Clive Coates’ Cote D’Or: A must read
Once my interest was piqued with Burgundy, I searched around for all things Burgundy. Websites were scoured, magazines digested, and books dog-eared…yet none more so than Clive Coates’ Cote D’Or. The interesting thing about this book is that it can be a wonderful coffee table book if someone just wishes to pick it up. For me, this book has been much more, an inspiration, companion read and altogether it has been an amazing reference to Burgundy.
The vineyards get a great amount of ink (as they should). The history of the many villages, the types of soils, location, soil depth, etymology along with the wines they produce are all fully fleshed out in detail. While the book can at times provide information bordering on overkill, the information is there for the times when you really wish to dig a bit deeper. I wish I would have taken my book along with me when we visited. One of the first things I did on our return was to read about some of the places we visited. The notes on producers are a bit out of date, yet the historical aspects remain. Also, there is a revised edition that hit last year with more producer info and more maps.
I can’t say enough about this book. In a nutshell, pick it up! Enjoy!
Coates released a majorly updated version of the book last year, under the title “The Wines of Burgundy”. It’s worth keeping “Cote d’Or” around as a lot of text was eliminated to make room for the new.
March 25, 2009 at 2:18 am
Wes, I was interested in picking up the newest release but Iwas told the main updates were maps and vintage charts. I’ll look into it. Thanks for the heads up!
March 25, 2009 at 4:19 am
In addiition to Clives portray on Burgundy I found Remington Normans “Côte d’Or” (German title) very helpful in getting to understand Burgundy. Compared to Clive’s book it contentrates much more on the different vignerons and their philosophies.
However, a real treat for any Burgundy lover is in my opinion Jacky Rigeaux book “Ode aux grands vins de Bourgogne” a portrait of Henri Jayer and his thoughts on Burgundy.
April 1, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Wolfgang, thanks for the books you mentioned. Hopefully I can find them. They both sound like a great read.
April 2, 2009 at 4:57 pm
The English Title of Remington book is “The Great Domaines of Burgundy: A guide to the finest producers of the Côte D’or” and I understand that there will be an updated edition by the end of this year. The books of Jacky can be found on a very specialised Beaune bookshop: http://www.athenaeumfr.com.
Have a great weekend,
Wolfgang
April 3, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Wolfgang, I actually saw that bookstore when I was in Beaune. Meant to go in, but didn’t. I’ll be out there later this year and grab a copy. Cheers!
April 3, 2009 at 8:10 pm