This is the first book to reveal the actual story behind one of the cornerstones of the Bordeaux wine world--the 140-year-old classification that remains the arbiter of quality in this great wine region. The author not only presents an interesting and highly-readable account that encompasses the rise of the great classed-growth chateaux, but also offers detailed tables on each of the properties which will make this a standard reference in the literature of Bordeaux wine.