Understanding Bordeaux’s Official Wine Classifications

The classifications in the Bordeaux wine world refer to an official or semi-official hierarchy of châteaux or wine estates, based on the quality of their wines and their reputation. This practice is particularly emblematic in Bordeaux and has both historical and economic roots.

Die Gartenlaube, 1869. Scan from the original work. Source: Wikimedia Commons

What is a Bordeaux wine classification?

A Bordeaux classification is a list of châteaux or estates recognized for the quality of their wines, often accompanied by a category (such as “Grand Cru,” “Premier Cru,” etc.). Its purpose is to distinguish high-quality and prestigious wines, particularly for the international market.

The most famous Bordeaux classifications are: The Médoc Classification, the Sauternes and Barsac Classification, the Graves and Pessac-Léognan Classification, the Saint-Émilion Classification.

Why do Bordeaux’s wines have classifications?

Classifications serve several purposes:

• Facilitating trade: Bordeaux exported heavily to England and Europe. Rankings helped merchants and foreign buyers quickly identify the best wines.

• Enhancing prestige and price: A classified château could charge higher prices. It rewards historical quality and the estate’s reputation.

• Structuring regional quality: Bordeaux produces vast quantities of very diverse wines. The ranking creates a recognized hierarchy based on historical quality and production methods.

What Makes Bordeaux Wine Classifications Unique?

Bordeaux developed this practice for several specific reasons:

• Long winemaking tradition: The region has exported wine since the Middle Ages, with wines of great international reputation.

• Highly competitive market: Foreign buyers needed clear markers to choose the best wines.

• Unique economic organization: Independent châteaux, merchants, and brokers needed a system to establish value and prestige.

• Diverse terroirs: The ranking standardizes and distinguishes wines despite great geographic and climatic diversity.

The Médoc Classification

• Origins: Created in 1855 by order of Napoleon III, who wanted to showcase the best French products at the Paris World’s Fair. The government requested a ranking of Bordeaux wines to help foreign buyers, especially the English, identify the best Médoc wines. Before this, no official hierarchy existed, leaving merchants to judge quality themselves, which complicated sales.

• Hierarchy: The classification establishes a hierarchy based on the reputation and consistency of each château. Wines are ranked as First Growths, Second Growths… up to Fifth Growths, providing a clear signal of quality and historical value.

• Official Médoc Classification List

  Premier Cru

  • Château LAFITE-ROTHSCHILD – Pauillac

  • Château LATOUR – Pauillac

  • Château MARGAUX – Margaux

  • Château MOUTON ROTHSCHILD – Pauillac

  • Château HAUT-BRION – Pessac

  Deuxième Cru

  • Château RAUZAN-SÉGLA – Margaux

  • Château RAUZAN-GASSIES – Margaux

  • Château LÉOVILLE LAS CASES – Saint-Julien

  • Château LÉOVILLE-POYFERRÉ – Saint-Julien

  • Château LÉOVILLE BARTON – Saint-Julien

  • Château DURFORT-VIVENS – Margaux

  • Château GRUAUD LAROSE – Saint-Julien

  • Château LASCOMBES – Margaux

  • Château BRANE-CANTENAC – Margaux

  • Château PICHON BARON – Pauillac

  • Château PICHON LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE – Pauillac

  • Château DUCRU-BEAUCAILLOU – Saint-Julien

  • Château COS d’ESTOURNEL – Saint-Estèphe

  • Château MONTROSE – Saint-Estèphe

  Troisième Cru

  • Château KIRWAN – Margaux

  • Château d’ISSAN – Margaux

  • Château LAGRANGE – Saint-Julien

  • Château LANGOA BARTON – Saint-Julien

  • Château GISCOURS – Margaux

  • Château MALESCOT SAINT-EXUPÉRY – Margaux

  • Château BOYD-CANTENAC – Margaux

  • Château CANTENAC BROWN – Margaux

  • Château PALMER – Margaux

  • Château LA LAGUNE – Haut-Médoc

  • Château DESMIRAIL – Margaux

  • Château CALON SÉGUR – Saint-Estèphe

  • Château FERRIÈRE – Margaux

  • Château MARQUIS d’ALESME BECKER – Margaux

  Quatrième Cru

  • Château SAINT-PIERRE – Saint-Julien

  • Château TALBOT – Saint-Julien

  • Château BRANAIRE-DUCRU – Saint-Julien

  • Château DUHART-MILON – Pauillac

  • Château POUGET – Margaux

  • Château LA TOUR CARNET – Haut-Médoc

  • Château LAFON-ROCHET – Saint-Estèphe

  • Château BEYCHEVELLE – Saint-Julien

  • Château PRIEURÉ-LICHINE – Margaux

  • Château MARQUIS de TERME – Margaux

  Cinquième Cru

  • Château PONTET-CANET – Pauillac

  • Château BATAILLEY – Pauillac

  • Château HAUT-BATAILLEY – Pauillac

  • Château GRAND-PUY-LACOSTE – Pauillac

  • Château GRAND-PUY DUCASSE – Pauillac

  • Château LYNCH-BAGES – Pauillac

  • Château LYNCH-MOUSSAS – Pauillac

  • Château DAUZAC – Margaux

  • Château d’ARMAILHAC – Pauillac

  • Château du TERTRE – Margaux

  • Château HAUT-BAGES LIBÉRAL – Pauillac

  • Château PÉDESCLAUX – Pauillac

  • Château BELGRAVE – Haut-Médoc

  • Château de CAMENSAC – Haut-Médoc

  • Château COS LABORY – Saint-Estèphe

  • Château CLERC MILON – Pauillac

  • Château CROIZET-BAGES – Pauillac

  • Château CANTEMERLE – Haut-Médoc

Distinctions in the Médoc:

a. Cru Bourgeois of the Médoc

• The Cru Bourgeois is a classification unique to the Médoc, distinct from the famous 1855 Grand Cru Classé.

• Established in 1932 and revised every five years, it covers serious, quality wines that are often less prestigious or expensive than Grand Crus.

• It allows consumers to easily identify good-quality wines at a more affordable price.

To be labeled Cru Bourgeois, a château must:

• Produce consistently high-quality wine.

• Meet strict technical and production standards (limited yields, respect for the terroir, winemaking methods).

• Be evaluated by a professional and impartial jury.

The three historical hierarchical levels are:

• Cru Bourgeois

• Cru Bourgeois Supérieur

• Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel

b. Cru Artisan of the Médoc

• The “Cru Artisan” designation highlights craftsmanship and the quality of small producers (maximum 3 hectares), often less known than the major châteaux but producing high-quality wines.

• This distinction has existed for over 150 years and was revived in 1989 with the creation of the Médoc Cru Artisan Syndicate. Since 2017, the ranking is revised every five years.

For a Médoc wine to earn the Cru Artisan title, the estate must:

• Produce authentic, high-quality wines from the Médoc terroirs.

• Be a small producer within one of the eight Médoc appellations: Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Listrac, Moulis, Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, and Saint-Estèphe.

• Work according to artisanal methods, paying particular attention to the vineyard and winemaking process.

• Comply with traceability and presentation standards.

The Sauternes and Barsac Classification

• This classification is part of the 1855 ranking but concerns exclusively the sweet white wines produced in Sauternes and Barsac. It has changed very little since its creation, unlike the Saint-Émilion ranking.

• All these wines are botrytized, made from grapes affected by “noble rot” (Botrytis cinerea), which concentrates sugar and aromas.

• Napoleon III wanted to rank these wines for the World’s Fair, separately from the reds of the Médoc.

Ranking criteria:

• Historical quality of the wine (reputation among merchants and critics).

• Consistency of harvests and production.

• Aging potential, often several decades.

Structure of the ranking:

• Premier Cru Supérieur: Only one château, Château d’Yquem, considered the best sweet wine in the world.

• Premier Cru: Several renowned châteaux known for excellence (e.g., Château La Tour Blanche, Château Rieussec).

• Deuxième Cru: Other châteaux of recognized quality but less prestigious.

• The list of 27 Crus from the Sauternes and Barsac appellations:

  Premier Cru Supérieur

  • Château d’Yquem, Sauternes, AOC Sauternes

  Premier Cru

  • Château La Tour Blanche – Sauternes

  • Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey – Sauternes

  • Clos Haut-Peyraguey – Sauternes

  • Château de Rayne Vigneau – Sauternes

  • Château Suduiraut – Sauternes

  • Château Coutet – Barsac

  • Château Climens – Barsac

  • Château Guiraud – Sauternes

  • Château Rieussec – Sauternes

  • Château Rabaud-Promis – Sauternes

  • Château Sigalas Rabaud – Sauternes

  Deuxième Cru

  • Château de Myrat – Barsac

  • Château Doisy Daëne – Barsac

  • Château Doisy-Dubroca – Barsac

  • Château Doisy-Védrines – Barsac

  • Château d’Arche – Sauternes

  • Château Filhot – Sauternes

  • Château Broustet – Barsac

  • Château Nairac – Barsac

  • Château Caillou – Barsac

  • Château Suau – Barsac

  • Château de Malle – Sauternes

  • Château Romer du Hayot – Sauternes

  • Château Romer – Sauternes

  • Château Lamothe – Sauternes

  • Château Lamothe-Guignard – Sauternes

The Graves and Pessac-Léognan Classification

• Created in 1953, revised in 1959, and now considered fixed.

• It ranks wines as Crus Classés de Graves for both reds and whites.

• It includes 16 classified estates in the Pessac-Léognan AOC: 7 reds, 3 whites, and 6 producing both red and white wines.

• Château Haut-Brion is the only Bordeaux wine classified twice: in the Crus Classés de Graves and in the 1855 Grand Cru Classé.

• List of Classified Crus of Graves & Pessac-Léognan

  • Château Bouscaut, Cadaujac – red and white wines

  • Château Carbonnieux, Léognan – red and white wines

  • Domaine de Chevalier, Léognan – red and white wines

  • Château Couhins, Villenave-d’Ornon – white wine

  • Château Couhins-Lurton, Villenave-d’Ornon – white wine

  • Château de Fieuzal, Léognan – red wine

  • Château Haut-Bailly, Léognan – red wine

  • Château Haut-Brion, Pessac (also a 1855 Classified Growth) – red wine

  • Château Latour-Martillac, Martillac – red and white wines

  • Château Laville-Haut-Brion, Talence – white wine

  • Château Malartic-Lagravière, Léognan – red and white wines

  • Château La Mission-Haut-Brion, Talence – red wine

  • Château Olivier, Léognan – red and white wines

  • Château Pape-Clément, Pessac – red wine

  • Château Smith-Haut-Lafite, Martillac – red wine

  • Château La Tour-Haut-Brion, Talence – red wine

The Saint-Émilion Classification

• Created in 1955, revised in 1962, and updated every ten years.

• Wines must be bottled at the estate and undergo a double tasting.

• Categories: “Premiers Grands Crus Classés” A or B, and “Grands Crus Classés.”

At Saint-Émilion, the ranking is not based solely on wine quality:

• Grands Crus Classés: Final score = 50% tasting, 35% château reputation and aesthetics, 10% terroir, 5% estate management.

• Premiers Grands Crus Classés: Final score = 50% tasting, 20% reputation and château aesthetics, 20% terroir, 10% estate management.

• Minimum score: 14/20 for Grand Cru Classé, 16/20 for Premier Grand Cru Classé. Only estates already classified as Grand Cru may apply for the higher rank.

• The 7th Classification List 2022 of Saint-Émilion Premiers Grands Crus Classés "A" and "B"

  Premiers Grands Crus Classés “A”

  • Château Figeac

  • Château Pavie

  Premiers Grands Crus Classés “B”

  • Château Beau-Séjour Bécot

  • Château Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse

  • Château Belair-Monange

  • Château Canon

  • Château Canon La Gaffelière

  • Château Larcis Ducasse

  • Château Pavie Macquin

  • Château Troplong-Mondot

  • Château Trottevieille

  • Château Valandraud

  • Clos Fourtet

  • La Mondotte

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