Les Vins de Bordeaux

Vintage map of the Bordeaux wine region in south-west France within the departments of Charente-Maritime and Gironde.

The map marks the limit of the Bordeaux appellation and is divided into sub-regions. A detailed legend features in the upper right corner of the map indicating the colours given to represent each sub-region. These regions include famous Médoc communes of St-Estéphe, Pauillac, St-Julien Reviews and Margaux along the left-bank of the Gironde River, and the most famous regions along the right bank of the Dordogne River, St-Émilion and Pomerol.

This map would have originally derived from the "Atlas de la France Vinicole" by Louis Larmat, the World's first national wine atlas. The atlas was designed for the producer, the connoisseur, and to stress the importance of terroir regulations. It was first promoted by the Comité National des Appellations d'Origine [CNAO] in 1939.

What makes this a remarkable and unusually luxurious publication is that it was produced during the Second World War. Even with wine and paper rationing, and German occupation in France - from May 1940 until December 1944 - it appears little expense was spared in its creation; it is immaculately designed, printed on high-quality heavyweight paper with rich colour ink. The atlas included multi-lingual descriptions of terroir, chateaux and vineyards, the designated Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée [AOC] classifications under the 1935-established CNAO, charming vignettes, statistical charts, and - the part we’re most excited about – a series of highly-attractive maps.

It was a comprehensive work, presented in 6-volumes describing the main wine regions of France, with a portfolio dedicated to each region; Bordeaux (1941), Burgundy (1942), Côtes de Rhône (1943), Champagne (1944), the Loire (1946), and Les Eaux-de-Vie de France (Brandy) & Cognac (1947).

Little is known about French cartographer-publisher Louis Larmat, but his superb maps are a fine legacy.

Printed colour. [FR3630]