The big B looms

S

Sharon Bowman

Sharon Bowman
No, not me. Not Bordeaux, Burgundy or Beaujolais. Not Bourgueil*.

Bettane.

On Aug. 20, all fine booksellers of France and Navarre will commence to purvey his new 2010 guide. I can't wait to read the explosive bottles of fiery ink that get catapulted off in the opening chapters!

*Excellent wines for making coq au vin, by the bye.
 
Rumor has it that the English translation is a big improvement over the French original, at least for certain sections.
 
I used to buy their classement about every second year. One of the curious omissions there, I've always thought, was the absence of Louis Michel of Chablis, not only in the 1-3 star classification, but also in the honorable mentions. There were lots of strange stuff in the Burgundy section, eg the omission of Chevillon completely as well IIRC.
 
Odd, there are certain producers who are almost entirely exported and aren't even on the radar in France, such as Fourrier, as well.

Don, the guide is considered equal parts Bettane and Desseauve; I used shorthand because B does chew quite a bit of scenery (and do the editorial parts, where Desseauve concentrates more on tasting notes).

And as Joe suavely indicates, there is an as-yet-unpublished English translation. A couple of sections, say Champagne and Burgundy, may bear the stamp of translation by certain persons not dissimilar to myself. I'm not sure when it'll be out in the U.S., that said.

I also don't know what the editorial bits say.
 
As Baudelaire once wrote, "La plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas." I have acquired the 2010 Bettane & Desseauve guide.

There is no introduction.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
Odd, there are certain producers who are almost entirely exported and aren't even on the radar in France, such as Fourrier, as well.
Click to expand...

I've always found that so odd. I remember trying to talk to a caviste, who carried Barthod, about Fourrier and he had no idea.

I can't remember if Mugnier is the same way.
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
Odd, there are certain producers who are almost entirely exported and aren't even on the radar in France, such as Fourrier, as well.
Click to expand...

I've always found that so odd. I remember trying to talk to a caviste, who carried Barthod, about Fourrier and he had no idea.

I can't remember if Mugnier is the same way.
Click to expand...

No, they're all over Mugnier.

But Chevillon: never heard of him.
 
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