Who is Clive Coates?

Clive Coates, an English Master of Wine, is one of the leading authorities on the wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy.

Career and milestones
  • In the 1970s, he served as a director of the wine division of British Transport Hotels and established the legendary Malmaison Wine Club in England.
  • Parlaying upon his 20 years of experience as a professional wine merchant, he wrote his first book, Claret, in 1982.
  • From 1989 to 2005, he published an independent wine magazine, The Vine. This magazine had a loyal following and received numerous awards.
  • His most notable achievements were several reference works on the wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy
  • Cote d’Or, A Celebration of the Great Wines of Burgundy [1997] (which won awards in UK, USA and Burgundy itself)
  • An Encyclopaedia to the Wines and Domaines of France [2000]
  • The Wines of Bordeaux [2004]
  • The Great Wines of France [2005]
  • Cote d’Or, The Wines of Burgundy [2008]
  • He is now semi-retired and living in his beloved Burgundy. He still actively posts tasting notes and vintage assessments of Burgundy on his website clive-coates.com
  • For those who are not familiar with Mr. Coates, he still clings to the English style of rating wines out of a score of 20.