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St Emilion Classification
Bordeaux Wine Guide:
Introduction
History & Geography
Region 1: Graves
Region 2: Sauternes
Courtiers & Négociants
Region 3: Margaux
Region 4: St Julien
Region 5: Pauillac
Region 6: St Estèphe
Region 7: Médoc, Médoc
Osmosis & Extraction
Region 8: St Emilion
Region 9: Pomerol
Bordeaux - the Future?
Appendices:
Médoc 1855 Classification
Sauternes 1855 Classification
Graves Classification
St Emilion Classification
Cru Bourgeois Classification
The 1855 classifications of the Médoc and Sauternes did not even take into account the ancient domaines of Graves, just to the south of Bordeaux, so it is perhaps not surprising that the numerous estates of Libourne, some way to the east on the right bank of the Dordogne, were similarly excluded. Nearly a century had passed before the Syndicat Viticole considered the creation of a St Emilion classification to be a worthwhile undertaking, and indeed the fruit of their subsequent labours was published exactly one hundred years after the more famous classification of the chateaux of the left bank.
The Syndicat Viticole began to lay out plans for the classification as early as 1930, but it did not really take shape until the INAO agreed to oversee its creation, beginning with a governing decree published on October 7th, 1954. The system laid out was for two broad categories, the upper tier being Premier Grand Cru Classé (which is further subdivided into the higher ranking A and lesser B categories) and the lower being Grand Cru Classé. The classification they devised would depend on submitted requests for inclusion, rather than the system in 1855 where properties were ranked by local merchants, and the ranking would be based on a tasting of ten vintages from the estate in question rather than purely value on the market, which was the key factor one hundred years previously. Crucially, it would be open to reassessment every ten years or so, setting it apart from the seemingly immutable 1855 classifications.
The initial classification was published on the 16th June 1955 and subsequently amended by decree the following August and October, the final list having 12 properties ranked as Premier Grand Cru Classé and 63 as Grand Cru Classé. The system was then revised in 1969, and again in 1986 and 1996, by which time the number of properties in the top tier was very similar at 13, but the second group had contracted somewhat, down to just 55. The most recent revision, however, saw the numbers at the top swell to 15, and lower down the numbers decreased even further to 46, as follows (2006 promotions marked by an asterisk):
St Emilion 2006 Classification (void - see below)
St-Emilion Premiers Grands Crus Classés (Class A)
St-Emilion Premiers Grands Crus Classés (Class B)
- Chateau Angélus
- Chateau Beau-Séjour Bécot
- Chateau Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse)
- Chateau Belair
- Chateau Canon
- Chateau Figeac
- Clos Fourtet
- Chateau La Gaffelière
- Chateau Magdelaine
- Chateau Pavie
- Chateau Pavie-Macquin*
- Chateau Troplong-Mondot*
- Chateau Trottevieille
St-Emilion Grands Crus Classés
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Controversy in 2006
There were eleven properties demoted from the above ranking in the 2006 revision, and for the sake of completeness these are documented below. Two other properties also disappeared, although not through demotion; these were Chateau Curé-Bon, which was purchased by the Chanel team and subsequently absorbed into Chateau Canon in 2000, and Chateau La Clusière, which in a similar fashion was absorbed into a greater name, in this case Chateau Pavie. Those that were demoted, however, were as follows:
- Chateau Bellevue
- Chateau Cadet-Bon
- Chateau Faurie-de-Souchard
- Chateau Guadet St-Julien
- Chateau La Marzelle
- Chateau Petit-Faurie-de-Soutard
- Chateau Tertre-Daugay
- Chateau La Tour-du-Pin-Figeac (Giraud-Bélivier)
- Chateau La Tour-du-Pin-Figeac (Moueix)
- Chateau Villemaurine
- Chateau Yon-Figeac
It was these demotions that were responsible for what was perhaps the greatest and certainly the most surprising controversy ever to beleaguer any Bordeaux classification, even though the 2006 revision came only three years after a hotly disputed reclassification of the Cru Bourgeois chateaux of Bordeaux. A number of proprietors listed above, who all faced demotion from the Grand Cru Classé ranking, in particular the owners of Chateau Cadet-Bon, Chateau Guadet St-Julien, Chateau La Tour du Pin Figeac and Chateau La Marzelle, decided to take the Syndicat Viticole to court over the new listing. It seemed as though they had a strong case, as an inspection of the credentials of the members of the INAO panel allegedly suggested lack of impartiality, and an administrative tribunal in Bordeaux was quick to suspend the classification pending review, leaving all the chateaux of the appellation, including greats such as Ausone and Cheval-Blanc, effectively without any formal ranking at all. At the time I gave a rundown of events in my account of the collapse of the classification.
The stuttering resolution to this situation began in November 2007, when the Conseil d'Etat, the highest administrative court in France, annulled the suspension having stated that this prior action had no legal justification. Although the conclusions of the court did not dismiss the issues raised by the four complainants, it did state that they were not of a nature that warranted the permanent annulment of the classification. So it seemed as though the 2006 classification would stand, that was until it was again deemed void by a court in Bordeaux in 2008. In a bizarre development, the court then reinstated the 1996 classification. This was of course great news for the four properties that brought the action, represented in court by lawyer Philippe Thévenin, but was a grave disappointment for those that had benefitted from the new system, namely those estates that had been promoted, and now see themselved pushed back to their 1996 standings. When we consider the efforts that lie behind these promotions, this new development seems particularly disheartening.
These events have made this page one of the most frequently updated on this site, for a while at least. And so for the moment, it is the 1996 classification that stands, and it is eligible for use on labels from the 2006 vintage through to 2009. I would imagine that the next step would be to somehow re-promote those chateaux that earned such an elevation in the 2006 listing, without demoting those chateaux that brought the case to court. Watch this space!
St Emilion 1996 Classification (valid for 2006 - 2009)
St-Emilion Premiers Grands Crus Classés (Class A)
St-Emilion Premiers Grands Crus Classés (Class B)
- Chateau Angélus
- Chateau Beau-Séjour Bécot
- Chateau Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse)
- Chateau Belair
- Chateau Canon
- Chateau Figeac
- Clos Fourtet
- Chateau La Gaffelière
- Chateau Magdelaine
- Chateau Pavie
- Chateau Trottevieille
St-Emilion Grands Crus Classés
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Beyond the Classifications
Beyond the Premier Grand Cru Classé and the Grand Cru Classé properties of the St Emilion classification, there are many unclassified properties which may bear the grand sounding accolade of Grand Cru on the label. As a final point of interest in this rundown of the St Emilion ranking, I should make clear that this is not part of the classification, which accounts for only the two tiers discussed above. The distinction between a chateau that describes itself as Grand Cru, and one that does not, is a differentiation enshrined in appellation law, and it is discussed in my guide to St Emilion. It does not necessarily denote a wine of great quality or from exalted terroir, and as such the term is rather a misnomer. Nevertheless, there are good wines to be found at this level if one knows where to look; names such as Chateau Teyssier and Chateau Faugères do at least deserve a mention.
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