At the end of your reading, you will be able to better understand these rankings, their stories and judge their real interests and values.In this first part, we will only focus on the two iconic wine regions of our beautiful country: Burgundy and Bordeaux! If you want to see the rest, go directly to therankings of the other wine regions. You will discover the hierarchies used within the regions of Alsace, Champagne, Loire and even Provence.
Bordeaux rankings
Many classifications bearing the notion of Cru exist within the Bordeaux region, drowning the neophyte consumer in a certain incomprehension. Nevertheless, a common point unites these hierarchies: they all without exception reward properties and not precisely delimited parcels.
Here is an update on the 5 classifications to remember ranking the 118,000 hectares of AOC vines in the region.
The 1855 classification
It's the most famous of all, the one that brings the great names of the region to our ears: Château Margaux, Château Latour, Château Lafite, Château Haut-Brion etc. As its name suggests, its creation dates from 1855 and was done thanks to Napoleon III who then asked each French wine region to establish a classification of their best wines for the Universal Exhibition of the same year.
In response to this request, the people of Bordeaux created a classification in 5 levels for the Médoc reds (1st Grand Cru Classé, 2th Grand Cru Classé, 3th Grand Cru Classé etc.) and 3 levels for the sweet whites of Sauternes (Premier Cru Supérieur, Premier Cru, Second Cru) according to the sole criteria of notoriety and price at the time. This classification now includes a total of 88 châteaux (61 for reds and 27 Sauternes estates), all of which are more prestigious as each other.
Nevertheless, this classification has been criticized for several decades now. Indeed, what value can we still give to it knowing that it has (almost) never evolved since its creation and that it is considered immutable?!
Today, it is clear that while the 1er Grands Crus and a good part of the Seconds hardly suffer from any dispute as to their superiority, the hierarchy of the lower levels would probably be subject to a strong evolution if this one had to be updated! Thus, and for example, the Château Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) , currently ranked 5th and bottom, would likely see itself propelled 2 to 3 ranks higher while other properties would be pushed down one or two rungs or even out of this ranking . Similarly, some farms that are currently unclassified would probably deserve to be included. The prestigious 1855 classification does not take into account properties in the region of Graves (south of Bordeaux), a dedicated hierarchy to this zone will be created in 1953, then completed in 1959, distinguishing without echelon 16 domains, all located in the Pessac-Léognan area (the AOC did not yet exist in the 1950s). Some châteaux are rewarded only for their red wine, others only for their white and some for both. Among this ranking, some famous names like Château Smith-Haut-Lafite or Château Carbonnieux . The AOC Saint-Emilion is vast: 5,400 hectares. In order to classify this large group, a classification was created in 1954 with a division into 3 levels. This hierarchy is still relevant today, but it is nevertheless evolving compared to previous fixed rankings. Thus, in 2022, the last classification of Saint-Émilion consecrated 2 châteaux at the top of the hierarchy as "Premier Grand Cru Classé A": The history of Crus Bourgeois dates back to the 12th century. However, in the modern sense of the term, the designation "Cru Bourgeois" has only been recognized since 1978. Since that date, it has therefore been officially used to highlight the Médoc properties that were not included in the grand classification of 1855. The first classification of Crus Bourgeois took place in 2003. Recurrent legal imbroglios also exist around this label given the economic stakes. Thus, this 1st classification of 2003 was attacked and then canceled in 2007. Then, after several years of reorganization, it was decided that the "Cru Bourgeois" label would be reassigned every 5 years in order to give the properties greater commercial flexibility (the hierarchy previously changed every year). This ranking is divided into 3 levels: -Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel (14 properties), -Cru Bourgeois Supérieur (56), -Cru Bourgeois (179). It should be noted that the 249 estates recognized in this hierarchy must come from 8 Médoc AOCs (Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Saint-Estèphe, Listrac-Médoc, Moulis -in-Médoc, Margaux, Pauillac and Saint-Julien). As you can imagine, it is complex to obtain a consistent level of quality with such a large number of domains and accounting for approximately 30% of Médoc production! However, the selection criteria are well defined: all the wines are tasted blind over 5 vintages and other elements such as environmental approaches or the overall management of the farm are also taken into account. Certain renowned properties nevertheless still shun this classification (like Château Sociando-Mallet in Haut-Médoc) and never present their wine, having more to lose than to gain. In addition, some Crus Bourgeois can be found in supermarkets at rather low price levels, renowned vineyards absolutely do not want to be associated with this "low cost" image. In summary, this ranking with a good reputation is a good indicator of quality but this mainly for the first two tiers (Outstanding and Superior). The simple mention "Cru Bourgeois" can meanwhile make fine wines with good value for money rub shoulders with other cuvées of little interest. A good knowledge of the estates and vintages will then become essential to make the right choices. La Cave Éclairée recommends for example the excellent Cru Bourgeois Supérieur from Château Saransot-Dupré (also available in magnum). This same property also produces a very good white wine with superb value for money. The denomination "Cru Artisan" was created in 1989 in order to highlight the small and medium-sized properties in the Médoc where the manager makes all stages of the creation of its wines at the estate (direct management of the vineyard and vinification, maturing and bottling). Burgundy is certainly the region where the concept of Cru is the most recognized of all. If this is partly due to the admiration of many of us for its wines, it is also probably linked to the 2000 years of wine history of this one as well as the great precision of the hierarchy. established. If you would like to discover some of these wines, do not hesitate to take a look at the Grands Crus and Premiers Crus of Burgundy hardly selected at La Cave Éclairée. As you will have been able to understand through this reading, the notion of Cru therefore has a different meaning depending on the region where you are located: while in Bordeaux, it will above all value the domain as a whole, through its wine-growing history as well as its historical reputation, in Burgundy, it will above all be connected to the land and will highlight plots renowned for producing the best wines. Hope you're now up to speed on the subject! In the next article, you will discover the wine rankings of the other French regions (Alsace, Champagne, Loire, Provence). See you soon at The Illuminated Cellar!
Thus, it will be advisable if you wish to choose a prestigious bottle from one of these properties, particularly if the estate is ranked 3th ranking rank or below. You can also consult the Grands Crus Bordelais available at La Cave Éclairée to make your choice safely!
Classification of Graves wines
This hierarchy, although more recent, is also immutable.The same issues therefore arise as for the 1855 classification.
Grands Crus of Saint-Émilion
As said, and unlike neighboring classifications, that of Saint-Émilion is updated every decade. The next classification will therefore take place in 2032 after that of 2022. If this update seems fairer from the point of view of the amateur, it nevertheless results in (very) many imbroglios. As a very recent example, the Châteaux Cheval Blanc and Ausone (at the top of the previous classification of 2012) did not wish participate in the 2022 ranking because the evaluation grid was too far in their eyes from the terroir, quality and history aspects to the detriment of secondary elements. It does work!
If the scalability of this ranking therefore allows (in my opinion) greater fairness between properties while remaining a reliable indicator over time for consumers, this same scalability is at the same time a source of many frictions within the appellation, leading to deterioration of the general image of this hierarchy as well as its credibility.
PS: it is important not to confuse the mention "Grand Cru Classé" (referring to the classification) with the mention "Saint-Émilion Grand Cru" (another semantic problem) that you might find on some bottles. Indeed, the latter simply means that the wine produced comes from the AOC Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, strictly covering the same production area as the simple AOC Saint-Émilion! The only differences are slightly stricter production conditions (lower yields, minimum 12 month aging etc.) Again, it may seem like everything is done to mislead the consumer!
Les Crus Bourgeois
Artisan Crus
36 properties benefit to date from this mention does not guarantee the quality of the wines and which was created solely to put the spotlight on small producers of the region neglected by the other classifications. The Crus Artisans classification is reviewed every 5 years.
Burgundy: Great and Premier Crus
The modern history of the hierarchy of Burgundy wines begins at the end of the 15th century, when the notion of "Climate" appeared.A climat is a precisely demarcated parcel of vines with specific geological and climatic characteristics. Then, in 1855, at the instigation of Napoleon III (again!), work was undertaken by Jules Lavalle, naturalist and botanist, to classify the Burgundian terroirs. This classification will serve as the basis for the INAO (National Institute of Appellations of Origin) when the Burgundy AOCs were created in 1935.
Today, thanks to these studies, more than 1,000 Climats are mapped today, including 33 Grands Crus as well as
Of the 30,000 hectares of vines in the region, only 600 carry the Grand Cru mention (2%) and 3300 the Premier Cru mention (11%).It is therefore a precise selection of the best parcels allowing to produce the very best wines in the world (and the most expensive.)
Of course, the work of the winegrower being as always decisive in the quality of the wines obtained, certain bottles stamped "Premier Cru" could be at the level of "Grand Cru" bottles, in the same way as certain "Premier Cru" cuvées. Cru" may be deceptive compared to some wines from an AOC Village such as Pommard or Gevrey-Chambertin.
Nevertheless, this ranking represents to date the best in the wine world and many foreign countries are inspired by it.
Conclusion
