Bordeaux - Classification Systems Flashcards
What was the 1855 grand cru classé classification based on?
Prices of wines
Did this 1855 classification reflect terroir
No. It reflected the skill of the winemakers from different chateau and the demand for their product.
Where are the wineries of the 1855 classification located
Medoc (60) and Graves (1) for the dry wines and Sauternes (26) for the sweet
What is a ‘cru’ and how many of them are there in the 1855 classification?
It is a ‘growth’ which is a tier in the 1855 classification. There are five crus for the still wines of the Médoc and Graves and three crus for the sweet wines
What are the top tier wines known as in the 1855 classification
Premier cru
Name the five premier crus chateau in the 1855 classification
Chateau Haut Brion Chateau Margaux Chateau Mouton-Rothchild (1973) Chateau Lafite Chateau Latour
How many estates lay in each of the subsequent crus from the 1855 class.?
Second Growths (14) Third Growths (14) Fourth Growths (10) Fifth Growths (180
What is a premier cru supérieur
It is a tier above the first growth tier of the Sauternes. Chateau d’ychem occupies the tier
How many first growths are there in Sauternes?
11
How many second growths are there in Sauternes?
14
What is the controversy surrounding the 1855 classification?
Whether it is still holds today. The original chateau in the classifications have all changed in ownership to new owners or different generations of the same families. They likely make wine very differently to the 1855 owners of the of the original estates
Are Cru Bourgeois wines of better quality than those of the 1855 classification?
No but they are still of superior quality.
When was the original cru bourgeois classification put in place and why?
1932 to classify 444 of the estates which never made it in to the 1855 classification
When and why was the cru bourgeois revised?
In 2010, the new rules of classification addressed the quality of production (production method and finished product) rather than the estate.
What change occurred in 2018 to the Cru Bourgeois classification?
- split into three tiers cru bourgeois, cru bourgeois supérieur, cru bourgeois exceptionnel.
- title awarded every 5 years instead of annually (time consuming application
- title now based on chateau and not the wine
why has Cru Bourgeois reinstated quality hierarchy based on wine and not chateau ?
-allows both producers and merchants to think longer term
When was the St Émillion classification put in place?
1955
Describe the tiers in the St. Émillion classification
Premier Grand cru classé A (4 - Ausone, Angelus, Pavie, Cheval Blanc), Premier Grand Cru Classé B (18), Grand Cru Classé (64)
How often is the St. Émillion classification revised?
every 10 years. Last revision was 2012
What is the St. Émillion quality hierarchy based on?
- wine making practices
- reputation
- commercial considerations
- blind tasting of 10 vintages
What is St. Émillion grand cru?
The lowest tierof the classification. which includes over 600 chateau
which AOP established a simple classification in 1959?
Graves
How is the quality judged in the Graves classification?
fame, quality and tastings
What are the members of the classification called?
cru classé
What style of wine does the Graves classification cover?
red an white
Does the Graves classification have a hierarchy?
No.
How many chateau are in the Graves classification?
16
How does the Burgundy classification differ to that of 1855 Classification?
Burgundy classification is based on the land and not the property
What do Fronsac and Pomerol right bank AOPs have in common?
Neither have hierarchies
