Peter Liem's Champagne is the essential English-language guide to the wines, producers and terroirs of the region, and this boxed set is the edition a collector wants. The 328-page hardcover comes with seven vintage vineyard maps by Louis Larmat, housed in a pullout tray: the historical cartography of Champagne's crus, presented as an object in its own right.
Liem writes from deep, long-standing knowledge of the region's growers and houses, and the book's authority has been recognised with a James Beard Award, the Andre Simon Drink Book Award and an IACP award. The maps are not decoration; they are the reference a collector reaches for when a conversation turns to the differences between neighbouring crus.
The publisher page carries a live add-to-cart path, and the publisher price is USD 100.00 at penguinrandomhouse.com. It sits on the shelf as both reference and display piece, which is exactly the standard a cellar library should hold.
