A historical tour of the wine châteaux that established Bordeaux as the world s benchmark for red wine.The greatest red wines in the world are produced in the Médoc region within Bordeaux s wine country. Their peerless quality was awarded official recognition through the 1855 classification, which marked the birth of a noble heritage celebrating the glory of outstanding wines. This is a voyage of discovery to these exceptional estates, richly illustrated with photographs specially commissioned for the book.Old charterhouses, quaint follies, and emblematic castles are scattered throughout this huge expanse of vineyards. Their oft-overlooked wineries stand to the side or behind these stunning properties, and belie the meticulous and magical work that they shelter, where a long line of elite winemakers fastidiously watch over the laborious wine-making tradition that has defined these exceptional wines for more than 150 years.A château s history can be a riveting saga but whether simple or complex it invariably demonstrates that the splendor of great Bordeaux wines resides not in eccentricity, but in perfect balance. This new edition of a best-selling Flammarion classic is now offered as an attractively-priced paperback edition that has been updated with additional tasting notes for the wine harvests since 2005.