1855 Classification Bordeaux Wine 🍷 How, Why, What Now?

Top 5 Interesting and important Facts to Know about the 1855 Classification Bordeaux wine History.

Watch the Top 10 Most Expensive Bordeaux wines in video:    • Top 10 Most Expensive Bordeaux Wines  

Understand the context of this historic classification of some of the finest wines in France.
1- The 1855 classification wasn’t the first one to classify or rank the wines of Bordeaux.
Thomas Jefferson (third president of the USA, 1801–1809) during a visit to the Bordeaux region in 1787 before he was elected, came up with his own list of the best claret wines at the time.

2- The creation of the 1855 Classification – Why and how?
Essentially, Napoleon III, emperor and ruler of France at the time, wanted to showcase the best wines from Bordeaux at the Exposition Universelle de Paris of 1855, or Universal Exhibition, the event we now know as the World’s Fair
So, he asked the Chamber of Commerce of the Bordeaux region, who in turn asked the negociants (la place de Bordeaux, a circle of brokers trading the wines from top Bordeaux wineries), or the
3- The levels: by price
The final rankings for the 1855 Bordeaux Classification are organized mainly by price of the wines during the 19th century.
61 Chateaus were classified:
5 Premiers Crus (First Growth)
14 Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growth)
14 Troisièmes Crus (Third Growth)
10 Quatrièmes Crus (Fourth Growth)
18 Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growth)


4- The changes since:
1856. Chateau Cantemerle was included as a Fifth Growth simply because somehow the trade had omitted (or forgotten!?) to include it in the original version.
The second change was about a Third Growth estate of Margaux, Chateau Dubignon, which was merged with Chateau Malescot St. Exupery in the 1870’s.
Then of course the most striking change took place in 1973, when Chateau Mouton-Rothschild was elevated to the coveted rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé, the highest ranking level.
5- Why Bordeaux right bank where not included?
What does the 1855 mean today?
Considering what the 1855 classification means for today’s wines and the wine industry in the 21st century.

The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 :
The Red Wines of the Gironde
First Growths (Premiers Crus)
Château Lafite, now Château Lafite Rothschild
Château Latour, Pauillac
Château Margaux
Haut-Brion now Ch Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan
Mouton now Ch Mouton Rothschild
Second Growths (Deuxièmes Crus)
Ch Rauzan-Ségla, Margaux
Château Rauzan-Gassies, Margaux
Château Léoville-Las Cases, St.-Julien
Ch Léoville-Poyferré, St.-Julien
Ch Léoville-Barton
Ch Durfort-Vivens, Margaux
Château Gruaud-Larose, St.-Julien
Ch Lascombes
Brane, now Ch Brane-Cantenac, Cantenac-Margaux
Pichon Longueville, now
Ch Pichon Longueville Baron
Ch Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Ch Ducru-Beaucaillou
Château Cos d'Estournel
Montrose, now Château Montrose, St.-Estèphe
Third Growths (Troisièmes Crus)
Château Kirwan, Margaux
Château d'Issan, Cantenac-Margaux
Lagrange, Château Lagrange, St.-Julien
Langoa, now Château Langoa-Barton, St.-Julien
Ch Giscours, Labarde-Margaux
St.-Exupéry, now Château Malescot St. Exupéry, Margaux
Boyd, now Château Cantenac-Brown, Margaux
Château Boyd-Cantenac, Margaux
Château Palmer, Cantenac-Margaux
Lalagune, now Château La Lagune, Ludon
Château Desmirail, Margaux
Château Dubignon, Margaux
Calon, now Château Calon-Ségur, St.-Estèphe
Ferrière, now Château Ferrière, Margaux
Becker, now Château Marquis d'Alesme Becker, Margaux
Fourth Growths (Quatrièmes Crus)
St.-Pierre, now Château Saint-Pierre, St.-Julien
Château Talbot, St.-Julien
Du-Luc, now Château Branaire-Ducru, St.-Julien
Duhart, now Château Duhart-Milon, Pauillac
Pouget-Lassale and Pouget, both now Château Pouget, Margaux
Carnet, now Château La Tour Carnet, Haut-Médoc
Rochet, now Château Lafon-Rochet, St.-Estèphe
Ch de Beychevele, now Château Beychevelle, St.-Julien
Ch Prieuré-Lichine, Margaux
Ch Marquis de Terme, Margaux
5th Growths (Cinquièmes Crus)
Canet, now Château Pontet-Canet, Pauillac
Château Batailley, Pauillac
Château Haut-Batailley, Pauillac
Grand Puy, now Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac
Artigues Arnaud, now Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse, Pauillac
Lynch, now Château Lynch-Bages, Pauillac
Lynch Moussas, now Château Lynch-Moussas, Pauillac
Dauzac, now Château Dauzac, Labarde (Margaux)
Darmailhac, now Château d'Armailhac, Pauillac
Le Tertre, now Château du Tertre, Arsac (Margaux)
Ch Haut-Bages-Libéral, Pauillac
Ch Pédesclaux, Pauillac
Coutenceau, now Château Belgrave
Camensac, now Château de Camensac
Ch Cos Labory, St.-Estèphe
Ch Clerc-Milon, Pauillac
Ch Croizet Bages, Pauillac
Ch Cantemerle, Macau (Haut-Médoc)

Shout out to Madeline Puckette of Wine Folly (Essential Guide to Wine Book author), and Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV (wineliberarytv) for having inspired me to start making wine education and tasting videos on YouTube.

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