THE OFFICIAL BORDEAUX 1855 CLASSIFICATION OF WINES
The 1855 classification of the wines of the Medoc in Bordeaux was the brainchild of Napoleon III. He ordered this classification to be presented at the Exposition Universelle de Paris which was intended to showcase “all that was France” at the time. The business of classifying the wines was left up to the local brokers of the era who took it upon themselves to base the 5 tiered hierarchy on price at the time which, if revised today would certainly raise a few eyebrows.
The 1855 classification, although it started as a novel idea, has stood the test of time even against the beliefs of some of the most influential critics and wine professionals of the past centuries. The only two exceptions to the rules were;
•Haut Brion (not to be confused with La Mission Haut Brion) which is situated in Graves not the Medoc - this indicates that Haut Brion was well respected and certainly highly priced during the 19th century!
•Mouton Rothschild - Philippe de Rothschild, proprietor of this grand estate during much of the 20th century, regarded Mouton's ranking as a deuxième cru as a "monstrous injustice".
For years the labels stated simply Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis, or 'First I cannot be, second I do not deign to be, I am Mouton".
It was clear from the great vintages of Mouton produced in the 1860s and 1870s that the 1855 classification was already outdated, and that change was overdue. But no such review of this classification has ever been intended, and it was only thanks to the tireless campaigning of Philippe that Jacques Chirac, then Minister of Agriculture, passed a decree conferring the status of Premier Grand Cru Classé upon Mouton-Rothschild in 1973. At last this apparent wrong had been righted, and from then on Mouton's labels bore a new inscription, “Premier je suis, second je fus. Mouton ne change, or First I am, second I was. Mouton does not change.”
In conclusion, the 1855 classification did, and still does make a huge difference in the pricing of the wines and to people’s perception of quality. Today, significance and branding have become a major factor in the world of fine wine and cannot be ignored when planning an investment, these trends can and do change so it is always best to ask a professional for advice when building a portfolio.
First Growths
Ch. Lafite-Rothschild Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. Margaux Margaux Margaux
Ch. Latour Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. Haut-Brion Pessac Pessac-Leognan
Ch. Mouton-Rothschild Pauillac Pauillac
Second Growths
Ch. Rauzan-Segla Margaux Margaux
Ch. Rauzan-Gassies Margaux Margaux
Ch. Leoville-Las-Cases St-Julien St-Julien
Ch. Leoville-Poyferre St-Julien St-Julien
Ch. Leoville-Barton St-Julien St-Julien
Ch. Durfort-Vivens Margaux Margaux
Ch. Gruard-Larose St-Julien St-Julien
Ch. Lascombes Margaux Margaux
Ch. Brane-Cantenac Cantenac Margaux
Ch. Pichon-Longueville (Baron) Pauillac Margaux
Ch. Pichon-Longueville Comtesses de Lalande Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou St-Julien St-Julien
Ch. Montrose St-Estephe St-Estephe
Ch. Cos d'Estournel St-Estephe St-Estephe
Third Growths
Ch. Kirwan Cantenac Margaux
Ch. d'Issan Cantenac Margaux
Ch. Lagrange St-Julien St-Julien
Ch. Langoa-Barton St-Julien St-Julien
Ch. Giscours Labarde Margaux
Ch. Malescot St-Exupery Margaux Margaux
Ch. Boyd-Cantenac Cantenac Margaux
Ch. Cantenac-Brown Cantenac Margaux
Ch. Palmer Cantenac Margaux
Ch. La Lagune Ludon Haut-Medoc
Ch. Desmirail Margaux Margaux
Ch. Calon-Segur St-Estephe St-Estephe
Ch. Ferriere Margaux Margaux
Ch. Marquis d'Alesme Becker Margaux Margaux
Fourth Growths
Ch. St-Pierre St-Julien St-Julien
Ch. Talbot St-Julien St-Julien
Ch. Branaire-DucruSt-Julien St-Julien
Ch. Duhart-Milon-Rothschild Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. Pouget Cantenac Margaux
Ch. La Tour-Carnet St-Laurent Haut-Medoc
Ch. Lafon-Rochet St-Estephe St-Estephe
Ch. Beychevelle St-Julien St-Julien
Ch. Prieure-Lichine Cantenac Margaux
Ch. Marquis-de-Terme Margaux Margaux
Fifth Growths
Ch. Pontet Canet Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. Batailley Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. Haut-Batailley Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. Grand Puy Lacoste Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. Grand Puy Ducasse Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. Lynch-Bages Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. Lynch-Moussas Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. Dauzac Labarde Margaux
Ch. d'Armailhac Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. du Tertre Arsac Margaux
Ch. Haut-Bages-Liberal Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. Pedesclaux Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. Belgrave St-Laurent Haut-Medoc
Ch. de Camensac St-Laurent Haut-Medoc
Ch. Cos-Labory St-Estephe St-Estephe
Ch. Clerc-Milon Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. Croizet-Bages Pauillac Pauillac
Ch. Cantermerle Macau Haut-Medoc
