View source for Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855

{{Short description|Ranking system for Bordeaux wine set in 1855}}
[[File:Die Gartenlaube (1869) b 069.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|right|Châteaux of Bordeaux]]
[[File:Vignoble de Pauillac.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|[[Pauillac AOC|Pauillac]] is home to three of the five Bordeaux's [[first growth]] wines (classification of 1855)]]
The '''Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855''' resulted from the [[Exposition Universelle (1855)|1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris]], when Emperor [[Napoleon III of France|Napoleon III]] requested a classification system for [[France]]'s best [[Bordeaux wine]]s that 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 wines were ranked in importance from [[first growth|first]] to fifth growths (''[[cru (wine)|cru]]s''). All of the [[red wine]]s that made it on the list came from the [[Médoc]] region except for one: [[Château Haut-Brion]] from [[Graves (wine region)|Graves]]. The [[white wine]]s, then of much less importance than red wine, were limited to the sweet varieties of [[Sauternes (wine)|Sauternes]] and [[Barsac AOC|Barsac]] and were ranked only from superior first growth to second growth.
== Changes to the classification ==
Within each category, the various châteaux are ranked in order of quality and only twice since the 1855 classification has there been a change: first when in 1856 [[Château Cantemerle|Cantemerle]] was added as a fifth growth (having either been originally omitted by oversight or added as an afterthought, depending on which of the conflicting accounts is correct) and, more significantly, in 1973, when [[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]]. A third, but less known "change", is the removal of [[Château Dubignon]], a third growth from [[Margaux AOC|Margaux]] that was absorbed into the estate [[Château Malescot St. Exupéry]].<ref name=BDP>{{cite book |last=Peppercorn |first=David |title=Bordeaux |publisher=Mitchell Beazley |year=2003 |location=London |isbn=1-84000-927-6 |pages=83}}</ref>
A superficial change is that since 1855, when only five of the estates were styled with the word "château" in their name, most Bordeaux wine estates now use this nomenclature.<ref name=soth>{{cite book |last=Stevenson |first=Tom |title=The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia |url=https://archive.org/details/newsothebyswinee00stev_053 |url-access=limited |edition=4th |year=2005 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |location=London |isbn=0-7566-1324-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newsothebyswinee00stev_053/page/n61 64]}}</ref>
== Critique ==
As a classification of châteaux, the actual vineyards owned by some [[wineries]] have expanded, shrunk and been divided without any reclassification, and considerable plots of valued ''[[terroir]]'' have changed ownership.<ref name=ALE>{{cite book |last=Lichine |first=Alexis |title=Alexis Lichine's Encyclopedia of Wines and Spirits |publisher=Cassell & Company Ltd. |year=1967 |location=London |pages=144–148}}</ref> Indeed, it is a peculiarity of Bordeaux that as long as a vineyard parcel lies within the boundaries of the wine commune, it is eligible to be used by any chateau, independent of the quality of the parcel itself.<ref name="Alexis Lichine's Guide to the Wine and Vineyards of France">{{cite book |last1=Lichine| first1=Alexis |title=Alexis Lichine's Guide to the Wines and Vineyards of France |date=May 1989 |publisher=Alfred A Knopf |url=https://www.amazon.com/Alexis-Lichines-Vineyards-Lichine-1982-06-12/dp/B01F9GXXYO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1484950314&sr=8-4&keywords=Lichine%2C+Wines+and+Vineyards+of+France}}</ref>
Many [[wine critics]] have argued that the 1855 Classification became outdated and does not provide an accurate guide to the quality of the wines being made on each estate. Several proposals have been made for changes to the classification, and a bid for a revision was unsuccessfully attempted in 1960.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news |last=Prial |first=Frank J. ''The New York Times'' |title=The Battle of 1855 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/20/magazine/wine-the-battle-of-1855.html?pagewanted=all |date=1989-08-20}}</ref> [[Alexis Lichine]], a member of the 1960 revision panel, launched a campaign to implement changes that lasted over thirty years, in the process publishing several editions of his own [[Alexis Lichine's classification of Bordeaux wine|unofficial classification]] and the ''Alexis Lichine's Guide to the Wines and Vineyards of France'',<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Alexis-Lichines-Vineyards-Lichine-1982-06-12/dp/B01F9GXXYO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1484950314&sr=8-4&keywords=Lichine%2C+Wines+and+Vineyards+of+France Alexis Lichine's Guide to the Wines and Vineyards of France].</ref> in which he devoted a chapter to the subject. In support of his argument, Lichine cited the case of [[Chateau Lynch-Bages]], the [[Pauillac]] Fifth Growth that, through good management and by patiently collecting the best parcels as they come on the market, makes wine that in his view are worthy of a much higher classification.<ref name="Alexis Lichine's Guide to the Wine and Vineyards of France" /> Conversely, poor management can result in a significant decline in quality, as the example of Chateau Margaux shows—the wines it made in the 1960s and 1970s are widely regarded as far below what's expected of a First Growth.<ref name="Parker: Bordeaux Consumer's Vuide">{{cite book |last1=Parker |first1=Robert|title=Bordeaux: A Consumer's Guide to the World's Finest Wines |date=2013 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=9781476727134|edition=Fourth revised |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O7H4afXE4g8C&q=Ginestet&pg=PT512 |quote=Prior to that [1978] is a succession of failures ... they are washed out, mediocre shells of what they could have been}}</ref><ref name="Business of Wine">{{cite book |last1=Jenster |first1=Per V. |title=The Business of Wine: A Global Perspective |date=2008 |publisher=Copenhagen Business School Press |page=163 |isbn=9788763002011 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sb-2CjNLRkEC&q=Chateau+Margaux&pg=PA163}}</ref> Other critics have followed a similar suit, including [[Robert M. Parker, Jr. |Robert Parker]] who published a top 100 Bordeaux estates in 1985 and ''L'histoire de la vigne & du vin'' ({{langx|en|The History of Wine and the Vine}}) by Bernard and [[Henri Enjalbert]] in 1989, as well as efforts made by [[Clive Coates]] ([[Master of Wine|MW]]) and [[David Peppercorn]] (MW).<ref name=BDP/><ref name=NYT2>{{cite news |last=Prial |first=Frank J. ''The New York Times'' |title=Wine Talk |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/17/garden/wine-talk-664688.html?pagewanted=all |date=1988-02-17}}</ref><ref name=NYT3>{{cite news |last=Prial |first=Frank J. ''The New York Times'' |title=Wine Talk |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/25/garden/wine-talk-178891.html?pagewanted=all |date=1991-09-25}}</ref> Ultimately nothing has come of them; the likely negative impact on prices for any downgraded châteaux and the 1855 establishment's political muscle are considered among the reasons.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Howard G., ''Wine News'' |title=Dusting off the 1855 debate |url=http://www.thewinenews.com/aprmay05/comment.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123150939/http://www.thewinenews.com/aprmay05/comment.asp |archive-date=2008-01-23}}</ref>
In March 2009, the British wine exchange [[London International Vintners Exchange|Liv-ex]] released [[The Liv-ex Bordeaux Classification]], a modern re-calculation of the 1855 classification, with an aim to apply the original method to the contemporary economical context.<ref>Liv-ex Fine Wine Market blog (March 10, 2009). [http://liv-ex.typepad.com/livex_fine_wine_market_bl/2009/03/the-liv-ex-bordeaux-classification.html The Liv-ex Bordeaux Classification].</ref><ref name=decalx>{{cite web |last=Lechmere |first=Adam, ''Decanter.com'' |title=Liv-ex creates new 1855 Classification |date=March 6, 2009 |url=http://www.decanter.com/wine-news/liv-ex-creates-new-1855-classification-73197/}}</ref>
Many of the leading estates from the [[Médoc AOC|Médoc appellation]] that were not included in the 1855 classification are classified as ''[[Cru Bourgeois]]'', a classification system that has been updated on a regular basis since 1932, banned in 2007,<ref name=deca2>{{Cite web |last=Anson |first=Jane, ''Decanter.com'' |title=Cru Bourgeois classification officially over |url=http://www.decanter.com/news/128635.html |date=2007-07-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227051603/http://www.decanter.com/news/128635.html |archive-date=December 27, 2007}}</ref> but reinstated in 2010.<ref name=deca4>{{Cite web |last=Anson |first=Jane, ''Decanter.com'' |title=Cru Bourgeois revived |url=http://www.decanter.com/news/184450.html |date=2008-02-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302000543/http://www.decanter.com/news/184450.html |archive-date=March 2, 2008}}</ref><ref name=deca10>{{Cite web |last=Lechmere |first=Adam, ''Decanter.com''|title=Cru Bourgeois: new listing launched |url=http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/500749/cru-bourgeois-new-listing-launched |date=September 23, 2010}}</ref>
==The Médoc Classification of 1855==
[[File:Lafite85 1.jpg|right|thumb|100px|Château Lafite-Rothschild]]
[[File:Leoville-las-Cases-1975.JPG|right|thumb|100px|Château Léoville-Las Cases]]
[[File:LeoBarton2000.JPG|right|thumb|100px|Château Léoville-Barton]]
[[File:Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse.jpg|right|thumb|100px|Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse]]
[[File:Cantemerle.jpg|right|thumb|100px|Château Cantemerle]]
[[File:Yquem99.jpg|right|thumb|100px|Château d’Yquem]]
[[File:Château Guiraud 1998 demi.jpg|right|thumb|100px|Château Guiraud]]
[[File:Château Doisy Daëne 2000 demi.jpg|right|thumb|100px|Château Doisy Daëne]]
In French ''Les Grands Crus classés en 1855''. The estates are listed with their commune (village), and their AOC in parentheses, if different from the commune. The 19th-century names appear as listed by the brokers on April 18, 1855, followed by the modern names, as the use of "second cru" for red wines and "deuxième cru" for white wines.<ref name=soth/>
===The Red Wines of the Gironde===
====First Growths (Premiers Crus)====
{{main|First growth}}
*'''Château Lafite''', now [[Château Lafite Rothschild]], Pauillac
*'''[[Château Latour]]''', Pauillac
*'''[[Château Margaux]]''', Margaux
*'''Haut-Brion''',<small>{{Ref label|A|a|none}}</small> now [[Château Haut-Brion]], Pessac, Graves
*'''Mouton''',<small>{{Ref label|B|b|none}}</small> now [[Château Mouton Rothschild]], Pauillac
====Second Growths (Deuxièmes Crus)====
*'''Rauzan-Ségla''', now [[Château Rauzan-Ségla]], Margaux
*'''Rauzan-Gassies''', now [[Château Rauzan-Gassies]], Margaux
*'''Léoville''', now
**[[Château Léoville-Las Cases]], St.-Julien
**[[Château Léoville-Poyferré]], St.-Julien
**[[Château Léoville-Barton]], St.-Julien
*'''Vivens Durfort''', now [[Château Durfort-Vivens]], Margaux
*'''Gruaud-Laroze''', now [[Château Gruaud-Larose]], St.-Julien
*'''Lascombes''', now [[Château Lascombes]], Margaux
*'''Brane''', now [[Château Brane-Cantenac]], Cantenac-Margaux (Margaux)
*'''Pichon Longueville''', now
**[[Château Pichon Longueville Baron]], Pauillac (commonly known as ''Pichon Baron'')
**[[Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande]], Pauillac (commonly known as ''Pichon Lalande'' or ''Pichon Comtesse'')
*'''Ducru Beau Caillou''', now [[Château Ducru-Beaucaillou]], St.-Julien
*'''Cos Destournel''', now [[Château Cos d'Estournel]], St.-Estèphe
*'''Montrose''', now [[Château Montrose]], St.-Estèphe
====Third Growths (Troisièmes Crus)====
*'''Kirwan''', now [[Château Kirwan]], Cantenac-Margaux (Margaux)
*'''[[Château d'Issan]]''', Cantenac-Margaux (Margaux)
*'''Lagrange''', [[Château Lagrange]], St.-Julien
*'''Langoa''', now [[Château Langoa-Barton]], St.-Julien
*'''Giscours''', now [[Château Giscours]], Labarde-Margaux (Margaux)
*'''St.-Exupéry''', now [[Château Malescot St. Exupéry]], Margaux
*'''Boyd''', now
**[[Château Cantenac-Brown]], Cantenac-Margaux (Margaux)
**[[Château Boyd-Cantenac]], Margaux
*'''Palmer''', now [[Château Palmer]], Cantenac-Margaux (Margaux)
*'''Lalagune''', now [[Château La Lagune]], Ludon (Haut-Medoc)
*'''Desmirail''', now [[Château Desmirail]], Margaux
*'''Dubignon''',<small>{{Ref label|C|c|none}}</small> later [[Château Dubignon]], Margaux
*'''Calon''', now [[Château Calon-Ségur]], St.-Estèphe
*'''Ferrière''', now [[Château Ferrière]], Margaux
*'''Becker''', now [[Château Marquis d'Alesme Becker]], Margaux
====Fourth Growths (Quatrièmes Crus)====
*'''St.-Pierre''', now [[Château Saint-Pierre]], St.-Julien
*'''Talbot''', now [[Château Talbot]], St.-Julien
*'''Du-Luc''', now [[Château Branaire-Ducru]], St.-Julien
*'''Duhart''', now [[Château Duhart-Milon]], Pauillac
*'''Pouget-Lassale''' and '''Pouget''', both now [[Château Pouget]], Cantenac-Margaux (Margaux)
*'''Carnet''', now [[Château La Tour Carnet]], St.-Laurent (Haut-Médoc)
*'''Rochet''', now [[Château Lafon-Rochet]], St.-Estèphe
*'''Château de Beychevele''', now [[Château Beychevelle]], St.-Julien
*'''Le Prieuré''', now [[Château Prieuré-Lichine]], Cantenac-Margaux (Margaux)
*'''Marquis de Thermes''', now [[Château Marquis de Terme]], Margaux
====Fifth Growths (Cinquièmes Crus)====
*'''Canet''', now [[Château Pontet-Canet]], Pauillac
*'''Batailley''', now
**[[Château Batailley]], Pauillac
**[[Château Haut-Batailley]], Pauillac
*'''Grand Puy''', now [[Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste]], Pauillac
*'''Artigues Arnaud''', now [[Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse]], Pauillac
*'''Lynch''', now [[Château Lynch-Bages]], Pauillac
*'''Lynch Moussas''', now [[Château Lynch-Moussas]], Pauillac
*'''Dauzac''', now [[Château Dauzac]], Labarde (Margaux)
*'''Darmailhac''', now [[Château d'Armailhac]], Pauillac
*'''Le Tertre''', now [[Château du Tertre]], Arsac (Margaux)
*'''Haut Bages''', now [[Château Haut-Bages-Libéral]], Pauillac
*'''Pédesclaux''', now [[Château Pédesclaux]], Pauillac
*'''Coutenceau''', now [[Château Belgrave]], St.-Laurent (Haut-Médoc)
*'''Camensac''', now [[Château de Camensac]], St.-Laurent (Haut-Médoc)
*'''Cos Labory''', now [[Château Cos Labory]], St.-Estèphe
*'''Clerc Milon''', now [[Château Clerc-Milon]], Pauillac
*'''Croizet-Bages''', now [[Château Croizet Bages]], Pauillac
*'''Cantemerle''',<small>{{Ref label|D|d|none}}</small> now [[Château Cantemerle]], Macau (Haut-Médoc)
===The White Wines of the Gironde===
[Barsac estates may be labelled with the appellation Barsac or Sauternes.]
====Superior First Growth (Premier Cru Supérieur)====
*'''Yquem''', now [[Château d'Yquem]], Sauternes
====First Growths (Premier Crus)====
*'''Latour Blanche''', now [[Château La Tour Blanche]], Bommes (Sauternes)
*'''Peyraguey''', now
**[[Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey]], Bommes (Sauternes)
**[[Château Clos Haut-Peyraguey]], Bommes (Sauternes)
*'''Vigneau''', now [[Château de Rayne-Vigneau]], Bommes (Sauternes)
*'''Suduiraut''', now [[Château Suduiraut]], Preignac (Sauternes)
*'''Coutet''', now [[Château Coutet]], Barsac
*'''Climens''', now [[Château Climens]], Barsac
*'''Bayle''', now [[Château Guiraud]], Sauternes
*'''Rieusec''', now [[Château Rieussec]], Fargues (Sauternes)
*'''Rabeaud''', now
**[[Château Rabaud-Promis]], Bommes (Sauternes)
**[[Château Sigalas-Rabaud]], Bommes (Sauternes)
====Second Growths (Deuxième Crus)====
*'''Mìrat''', now [[Château de Myrat]], Barsac
*'''Doisy''', now
**[[Château Doisy Daëne]], Barsac
**[[Château Doisy-Dubroca]], Barsac
**[[Château Doisy-Védrines]], Barsac
*'''Pexoto''', now part of Château Rabaud-Promis
*'''D’arche''', now [[Château d'Arche]], Sauternes
*'''Filhot''', now [[Château Filhot]], Sauternes
*'''Broustet Nérac''', now
**[[Château Broustet]], Barsac
**[[Château Nairac]], Barsac
*'''Caillou''', now [[Château Caillou]], Barsac
*'''Suau''', now [[Château Suau]], Barsac
*'''Malle''', now [[Château de Malle]], Preignac (Sauternes)
*'''Romer''', now
**[[Château Romer]], Fargues (Sauternes)
**[[Château Romer du Hayot]], Fargues (Sauternes)
*'''Lamothe''', now
**[[Château Lamothe]], Sauternes
**[[Château Lamothe-Guignard]], Sauternes
==See also==
* [[Classification of Graves wine]]
* [[Classification of Saint-Émilion wine]]
* [[Regional wine classification]]
* [[History of Bordeaux wine]]
* [[Bordeaux wine regions]]
* [[Judgment of Paris (wine)|Judgment of Paris]]
==Notes and references==
{{Refbegin}}
a. &nbsp;{{Note label|A|a|none}} The only classified estate situated in Graves rather than Médoc. <br/>
b. &nbsp;{{Note label|B|b|none}} Listed as Second Growth in 1855, elevated to First Growth in 1973. <br/>
c. &nbsp;{{Note label|C|c|none}} Dissolved in 1960. <br/>
d. &nbsp;{{Note label|D|d|none}} Added in 1856.
{{Refend}}
;General
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last=Stevenson |first=Tom |title=The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia |url=https://archive.org/details/newsothebyswinee00stev_053 |url-access=limited |edition=4th |year=2005 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |location=London |isbn=0-7566-1324-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newsothebyswinee00stev_053/page/n61 64]–65}}
*Echikson, Tom (2004). ''Noble rot''. NY: Norton. {{ISBN|0-8168-6825-5}}
*Taber, George M. (2005). ''Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the historic 1976 Tasting that Revolutionized Wine''. NY: Scribner. {{ISBN|0-7432-9732-6}}
{{Refend}}
;Footnotes
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080807120138/http://www.grand-cru-classe.com/ Great Growths of 1855 official site]
{{Bordeaux-1855}}
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