Classifications came about in the 19th and 20th centuries for three intertwined reasons: increasing sophistication in the wine consumer market, development of the export market, and advancements in winemaking. It’s important to remember that these classifications never ‘discovered’ wines. They acknowledged a pre-existing hierarchy that the consumer and the market had already established.

The classifications are, in many ways, the precursors to the numbering system so popular today. They provide the consumer with an easy method of determining quality and the wine market a means of setting a price.

There are always wines of superior quality, even sensational quality, that have not been included in a classification. Chateaux Cheval Blanc, Ausone and Pétrus, to name a few, certainly merit being ranked alongside the prestigious wine estates of the Médoc. They were not included in the 1855 classification for a variety of commercial and political reasons, none relating to quality.

Today, the numbering system has an enormous influence on demand, thus price. We believe it’s our job as wine merchants to provide not only classified and “scored” wines, but also those unknown gems: high quality wines at reasonable prices. We call these “Discovery Wines.”

This is not to say that classifications aren’t useful. In fact, the higher prices commanded by these wines means that over time the estates, due to excellent management, have been able to make the investments necessary for continually improving quality, thus keeping them at the top of their regions in terms of quality.

Then there is Pomerol. This producer of some of the world’s most coveted wines has shunned all classifications, preferring to stand on its reputation alone.

---

1855 Official Classification of MEDOC

The most famous in the world. This classification confirmed the rankings already established by such foreign wine connoisseurs as Thomas Jefferson nearly a century earlier.

The classification came about when Napolean III asked the Gironde region to submit wines for the 1855 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) in Paris. The Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce asked the Bordeaux wine merchants (who exported Left Bank wines) to provide the wines and the ranking.

The classification was based on the prices fetched by the wines on the export market. Wine estates that were relatively new or changing hands were either not included or were given low rankings. Wines that were not sold by the Bordeaux wine merchants were not included, regardless of their quality.

The rankings, cleverly, served to ensure that the dignitaries would be properly impressed by the most expensive wines and at the same time, familiarize Parisians with the wines from Bordeaux. Remember that until the arrival of the train, most Bordeaux wine, and certainly the best from the Medoc, was shipped abroad. Wines that had achieved a cult-like following in other countries were little known in their native land. The wines of Saint Emilion and Pomerol were controlled by Libourne merchants and the Libourne Chamber of Commerce. The Libournais sold locally and shipped their wines inland and to Northern Europe. The elite in Paris drank wine from nearby Burgundy.

The 1855 classification has been “revised” only once since it was established. Despite political pressure to revise the entire classification, the Bordeaux wine industry has managed to avoid doing this. The only change occurred in 1973 when Chateau Mouton Rothschild, a 2nd growth, was classified 1st growth. Nonetheless, we believe that the consumer market is very efficient and that the demand and prices paid for a wine is ultimately a reflection of the quality of the wine. It is common to have price disparities among wines with equal rankings, and to see wines of a lower ranking fetch a higher price than those of a higher ranking. Thus, the 1855 ranking is not necessarily a reliable indicator of quality.

Click here for a complete listing.

---

1855 Official Classification of SAUTERNES – BARSAC

At the time of the 1855 World’s Fair in Paris, Sauternes was already recognized as a “nectar for the gods.” In particular, Chateau d’Yquem was already famous amongst Kings, Emperors, Presidents and Tsars, inspiring devotion and commanding exorbitant prices. In the 1855 Classification, Yquem was the only wine estate to garner the rank First Great Growth (Premier Cru Superieur), placing it higher then even the first growths of the Medoc.

Click here for a complete listing.

---

1932 Official Classification of Medoc Cru Bourgeois, updated in 2003

This classification has taken a long and circuitous path.

The Cru Bourgeois classification has its roots in the Middle Ages. In the 12th century, the Bourgeois (middle classes) were granted rights and privileges, particularly an exemption from duties on their wines and vineyards. Then in the 15th century, they were allowed to buy better vineyard lands, until then controlled by the aristocrats. These vineyards came to be known as “Cru Bourgeois”.

However, it wasn’t until 1932, that the powerful Bordeaux wine brokers registered with the Chamber of Commerce a list of 444 wine estates, which they classified as Crus Bourgeois.

This list was never made official by the Minister of Agriculture. Then war and disasters struck the vineyards, and by 1962, only 94 of the original 444 vineyards had survived. It took several decades of hard work and massive investments to bring the vineyards back to the production of high-quality wines. At the same time, without regulation, the term Cru Bourgeois lost its assurance of quality. The Médoc Crus Bourgeois produce nearly 40 million bottles, and the classification did not have official regulation.

It became obvious to everyone that an official classification needed to take place. In 2003, the Cru Bourgeois classification officially recognized 247 estates. Controversy ensued. 77 estates who were either not included or did not receive the ranking they felt they deserved, filed a lawsuit and won. The wines of those estates will now be re-examined by a panel that does not include any Cru Bourgeois estate owners. We await the revised classification.

In terms of labels, the Cru Bourgeois have three rules: any reference to a cuvée, or special bottling, is forbidden; additional references of an unregulated or informational nature (old vines, barrel aged, etc.) that may create confusion among consumers are forbidden on the front label; and the Cru Bourgeois designation, followed by its classification rank, must appear on the label.

Click here for a complete listing.

---

1954 Official Classification of Saint Emilion, updated in 2006

Unlike the 1855 Medoc Classification, the Saint Emilion classification is not based on price. The first Saint-Emilion classification was established a century after those of Médoc and the Graves, and its legal framework provides for systematic updates every 10 years. While allowing a number of fine wines from Saint-Emilion to benefit from the international reputation of the Grands Crus Classés, it does not share the same criteria of its left bank counterpart, the Classification of 1855.

Every cru classé from Saint-Emilion must follow the same procedure to continue to be classified. The decree states that in order to be a candidate for classification, the estate "must constitute a sufficiently large economic and viticultural unit and have cellars used exclusively for wine made on the estate," but also that "at least 50% of the total vines must be able to produce wines entitled to Saint-Emilion Grand Cru status from vines over twelve years old." Furthermore, "over the last ten years, the estate must have obtained the approval certificate for Saint-Emilion Grand Cru status for at least seven harvests." The current classification criteria were designed to ensure stability in the quality and management of the vineyards. As a result, candidates are not allowed to modify the property (particularly the vineyards) and are required to bottle their wine at the château.

The first classification was done in 1954; the most recent update in 2006 garnered some controversy, but the classification was upheld in the courts.

Click here for a complete listing.

---

1959 Official Classification of GRAVES

Other than Haut-Brion, the clasification of 1855 did not take into account the wine estates of Graves. The Graves region was first classified in 1953, but the classification did not became official until the 1959 ranking. The one class list is divided between red wines and white wines, which means that some châteaux are mentioned twice, once in each category. To avoid disputes the châteaux within each category, are not ordered by quality.

In 1987, the prestigious estates in the Graves region decided to rename themselves “Pessac-Leognan,” because of their location in the villages of Pessac and Leognan. Thus the classification “Pessac-Leognan” on a bottle of wine simply means that this bottle is from one of the top producers in the Graves region.

Click here for a complete listing.