Les Grand Crus Bordelais. Monographies et Photographies des Chateaux et Vignobles. Premiere Partie: Premiers Grands Crus, Deuxiemes et Troisiemes Grands Crus du Medoc. Deuxieme Partie: Quatriemes et Cinquiemes Grands Crus du Medoc. - Alfred Danflou 1867 - Librairie Goudin &, Bordeaux - First Edition in this format (a smaller work was published in 1866 with only 19 photographs of the 1st and 2nd growths) A rare and remarkable work on Bordeaux, in beautiful condition, two volumes bond in one, containing fifty-five early photographs of the great Châteaux of Bordeaux, with their history, vintages and other contributions, in French.

Of superb quality, the plates of the Châteaux include Lafite, Latour, Mouton, all accompanied by a history and contemporary description of the Châteaux and wine vintages. With a long and interesting commentary on the classifications of first and second Crû, strongly in favour of reclassifying to Premier Cru, Branne-Mouton (purchased and renamed Mouton-Rothschild in 1853 by Baron Rothschild but herein referred to by it’s former name), for which they would have to wait a further century until 1973, and referring to both the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, and London’s Great Exhibition in 1851. There are additional chapters on ‘La Système Féodal Appliqué Aux Vins du Médoc’ and ‘Les Grand Vins de Saint-Émilion’.

A truly important and visually imposing work on Bordeaux and a vital part of any wine book or photographic collection.
  Volume I - Twenty Nine Photographic Plates.
First Growths – Lafitte, Latour, Margaux, Haut-Brion; Second Growths – Branne-Mouton, Rauzan, Léoville, Gruaud-Larose, Pichon-Longueville, Cos-D'Estournel, Montrose, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Branne-Cantenac, Vivens-Durfort, Lascombes; Third Growths – Lagrange, Langoa, Giscours, Dubignon Talbot, Desmirail, Becker, Ferrière, Saint-Exupéry, Brown-Cantenac, La Lagune, D'Issan, Palmer, Kirwan, and Calon.

Volume II - Twenty Six Photographic Plates.
Fourth Growths – Château-d’Aux-Talbot, Beychevelle, Crû Duluc, Crû Milon-Duhart, Pouget-Chevailles, Le Prieuré, Crû de Thermes, Rochet, Saint-Pierre, La Tour du Carnet; Fifth Growths – Pontet-Canet, Batailley, Grand-Puy, Ducasse-Grand-Puy, Mouton-d’Armailhacq, Haut-Bages et Croizet-Bages, Lynch-Jurine (à Bages) et Lynch-Moussas (à Moussas), Clerc-Milon, Pédesclaux, Cos-Lahory, Coutenceau ou Belgrave, Camensac, Crû Dauzac, Cantemerle; Saint-Émilion - Belair Saint-Émilion, Pape-Clément.


‘In his preface, Danflou says: “For the first time the art of photography will have been applied to reproducing the buildings which rise from the among the vines, some splendid in their magnificence, others gracious and charming in their simplicity.” Les Grands Crûs Bordelais will consist of four parts: 1 first and second great growths of the Médoc; 2 third, fourth and fifth growths of the Médoc; 3 the unclassed growths of the Médoc, Graves, Saint-Emilion, côte de Fronsac, Blayais and Entre-deux-Mers; 4 the great growths of Sauternes, Bommes, Barsac and Preignac, as well as unclassed white wines [pages vi-viii]. Evidently only the first two volumes were published.’ - our thanks go to Viniana for this description.

References: Eberhard Buehler,
Viniana, DEF 5. Vicaire, Bibliographie Gastronomique 248. Bitting, Gastronomic Bibliography 114. Not in Simon, or the sales catalogues of Crahan, Oberlé, Bibliothèque Bachique/Fritsch, or Simon. We note that both Bitting and Vicaire incorrectly state 25 photographic plates in the first volume and 23 plates in the second, one assumes they counted the page numbers in the index, not noting that for page 85 there are five Chateaux listed, making the total 29 plates, and for the second volume that they missed the last two plates (which are not numbered in the list of plates to the rea)r. Of the copies that have passed through Lok Man Rare Books all four of the first volumes have contained 29 plates, and all three of the second volumes contained 26 plates, which tallies with those in the Eberhard Buehler, Viniana collection.

Two volumes bound in one pp. viii 9-110; 106. Bound with half-titles.
  In contemporary half red morocco over marbled boards, spine tooled and lettered in gilt, patterned white percaline (fine glazed cotton) endpapers, all edges speckled.   Condition: Fine in near fine binding, light cracking to outer front hinge.   Ref: 107928   Price: HK$ 100,000