ABOUT THE APPELLATIONS AND CLASSIFICATIONS 

We count in France more than 3240 different wines for 383 different appellations on 16 great vineyards. The name of vineyards is actually a legal concept. The production and marketing of wines are therefore subject to French and European law.

The classifications:

The classifications of Bordeaux wines, through the different official rankings are a bit complicated to understand at first, but finally accessible when their functioning is well explained.

First of all, there are 4 official rankings and 1 unofficial ranking.

- The classification of 1855:

Established in 1855 for the universal exhibition, it is the classification of excellence of the Médoc wines. This ranking is somewhat criticized, as it has not changed since its inception, except to pass Mouton Rothschild from 2nd to 1st in 1973.

- The classification of  Sauternes

It is a classification that was established at the same time as the classification of 1855. Like the classification of the Médoc, it has never been revised since its creation.

- Graves classification:

Officially, the graves classification was only established in 1953, and revised in 1959. Although at that time the appellation "Pessac-Léognan" did not exist, Areas in this ranking are located on the Pessac-Léognan area.

- The ranking of Saint Emilion:

Certainly the best known of all, the Classification of Saint Emilion of 1959 is, unlike the other classifications, revisable. It was revised in 1969, 1985,1996 and 2006. In 2008, the Administrative Court of Bordeaux decided to cancel the classification of the Grands Crus Classés of Saint-Emilion. Indeed, Bordeaux Administrative Court was seized by 8 properties downgraded in 2006, which expressed their anger caused by not knowing what mention to put on their bottles.

According to www.lefigaro.fr "It is one of the castles promoted (to the rank of first grand cru classé) in the 2006 version of the ranking that appealed. The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries had also joined the appeal. The judgment of July 1, 2008 had provoked a veritable earthquake in the wine world Libournais provoking a cascade of measures and procedures. "

Its latest update is from 2012.

The ranking of Crus Bourgeois: In February 2007, the Administrative Court of Bordeaux canceled this ranking, making it an unofficial ranking. This cancellation led to the suppression of the classification itself, but also of the 87 Crus Bourgeois superiors and 7 Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels.
This would be due to the impartiality of the Selection Board.

It still has to be taken into account from a wine culture point of view. The first ranking of the Bourgeois wines of the Médoc dates back to 1932 and was set up by five wine brokers who wanted to complete the 1855 Ranking.

Find There : 

-        1855 Classification : Classement officiel de 1855

-        Sauternes  Classification :Classement Officiel des Sauternes de 1855

-        Graves Classification  :Classement Officiel des Graves 

-        Saint Emilion Classification: Classement Officiel des Vins de Saint-Emilion

-        Crus Bourgeois Classification : Crus Bourgeois, Site Officiel