What is a Grand Cru Classé? – Bernard Magrez

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Grands Crus Classés

Château Pape Clément Grand Cru Classé de Graves

Since its first harvest in 1252, the wines have gained international renown, thanks to the special character of this unique estate.

Château Pape Clément Grand Cru Classé de Graves

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Château La Tour Carnet Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Haut-Médoc

Located in outstanding terroir and dating from the 11th century, this Grand Cru Classé estate is one of the oldest in the region.

Château La Tour Carnet Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Haut-Médoc

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Château Fombrauge Grand Cru Classé de Saint-Émilion

This is the largest Grand Cru Classé estate in Saint-Emilion, while its vineyard holds six centuries of treasured history.

Château Fombrauge Grand Cru Classé de Saint-Émilion

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Clos Haut-Peyraguey Premier Grand Cru Classé de Sauternes en 1855

Sitting atop the highest point of the Bommes commune in Sauternes, this Grand Cru Classé is the fruit of four centuries of unique savoir-faire.

Clos Haut-Peyraguey Premier Grand Cru Classé de Sauternes en 1855

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Château Les Grands Chênes

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Château Pape Clément

Pessac-Léognan

In its grounds, one thousand-year-old olive trees and an imposing Lebanon cedar tree silently watch over the Château, subtly revealing its period charm.

Château Pape Clément

Pessac-Léognan
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Château La Tour Carnet

Haut-Médoc

Take a trip back through history with a stay at Château La Tour Carnet.

Château La Tour Carnet

Haut-Médoc
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Château Fombrauge

Saint-Emilion

Known to be one of the oldest estates in Saint-Émilion, Château Fombrauge’s vines hold six centuries of treasured history.

Château Fombrauge

Saint-Emilion
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Our Estates

Château Pape Clément Cru Classé de Graves

Get to know this Classified Growth dating back seven centuries.

Château Pape Clément Cru Classé de Graves

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Château La Tour Carnet Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Haut-Médoc

Venez vivre l'histoire d'un des domaines viticoles les plus vieux du Bordelais.

Château La Tour Carnet Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Haut-Médoc

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Château Fombrauge Grand Cru Classé de Saint-Émilion

Soak up the magic of this outstanding Grand Cru, whose history goes back to the 16th century.

Château Fombrauge Grand Cru Classé de Saint-Émilion

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Located in the historic part of Bordeaux’s city centre, the Acanthe Hôtel offers guests a warm and friendly welcome all year round.

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What is a Grand Cru Classé?

Who has never heard of a Bordeaux Great Classified Growth? When we think of great wines, Bordeaux is often the appellation or the wines that come to mind. Bordeaux in fact has numerous prestigious châteaux that capture our imaginations. These wine estates, known and recognised by the wine world, carry the name Grand Cru Classé (Great Classified Growth). They therefore belong in a classification that is their own. It is only in the Bordeaux region that each sub-region has its own classification, the wines of the Médoc, Saint-Émilion and Graves being well-known examples.

The main Bordeaux wine classifications

The 1855 classification

This is certainly the best known classification of all, and it is also by far the oldest. This classification appeared on the occasion of the 3rd Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1855 at the request of Napoleon to establish a list of the best wines of Bordeaux. It was the Chamber of Commerce and Industry that launched the project, calling on the wine brokers to carry out the task. The brokers divided the best châteaux into 5 categories, ranking them from 1st to 5th Grand Cru Classé. The ranking was based on the quality of the wines produced by each of the estates. In determining this classification, several criteria were taken into account:

• Vine root depth and the age of the vines defined the length of aromas and the body of the wine.
• The vineyard elevation and the degree of natural light to which the grapes were exposed, which of course varied from year to year.
• The most decisive factor was terroir: a Grand Cru is the expression of a terroir.
• The quoted value of the wines.

Two classifications were to be distinguished: one for red wines and one for white wines.

The Grands Crus Classés of the Médoc in 1855: the red wines

For the reds, 61 châteaux were chosen, solely from the Médoc with the exception of one: Pessac-Léognan (Château Haut-Brion). These were divided into five categories:

• 5 First Growths
• 14 Second Growths
• 14 Third Growths
• 10 Fourth Growths (one of which was our Château La Tour Carnet, Haut Médoc)
• 18 Fifth Growths

This classification has never been revised except in 1973, when Château Mouton Rothschild was promoted from Second Grand Cru to Premier Grand Cru.

The classified growths of Sauternes and Barsac

For the whites, 27 sweet wines from Sauternes and Barsac were chosen and ranked into 3 categories:

• Premier Cru Supérieur, with only Château d’Yquem – Sauternes
• Premiers Crus (11 châteaux), one of which was our Clos Haut Peyraguey - Sauternes
• Seconds Crus (15 châteaux)

The Saint-Émilion classification

Although this is another highly-reputed classification, it is much more recent than that of 1855. This classification was established in 1955 by the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO) on the initiative of the Saint-Émilion appellation defence union.

Distinct from the other classifications, it is revised around every ten years. Since its creation, 6 classifications have been made: in 1955, 1969, 1986, 1996, 2006 and 2012.

This unique system allows wines to be assessed on the basis of their recent quality and encourages the pursuit of excellence for candidate châteaux.

The organisation of the latest classification in 2012 was revised and placed under the complete control of the INAO, with the participation of the ministries of Agriculture and Consumer and Commercial Relations. Several elements were taken into account: primarily a tasting of the wine, the estate’s terroir and the renown of the château.

Today, there are 82 estates figuring in the classification, ranked into 3 categories:

• Premiers Grands Crus Classés A
• Premiers Grands Crus Classés
• Grands Crus Classés (including our famous Château Fombrauge)

Be careful not to confuse these categories with Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, which is made up of producers within a clearly defined appellation zone and which satisfies a particular list of specifications. It forms in no way part of the Saint-Émilion classification.

The Graves classification

Just like the Saint-Émilion classification, the Graves classification was set up by the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine at the request of the Graves appellation’s defence union just two years before that of Saint-Emilion, in 1953.

Except in 1959, this classification hasn’t undergone any modifications and has separate classifications for red wines and white wines. It consists of a total of 16 châteaux, which are all classified at the same rank: Grand Cru Classé de Graves. There is no distinguishing categories of classifications therefore like in the 1855 Médoc classification or that of Saint-Emilion. Our Château Pape Clément figures in it of course.
Some châteaux are classified for both their red wines and white wines.
All the châteaux are found in the same appellation zone (AOP), i.e. Pessac-Léognan.

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