The Wines of Michel Chapoutier

In 1989, 26-year-old Michel Chapoutier took the reins of his family's legendary winegrowing estate in the Rhone Valley, Chapoutier. Driven by extraordinary energy and strong conviction, he implemented a demanding organic viticulture as he searched for expression of the soil, and within a few years Chapoutier wines were once more considered the best. Besides his wines of the north of the Rhone Valley, he now also creates extraordinary wines in the Roussillon region of France and in Australia. This book explores the all-consuming passion of the winemaker, the saga of his house, and nature of his wines. Photographs of the vineyards, the wine-making process, and of the Chapoutier family and staff bring the world of winemaking to life, showing how this ancient tradition not only survives but even flourishes in the modern world. This book is accompanied by a special supplement of tasting notes of all the Chapoutier vintages, with comments and analysis by French wine authorities Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve, authors of Bettane and Desseauve's Guide to the Wines of France .