There’s nothing better than a really good wine visit. Geeking out in the vineyard and winery, talking to people who know their little patch of land better than anyone else, exploring exactly what makes that place special and tasting the results isn’t just a joy – it’s an honour. It’s the behind-the-scenes, all-access tour.
A new series of books aims to capture that experience on the page. Written by Marc Bouffard (who you may know better by his Instagram handle, @englishmans_claret), the series will tackle each of Bordeaux’s main communes via its most famous estates.
The first focuses on St-Julien. The appellation isn’t Bordeaux’s most illustrious, nor is it home to the region’s most prestigious addresses; indeed, it’s often defined by its neighbours (combining the elegance of Margaux and the structure of Pauillac), rather than being given its own identity – and yet its understated wines are some of the region’s most reliable (and my personal favourites, as it happens).
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)
Bouffard doesn’t work in wine – he’s an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard University by day – but his interest has long been more than pedestrian, as this book clearly shows. It’s divided into sections on each of St-Julien’s 11 grands crus classés, with details on each property’s history, terroir and work in the vineyard and winery, the style of the wines and tasting notes for vintages going back to the 1920s.
As he highlights, this isn’t an unbiased work and he emphasises how his close ties to the region and its winemakers have made the book possible. Yet he presents each property’s approach without judgement, the writing clear, informative and considered. Far from an impenetrable reference guide, but not in the least oversimplified, the book successfully transports you to the different estates – allowing you to meet the characters behind each and walk among the vines.
There are minor frustrations for me. One Alessandro Masnaghetti map features (sometimes cut in half) several times across the book, which – if nothing else – feels inefficient. One, more detailed map that could be referenced throughout, showing more than just the plots owned by each château, would be brilliant – topography, soils, further context and even just a compass rose would be handy. The proliferation of Oxford commas (from the subtitle and beyond) is irksome and I’d love to see drinking windows in the tasting notes, making them more practical for readers. But these are, as I say, minor – and perhaps things that can be remedied when the next in the series comes along. I, for one, will definitely be looking out for it.
Saint-Julien: Vineyards, Cellars, People, and Place by Marc Bouffard (£65 Wine Education Council Press & Académie du Vin Library, October 2025)
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Drip, drip, drip…
It’s here, finally. This month sees the second season of Drops of God arrive on Apple TV+, two years after we were blessed with the first. The French-Japanese show is based on the eponymous manga series by Tadashi Agi, and Season 1 deservedly earned an International Emmy for Best Drama Series. Tune in for an episode a week from 21 January.
Sophie Thorpe is a London-based wine writer, largely writing in-house for merchant Fine & Rare. The winner of the 2021 Guild of Food Writers Drinks Writing Award and an MW student, her writing can be found at firstpress.uk.
