Statistique de la vigne dans le d -
Dr. Denis Morelot
1831 - Victor Lagier, Dijon - First Edition
Rare first edition, uncut and unopened, of the first work to attempt any form of classification of vineyards in Burgundy, described by Jancis Robinson as a classic book on Burgundy.
‘Morelot covered the whole of the département, but especially ‘La Côte’, with recognisable descriptions of each village, commending individual vineuard sites as Têtes de Cuvée.The next important work on Burgundy would be that of Dr. Jules Lavallé in 1855 [Histoire et Statistique de la Vigne et des Grands Vins de la Côte-d'Or] - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy. This work is a primary source for the classification of wines from Burgundy and of all subsequent works. It covers the nature of the soil, smaller vineyards and their production, chemical analysis of soils, when the first vines were planted, the vines and varietals, planting of vines, growing of the grape, the harvest, making the wine, the quality and regulation of the wines.
Considerable detail is included and there are statistical tables of hectarage and wine production by commune, and vintage statistics from 1787 to 1830.
Morelot (1777-1855) adds a P.S. on the last page “At press time, I learned that a monk from Cîteaux [east of Nuits-St-Georges], at the request of a grand duke of Tuscany, in the middle of the last century had prepared a work on the culture of the vine in Burgundy, and that a translation into Italian had appeared at Florence in 1779; I did not know about it, and I declare that this memoir is absolutely unknown to me”.
Our thanks go to Eberhard Buehler, Viniana, for the use of certain parts of this description.
References: Eberhard Buehler, Viniana, MNO29. Cagle, A Matter of Taste, 357a, 675. Bibliothèque Bernard Chwartz, Alde Auction 2011, 205. Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy, 27, 49, 55, 67, 90, 415, 497, 640-1. Jancis Robinson, Oxford Companion to Wine, 405. André Simon, Bibliotheca Vinaria, 98. Auction Aldes (4/2016), Vins et Viticulture, 231. Poisot, Historique de la Cartographie des Grands Vignobles de Bourgogne, Côte de Beaune et Côet de Nuits, 20, 21.
Octavo (binding size 23x15.8cm), pp. [4] [2 front wrapper and verso] [4] 286 [1 Table des Matièrs] [1] [2 rear wrapper and verso] [4]. In later burgundy cloth, green morocco spine label lettered in gilt, original wrappers laid on paper and bound in at front and rear. Condition: Near fine, unopened with bolts uncut, light rubbing to spine label, lightly foxed to verso of bound in wrappers, in fine binding. Ref: 103468 Price: HK$ 60,000
‘Morelot covered the whole of the département, but especially ‘La Côte’, with recognisable descriptions of each village, commending individual vineuard sites as Têtes de Cuvée.The next important work on Burgundy would be that of Dr. Jules Lavallé in 1855 [Histoire et Statistique de la Vigne et des Grands Vins de la Côte-d'Or] - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy. This work is a primary source for the classification of wines from Burgundy and of all subsequent works. It covers the nature of the soil, smaller vineyards and their production, chemical analysis of soils, when the first vines were planted, the vines and varietals, planting of vines, growing of the grape, the harvest, making the wine, the quality and regulation of the wines.
Considerable detail is included and there are statistical tables of hectarage and wine production by commune, and vintage statistics from 1787 to 1830.
Morelot (1777-1855) adds a P.S. on the last page “At press time, I learned that a monk from Cîteaux [east of Nuits-St-Georges], at the request of a grand duke of Tuscany, in the middle of the last century had prepared a work on the culture of the vine in Burgundy, and that a translation into Italian had appeared at Florence in 1779; I did not know about it, and I declare that this memoir is absolutely unknown to me”.
Our thanks go to Eberhard Buehler, Viniana, for the use of certain parts of this description.
References: Eberhard Buehler, Viniana, MNO29. Cagle, A Matter of Taste, 357a, 675. Bibliothèque Bernard Chwartz, Alde Auction 2011, 205. Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy, 27, 49, 55, 67, 90, 415, 497, 640-1. Jancis Robinson, Oxford Companion to Wine, 405. André Simon, Bibliotheca Vinaria, 98. Auction Aldes (4/2016), Vins et Viticulture, 231. Poisot, Historique de la Cartographie des Grands Vignobles de Bourgogne, Côte de Beaune et Côet de Nuits, 20, 21.
Octavo (binding size 23x15.8cm), pp. [4] [2 front wrapper and verso] [4] 286 [1 Table des Matièrs] [1] [2 rear wrapper and verso] [4]. In later burgundy cloth, green morocco spine label lettered in gilt, original wrappers laid on paper and bound in at front and rear. Condition: Near fine, unopened with bolts uncut, light rubbing to spine label, lightly foxed to verso of bound in wrappers, in fine binding. Ref: 103468 Price: HK$ 60,000