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For the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordeaux wines which were to be on display for visitors from around the world. Brokers from the wine industry ranked the wines according to a château's reputation and trading price, which at that time was directly related to quality. The result was the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

The wines were ranked in importance from first to fifth growths (crus). All of the red wines that made it on the list came from the Médoc region except for the Château Haut-Brion from Graves. The white wines, then of much less importance than red wine, were limited to the sweet varieties of Sauternes and Barsac and were ranked only from first great growth to second growth.

Within each category, the various châteaux are ranked in order of quality and only once since the 1855 classification has there been a change, when in 1973, Château Mouton Rothschild was elevated from a second growth to a first growth vineyard after decades of intense lobbying by the powerful Philippe de Rothschild.

Interestingly, since it is a classification of Châteaux, the actual vineyards owned by some wineries have expanded and shrunk without any reclassification. Because of this, the government proposed revising the classification in 1961 and deleting 17 producers. However, the negative impact on prices that would be received by the affected châteaux led to strong political pressures and the government backed down.

Wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. argues that the classification has long created an injustice to consumers because it has caused mediocre wines to be sold for too much and good wine to be sold for too little. He says that the archaic classification "Should be regarded by both the wine connoiseur and the novice as informational items of historical significance only." Determining an up-to-date classification is a favorite parlor game, especially among French wine enthusiasts.

The 1855 List

The Medoc Classification of 1855

(Le Grande Cru Classe en 1855)

First Growths (Premiers or 1er Crus)

  • Château Lafite-Rothschild, Commune de Pauillac, Haut-Medoc (archaically known as Chateau de la Fite, Laffite, Lafitte)
  • Château Latour, Commune de Pauillac, Haut-Medoc (archaically known as La Tour de Segur)
  • Château Margaux, Commune de Margaux (archaically known as Chateau Margau)
  • Château Haut-Brion, Commune de Pessac, Graves (archaically known as Chateau Hautbrion, Houtbrion, Ho-Bryan, Obryan, Ho Bryen)
  • Château Mouton-Rothschild, Commune de Pauillac, Haut-Medoc
    (reclassified from Second Growth status in 1973) (archaically known as Chateau Branne-Mouton)

Second Growths (Deuxièmes Crus)

Third Growths (Troisièmes Crus)

Fourth Growths (Quatrièmes Crus)

Fifth Growths (Cinquièmes Crus)

Sauternes and Barsac

Superior First Growth (Premier Cru Supérieur)

Château d'Yquem, Sauternes

First Growths (Premiers Crus)

Château La Tour Blanche, Bommes (Sauternes)
Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Bommes (Sauternes)
Clos Haut-Peyraguey, Bommes (Sauternes) (Château Clos Haut-Peyraguey)
Château de Rayne-Vigneau, Bommes (Sauternes)
Château Suduiraut, Preignac (Sauternes)
Château Coutet, Barsac
Château Climens, Barsac
Château Guiraud, Sauternes
Château Rieussec, Fargues (Sauternes)
Château Rabaud-Promis, Bommes (Sauternes)
Château Sigalas-Rabaud, Bommes (Sauternes)

Second Growths (Deuxièmes Crus)

Château Myrat, Barsac (Château de Myrat)
Château Doisy Daene, Barsac
Château Doisy-Dubroca, Barsac
Château Doisy-Vedrines, Barsac
Château D'Arche, Sauternes
Château Filhot, Sauternes
Château Broustet Barsac
Château Nairac, Barsac
Château Caillou, Barsac
Château Suau, Barsac
Château de Malle, Preignac (Sauternes)
Château Romer, Fargues (Sauternes) (Château Romer du Hayot)
Château Lamothe, Sauternes

Trivia

  • The appellation system of the Douro region of Portugal was established nearly 200 hundreed years before that of France.
  • Château d'Yquem sued unsuccessfully to reverse the reclassification of Château Mouton Rothschild from second to first growth status.

See also

Source

  • Echikson, Tom. Noble rot. NY: Norton, 2004.
  • Taber, George M. Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the historic 1976 Tasting that Revolutionized Wine. NY: Scribner, 2005.

Classification systems

Appellations | Bordeaux | 1855 | Alcohol law | Bordeauxwein (Klassifikation) | Classification officielle des vins de Bordeaux de 1855 | Bordeauxwijn (classificatie 1855)

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855".

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