Noble Rot

As in all classic westerns, the good guys are American. In this epic, set in the wild west of France, the heroes are Robert Parker, the John Wayne of wine; The Man in 501s – new age négotiant Jeffrey Davis; and lovable old Thomas Jefferson who couldn’t spell Haut Brion or Yquem but drank them nonetheless. The guys with the black Stetsons are not ‘injuns’ but Brits; like fuddyduddy aristo Edmond Penning-Rowsell and his evil moll Jancis. The Bordelais come in for some stick too – ingrate representatives of a decaying civilisation, they cling to their manky chateaux and thin astringent wines despite being warned by Sheriff Bob that it will lead to tears. A carpetbagging garagiste, in contrast, is on the side of the angels until he faits le doublecross. Despite the partisan pov, William Echikson’s Noble Rot – subtitled ‘A Bordeaux wine revolution’ (W.W Norton, GB£18.95) is a rattling good read, unravelling the convoluted claret-hued soap opera in a manner that will be enjoyed even by those who are only mildly oenophilic. Nice book, shame about the polemics