best recent vintages from each winery. Each profile also includes photographs of the vineyards and the people behind the wines, and labels from their best-known vintages. Complete with a list of up-and-coming wineries ("Future Stars") and a glossary of wine terms, The World's Greatest Wine Estates is a very special reference for amateurs and connoisseurs alike.

Two of the wine world's most respected authorities present a calendar's worth of wines that, in their expert judgment, every wine lover will want to experience.

Parker's phenomenally successful first book, which established him as the most influential wine writer in the world today (Los Angeles Times), now completely updated. It is also expanded to contain discussions of 100 more chateaux and tasting notes for 1,000 more wines. Decorative art and maps.

Journalist Maximillian Potter uncovers a fascinating plot to destroy the vines of La Romance-Conti, Burgundy's finest and most expensive wine. In January 2010, Aubert de Villaine, the famed proprietor of the Domaine de la Romance-Conti, the tiny, storied vineyard that produces the most expensive, exquisite wines in the world, received an anonymous note threatening the destruction of his priceless vines by poison—a crime that in the world of high-end wine is akin to murder—unless he paid a one million euro ransom. Villaine believed it to be a sick joke, but that proved a fatal miscalculation and the crime shocked this fabled region of France. The sinister story that Vanity Fair journalist Maximillian Potter uncovered would lead to a sting operation by some of France's top detectives, the primary suspect's suicide, and a dramatic investigation. This botanical crime threatened to destroy the fiercely traditional culture surrounding the world's greatest wine. Shadows in the Vineyard takes us deep into a captivating world full of fascinating characters, small-town French politics, an unforgettable narrative, and a local culture defined by the twinned veins of excess and vitality and the deep reverent attention to the land that runs through it.

An unprecedented entrée into the lives and sumptuous interiors of the estates behind the world’s best-known French wine labels. From the estates of the champagne families of Bollinger, Roederer, and Taittinger to family properties in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Alsace, Jura, Provence, Corsica, Languedoc-Roussillon, the Southwest, and the Loire: here are the private homes at the heart of the extraordinary French wine industry. Wine is synonymous with France and an extensive range of wines is produced, from champagne in the north to the highly prized reds of Bordeaux. Solvi dos Santos’s photographs, along with the personal insights of the owners, tell the stories of estates in all the major wine-producing regions. Florence Brutton brings the unique character of each estate featured here to life, explaining the idea of terroir (the idiosyncratic growing conditions that define and distinguish each area of cultivation) and the importance of local customs. With details on the wines produced and information for the would-be visitor, this book will appeal to wine lovers, Francophiles, travelers, and anyone who wants an insider’s view of the fascinating world of viniculture.