News from the vineyard - Saint Emilion Classifications

January 7, 2022

By Edouard Bourgeois

Does the Bordeaux wine classification even matter?

 Since the beginning of my sommelier career, whenever the Bordeaux wine classification is brought up in a discussion, it is always followed by comments on its relevance. What better example than Chateau Lynch Bages, a fifth growth that arguably flirts with the quality of second growths? 

There are a few issues with that classification. Emperor Napoleon III imposed the famous 1855 classification of left bank Chateaux. Unlike Burgundy, where the pyramid of crus ranks vineyards, in Bordeaux it is the properties that were ranked among themselves. And besides Mouton Rothschild, no modification has been made since 1855, despite changes in vineyards’ location, size ,ownerships, vineyard management, farming technique etc…
And clearly, knowing that Mouton Rothschild was the only chateau bumped from second to first growth in 1973 is a more useful piece of information for a sommelier exam than real guidance on what vintages to collect.

One would think the situation is different on the right bank, where Saint-Emilion has its own classification which is revised every ten years or so. For the longest time, only Ausone and Cheval Blanc were towering at the top of the heap until Figeac and Angelus joined the VIP club in 2012. A small revolution in the region. I remember meeting Pauline Vauthier of Chateau Ausone around that time of her first visit to New York and she didn’t hide her dismissal of the classification.

Last summer, along with veteran Cru Classe “A” Cheval Blanc, Ausone eventually announced that they would leave the classification, complaining about the criteria for ranking such details as wine tourism numbers and social media-followers…

The 2022 Saint Emilion classification just got released and it is now Angelus that announced it would leave the classification. Note that it doesn’t mean the prices will drop for this wine currently trading at $369 for 2020, the next vintage to be released. 

This really just makes for juicy gossip that doesn’t matter much to the real wine enthusiast who will more certainly follow the guidance of critics’ scores than knowing if Cheval Blanc is Cru Classe “A” or “B”…

As I’m writing this, I am remembering the sumptuous wines we opened at Francie during our most recent Pressoir wine dinner. All these Saint-Emilion were singing and I don’t recall anyone mentioning their rank on the classification.