Bordeaux Wine Guide: St Emilion Classification
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Matthias R WHT
Oct 14, 2009, 10:19:49 AM10/14/09
to Liquid Assets
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
around 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 pure market value, 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 in 2006, however,
saw the numbers at the top swell to 15, and lower down the numbers
decreased even further to 46.
Controversy in 2006
There were eleven properties demoted from the Grand Cru Classé rung in
the 2006 revision, and these are documented below. For the sake of
completeness it is worth noting that 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,
ended 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 July 2008. Then in a bizarre development the following week the
court, under pressure from the INAO, effectively reinstated the 1996
classification, to be applicable to the 2006-2009 vintages. This was
of course great news for the four properties that brought the action
(and of course those other demoted estates watching from the
sidelines), represented in court by lawyer Philippe Thévenin, but it
was a grave disappointment for those that had benefited from the new
system, namely those estates that had been promoted, and with this new
development now saw themselves pushed back to their 1996 standings.
This latter point was the next to be addressed in this complex clean-
up, a process that was looking more and more like prolonged damage
limitation than anything like a wine classification. A finance law
amendment submitted by senators Gérard César and Philippe Dominati in
December 2008 would have allowed the estates that missed out on the
2006 promotions to regain their new positions. So Pavie-Macquin and
Troplong-Mondot would return to Premier Grand Cru Classé level, while
Bellefond-Belcier, Destieux, Fleur-Cardinale, Grand Corbin and Grand
Corbin-Despagne would regain the Grand Cru Classé accolade. In January
2009 the case, which was based on an argued loss of revenue, was
thrown out. The 1996 classification was standing firm, and in March
2009 the French Court of Appeal hammered the final nail in the coffin
of the 2006 ranking with a terminal judgement, ending any hope that it
could be revived. Well, maybe....
The only workable solution was to find a ranking that would keep
everybody content; reinstate the promoted chateaux to their new
rankings, but conveniently overlook the fact that a number of
properties should/would/could have been demoted. In truth it makes a
farce of the classification, but no more so that the legal disputes
that have been slowly strangling the system for the last three years.
It was what the December 2008 law would have achieved, but clearly the
government council that dismissed it failed to realise that. In May
2009, however, a new law concerning the classification was passed,
with a convenient footnote reinstating the previously promoted
chateaux within the 1996 classification. Result? The promoted are
promoted and are thus happy, the demoted haven't been demoted after
all and are thus happy, and everybody can get on with making wine.
Until the next time, of course, which is guaranteed to come. The
current state of play - the 1996 classification with 2006 promotions
superimposed - remains legal until 2011, when it must be reviewed.
St Emilion 1996 Classification with 2006 Promotions
The following is valid until 2011. The 2006 promotions are marked by
*, those that escaped demotion through maintaining the 1996 listing by
†. Note during this process two chateaux have been renamed, namely
Belair, now part of the Moueix portfolio and rechristened Bélair-
Monange, and also the La Tour-du-Pin-Figeac portion that belonged to
the Giraud-Bélivier family and which, as mentioned above, was to have
been demoted in 2006. This property is now under the same
administration as neighbour Cheval-Blanc, and no doubt to reduce
confusion with Figeac, another near neighbour, has been renamed La
Tour-du-Pin.
Premiers Grands Crus Classés - A
Chateau Ausone
Chateau Cheval-Blanc
Premiers Grands Crus Classés - B
Chateau Angélus
Chateau Beau-Séjour Bécot
Chateau Beauséjour
(Duffau-Lagarrosse)
Chateau Bélair-Monange
Chateau Canon
Chateau Figeac
Clos Fourtet
Chateau La Gaffelière
Chateau Magdelaine
Chateau Pavie
Chateau Pavie-Macquin*
Chateau Troplong-Mondot*
Chateau Trottevieille
Grands Crus ClassésChateau L'Arrosée
Chateau Balestard-La-Tonnelle
Chateau Bellefont-Belcier*
Chateau Bellevue†
Chateau Bergat
Chateau Berliquet
Chateau Cadet-Bon†
Chateau Cadet-Piola
Chateau Canon-la-Gaffelière
Chateau Cap-de-Mourlin
Chateau Chauvin
Chateau La Clotte
Chateau Corbin
Chateau Corbin-Michotte
Chateau La Couspaude
Couvent des Jacobins
Chateau Dassault
Chateau Destieux*
Chateau La Dominique
Chateau Faurie-de-Souchard†
Chateau Fleur-Cardinale*
Chateau Fonplégade
Chateau Fonroque
Chateau Franc-Mayne
Chateau Grand-Corbin*
Chateau Grand-Corbin-Despagne*
Chateau Grand-Mayne
Chateau Grand-Pontet
Chateau Les Grandes-Murailles
Chateau Guadet St-Julien†
Chateau Haut-Corbin
Chateau Haut Sarpe
Clos des Jacobins
Chateau Laniote
Chateau Larcis-Ducasse
Chateau Larmande
Chateau Laroque
Chateau Laroze
Chateau La Marzelle†
Chateau Matras
Chateau Monbousquet*
Chateau Moulin-du-Cadet
Clos de l'Oratoire
Chateau Pavie-Decesse
Chateau Petit-Faurie-de-Soutard†
Chateau Le Prieuré
Chateau Ripeau
Chateau St-Georges-Côte-Pavie
Clos St-Martin
Chateau La Serre
Chateau Soutard
Chateau Tertre-Daugay†
Chateau La Tour-du-Pin†
Chateau La Tour-du-Pin-Figeac† (Moueix)
Chateau La Tour Figeac
Chateau Villemaurine†
Chateau Yon-Figeac†
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; estates such as Teyssier and Faugères do at least deserve a
mention.
- Wine Doctor.
into account the ancient domaines of Graves, just to the south of
Bordeaux, so it is perhaps not surprising that the numerous estates
around 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 pure market value, 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 in 2006, however,
saw the numbers at the top swell to 15, and lower down the numbers
decreased even further to 46.
Controversy in 2006
There were eleven properties demoted from the Grand Cru Classé rung in
the 2006 revision, and these are documented below. For the sake of
completeness it is worth noting that 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,
ended 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 July 2008. Then in a bizarre development the following week the
court, under pressure from the INAO, effectively reinstated the 1996
classification, to be applicable to the 2006-2009 vintages. This was
of course great news for the four properties that brought the action
(and of course those other demoted estates watching from the
sidelines), represented in court by lawyer Philippe Thévenin, but it
was a grave disappointment for those that had benefited from the new
system, namely those estates that had been promoted, and with this new
development now saw themselves pushed back to their 1996 standings.
This latter point was the next to be addressed in this complex clean-
up, a process that was looking more and more like prolonged damage
limitation than anything like a wine classification. A finance law
amendment submitted by senators Gérard César and Philippe Dominati in
December 2008 would have allowed the estates that missed out on the
2006 promotions to regain their new positions. So Pavie-Macquin and
Troplong-Mondot would return to Premier Grand Cru Classé level, while
Bellefond-Belcier, Destieux, Fleur-Cardinale, Grand Corbin and Grand
Corbin-Despagne would regain the Grand Cru Classé accolade. In January
2009 the case, which was based on an argued loss of revenue, was
thrown out. The 1996 classification was standing firm, and in March
2009 the French Court of Appeal hammered the final nail in the coffin
of the 2006 ranking with a terminal judgement, ending any hope that it
could be revived. Well, maybe....
The only workable solution was to find a ranking that would keep
everybody content; reinstate the promoted chateaux to their new
rankings, but conveniently overlook the fact that a number of
properties should/would/could have been demoted. In truth it makes a
farce of the classification, but no more so that the legal disputes
that have been slowly strangling the system for the last three years.
It was what the December 2008 law would have achieved, but clearly the
government council that dismissed it failed to realise that. In May
2009, however, a new law concerning the classification was passed,
with a convenient footnote reinstating the previously promoted
chateaux within the 1996 classification. Result? The promoted are
promoted and are thus happy, the demoted haven't been demoted after
all and are thus happy, and everybody can get on with making wine.
Until the next time, of course, which is guaranteed to come. The
current state of play - the 1996 classification with 2006 promotions
superimposed - remains legal until 2011, when it must be reviewed.
St Emilion 1996 Classification with 2006 Promotions
The following is valid until 2011. The 2006 promotions are marked by
*, those that escaped demotion through maintaining the 1996 listing by
†. Note during this process two chateaux have been renamed, namely
Belair, now part of the Moueix portfolio and rechristened Bélair-
Monange, and also the La Tour-du-Pin-Figeac portion that belonged to
the Giraud-Bélivier family and which, as mentioned above, was to have
been demoted in 2006. This property is now under the same
administration as neighbour Cheval-Blanc, and no doubt to reduce
confusion with Figeac, another near neighbour, has been renamed La
Tour-du-Pin.
Premiers Grands Crus Classés - A
Chateau Ausone
Chateau Cheval-Blanc
Premiers Grands Crus Classés - B
Chateau Angélus
Chateau Beau-Séjour Bécot
Chateau Beauséjour
(Duffau-Lagarrosse)
Chateau Bélair-Monange
Chateau Canon
Chateau Figeac
Clos Fourtet
Chateau La Gaffelière
Chateau Magdelaine
Chateau Pavie
Chateau Pavie-Macquin*
Chateau Troplong-Mondot*
Chateau Trottevieille
Grands Crus ClassésChateau L'Arrosée
Chateau Balestard-La-Tonnelle
Chateau Bellefont-Belcier*
Chateau Bellevue†
Chateau Bergat
Chateau Berliquet
Chateau Cadet-Bon†
Chateau Cadet-Piola
Chateau Canon-la-Gaffelière
Chateau Cap-de-Mourlin
Chateau Chauvin
Chateau La Clotte
Chateau Corbin
Chateau Corbin-Michotte
Chateau La Couspaude
Couvent des Jacobins
Chateau Dassault
Chateau Destieux*
Chateau La Dominique
Chateau Faurie-de-Souchard†
Chateau Fleur-Cardinale*
Chateau Fonplégade
Chateau Fonroque
Chateau Franc-Mayne
Chateau Grand-Corbin*
Chateau Grand-Corbin-Despagne*
Chateau Grand-Mayne
Chateau Grand-Pontet
Chateau Les Grandes-Murailles
Chateau Guadet St-Julien†
Chateau Haut-Corbin
Chateau Haut Sarpe
Clos des Jacobins
Chateau Laniote
Chateau Larcis-Ducasse
Chateau Larmande
Chateau Laroque
Chateau Laroze
Chateau La Marzelle†
Chateau Matras
Chateau Monbousquet*
Chateau Moulin-du-Cadet
Clos de l'Oratoire
Chateau Pavie-Decesse
Chateau Petit-Faurie-de-Soutard†
Chateau Le Prieuré
Chateau Ripeau
Chateau St-Georges-Côte-Pavie
Clos St-Martin
Chateau La Serre
Chateau Soutard
Chateau Tertre-Daugay†
Chateau La Tour-du-Pin†
Chateau La Tour-du-Pin-Figeac† (Moueix)
Chateau La Tour Figeac
Chateau Villemaurine†
Chateau Yon-Figeac†
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; estates such as Teyssier and Faugères do at least deserve a
mention.
- Wine Doctor.
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