ST EMILLION CLASSIFICATION
The St Emilion classification has finally been signed off by the French government.
Saint Emilion can review its Classification every ten years and the French wine regulator INAO (Institut National de l’Orgine et de la Qualité) has approved a new set of regulations which will come into effect from the 2012 harvest onwards.
In total there are now 81 members in the classification, just below the peak of 84 members in the 1969 classification.
The legal notification of the classification, which has been in limbo since it was sent to the French Ministry of Agriculture in January 2011, was published in the Journal Officiel on June 16. This means that despite continuing internal wrangling, the classification is indeed going ahead.
INAO, the French government appellations body, will now distribute application forms to estates that wish to be considered for inclusion.
All chateaux - including those aspiring to the very top ranks, Grand Cru, Grand Cru Classe, and Premier Grand Cru Classé - will be tasted blind.
Wines will be assessed on taste, their terroir, where they sit in the market, and their existing reputation.
The principle of classifying the terroir rather than the estate has been relaxed slightly to bring the system closer to that of the Médoc, where classified growths are free to buy more land and include it in their current brand.
In Saint Emilion, there will be some flexibility, but it will still be tougher than on the Left Bank, requiring that similar quality and style of terroir be demonstrated. It has been agreed that properties will not challenge these latest classifications, and that they will remain in place for the next 10 years.
In a monumental decision, two Chateaux, Pavie and Angelus, were promoted to the Premiers Grands Crus Classes-A; the first additions to this top group since the classification’s inception in 1954.
Also of note were the upgrades of Mondot and Valandraud (both previously unclassified) to the Premiers Grand Crus Classes-B. Canon Le Gaffeliere and Larcis Ducasse were upgraded from Grands Crus to Grands Crus Classes-B.
There were 17 new additions to Grands Crus Classes:-
Cote De Baleau, Barde Haut, Le Chatelet, Clos De Sharpe, Clos Le Madeleine, La Commanderie Faugeres, De Ferrand, Fombrauge, La Fleur Morange, Jean Faure, La Marzelle, Peby Faugeres, De Pressac, Quinault L’Enclos, Rochebelle, Ansonnet.
Eight Chateaux demoted in 2006 kept their Grands Crus Classifications:-
Bellevue, Cadet Bon, Faurie De Souchard, Gaudet, Petit Faurie Soutard, Tertre Daugay (now Quintus), Villemaurine, Yon-Figeac.
Premiers Grands Crus Classés – A
Château Ausone
Château Cheval-Blanc
Château Pavie (Promoted August 2012)
Château Angelus (Promoted August 2012)
Premiers Grands Crus Classés – B
Château Beau-Séjour Bécot
Château Beauséjour
(Duffau-Lagarrosse)
Château Bélair-Monange
Château Canon
Château Figeac
Clos Fourtet
Château La Gaffelière
Château Pavie-Macquin
Château Troplong-Mondot
Château Trottevieille
Château Canon-la-Gaffelière (Promoted)
Château Larcis-Ducasse (Promoted)
Château La Mondotte (Promoted)
Château Valandraud (Promoted)
Grands Crus Classés
Château L'Arrosée
Château Balestard La Tonnelle
Château Bellefont-Belcier
Château Bellevue
Château Berliquet
Château Cadet-Bon
Château Cap de Mourlin
Château Chauvin
Château La Clotte
Château Corbin
Château La Couspaude
Couvent des Jacobins
Château Dassault
Château Destieux
Château La Dominique
Château Faurie-de-Souchard
Château Fleur-Cardinale
Château Fonplégade
Château Fonroque
Château Franc-Mayne
Château Grand-Corbin
Château Grand-Corbin-Despagne
Château Grand-Mayne
Château Grand-Pontet
Château Les Grandes-Murailles
Château Guadet St-Julien
Château Haut Sarpe
Clos des Jacobins
Château Laniote
Château Larmande
Château Laroque
Château Laroze
Château La Marzelle
Château Monbousquet
Château Moulin-du-Cadet
Clos de l'Oratoire
Château Pavie-Decesse
Château Petit-Faurie-de-Soutard
Château Le Prieuré
Château Ripeau
Château St-Georges-Côte-Pavie
Clos St-Martin
Château La Serre
Château Soutard
Château Tertre-Daugay
Château La Tour Figeac
Château Villemaurine
Château Yon-Figeac
Château Cote De Baleau (Promoted)
Château Barde Haut (Promoted)
Château Le Chatelet (Promoted)
Château Clos De Sharpe (Promoted)
Château Clos Le Madeleine (Promoted)
Château La Commanderie Faugeres (Promoted)
Château De Ferrand (Promoted)
Château Fombrauge (Promoted)
Château La Fleur Morange (Promoted)
Château Jean Faure (Promoted)
Château La Marzelle (Promoted)
Château Peby Faugeres (Promoted)
Château De Pressac (Promoted)
Château Quinault L’Enclos (Promoted)
Château Rochebelle (Promoted)
Château Ansonnet (Promoted
MERGERS & AQUISITIONS
Chateau La Cleusiere was bought and merged into Chateau Pavie
Chateau Cure-Bon was bought and merged in Chateau Canon in 2000
Château Cadet-Piola was bought by Château Soutard
Château Bergat was bought by Château Trottevieille
Château Haut-Corbin was bought by Château Grand-Corbin
Château Matras partly owned by Château Canon
Château Magdelaine merged to sister Château Bélair-Monange
