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Bordeaux’s 1855 ranking is ‘outdated’
A new class of Super Bordeaux is threatening to shake the region’s 1855 classification system to its core, according to French wine critics Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve.
Thierry Desseauve
The 1855 Classement des Crus du Bordelais, drawn 160 years ago, has long served an accurate barometer of wines in the region, categorising châteaux by their quality. Apart from a few minor changes, the system has remained firm with en primeur tastings each year confirming its validity. However the 2014 campaign was different, according to Desseauve and Bettane, who claim this could be the year that the 1855 ranking is “finally made to look outdated”.
Citing the emergence of the Super Bordeaux in their report on the campaign, in which they list their assessment of more than 300 2014 En Primeurs Bordeaux, Bettane and Desseauve claim this new category has the potential to redraw the map of the grand crus.
Explaining further, the pair said that for years they had been witnessing the emergence of a new class of Bordeaux wines,”outside of the strict confines of the 1855 Classement”.
“These Super Bordeaux, as [we] call them, have benefited from considerable investment as well as from the expert guidance of some of the best winemakers in the world.”
Michel Bettane
Such wines are potentially “game changing”, said Bettane and Desseauve, opening up new possibilities for the “ultraconservative framework of Bordeaux orthodoxy”.
It is their belief that these “Super Bordeaux” could “redraw the map of the grand crus”, and ultimately undermine the relevance of the 1855 classification.
The pair added: “The message is clear: there is greatness – a different, new kind of greatness – to be found outside of the 1855 Classement, and it’s time to move on!”
Speaking more widely about the 2014 campaign, the pair said: “The great growths but also many “classics” from Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe hit the nail on the head with aplomb: these will be very long keepers. Their profile is reminiscent of 2005: power, energy and especially, great structure.
“In short, wines that one can forget in the cellar for ages then open to celebrate life’s big occasions down the road. The story is different on the right bank where the tannins of many growths, notably in Saint-Émilion are harsh. The best estates knew not to overly extract and produced very decent, fine, velvety wines.”
To view the critics’ 2014 Bordeaux report, click here.
See below eight of Bettane and Desseauve’s Super Bordeaux wines “not to miss”
- Château les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan – 95/100
- Clos Saint-Julien, Saint-Emilon grand cru – 92-93/100
- Château Branas Grand Poujeaux, Moulis – 91-92/100
- Château de Reignac, Balthus, Bordeaux Supérieur – 91-92/100
- Château Haut Carles, Fronsac – 91-92/100
- Château Haut Condissas, Medoc – 92-93/100
- Le Plus de la Fleur de Boüard, Lalande de Pomerol – 92-93/100
- Domaine de l’A,Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – 91-92/100
Gentlemen,
The notion that the Classification of 1855 is ‘outdated’ has been around since at least 1856, possibly earlier. Taking Italy’s IGT concept of so-called ‘Super’ Tuscan and applying it to Bordeaux is as amusing as it risible.
There is no better ranking system in the world as the Classification of 1855 and it has since been emulated by nearly every wine region, in one form or another. The problem is everyone thinks it can be improved upon and, by tampering with it, the system becomes unreliable, and eventually completely useless. Need proof? Look at the Saint-Émilion classification system. It is a veritable train wreck whose only winners are the attorneys filing and defending lawsuits. This is just one example of many broken wine classification systems.
What you are suggesting is that there are châteaux in Bordeaux that are now making wine in a New World style, that is to say, the wines are ready to be consumed upon release with a softer, rounder profile that no longer needs bottle age. Perhaps it is becoming popular in France but this style of winemaking will hopefully never replace Bordeaux classed growths. The style may be initially seductive but ultimately these New World wines lack dimension and complexity that one can only attain from aged bottles.
The Classification itself it doing fine as far as I can see. When a château underachieves, it is punished by receiving less money per bottle than others in its ranking, thereby providing incentive to make better wine. Likewise, overachievers are rewarded financially and in status for their efforts to make great wine. The system works as it is. Although there may be a place in Bordeaux for New World style wines, I sincerely hope that the classified châteaux stay true to their traditional winemaking methods. In the US, we have a sea of New World wines including those from California, which holds a very significant market share here. It’s better to do what Bordeaux does best because competing with a style that’s already completely saturated in this nation, is not a prudent business strategy.
It would be a catastrophic error to think that ‘redrawing the map of grand cru’ would result in anything positive for this brilliant gem of a wine region. Exploit and embrace the uniqueness that is there, rather than creating just another me-too wine. That’s how to attract new markets and retain them because no one else in the world can create fine wines nearly as well as Bordeaux (and Burgundy) does.The world does not need a ‘Super Bordeaux’.
Cordialement,
David Boyer
Classof1855.com
The history of Bordeaux and its classification are more than just a hierarchy of wine-producing estates; the list speaks volumes about the origin, the wine trade that makes it function, and of course, the chateaux themselves.
It was a long-term tract record that earned a property its berth in the classification. If there was a sole reason why the properties appearing on the 1855 classification were included, it was simply because they deserved to be there. Their superiority was established by a consistent level of exceptional quality over an extended period of time that left no doubt as to their fundamental capacity for producing great wine.
However, having said all that, wine production and consumption patterns have evolved. Developments in technology, communication, marketing and branding are the forces of change.
The “ultraconservative framework of Bordeaux orthodoxy” could lose a generation of customers if it doesn’t get better at capturing the attention of young consumers. They are curious about wine, but deterred by too many choices, styles and complex labelling. Winery visits present an excellent opportunity for consumers to explore the mysteries of wine. Creating experiences is the new weapon to differentiate your product and instill it in the minds of consumers. By staging memorable experiences will be able to use wine as a vehicle to enable them to charge more, create an image and identity, promote innovation and earn greater loyalty from their consumers.
Cheers
George Wong, Wine MBA
Oenologue & Consultant
Mr. Wong and Mr. Boyer, you are both partially correct, yet not just in your assessments of 1855. I question when Mr. Wong says that the properties on the left bank were selected due to their longstanding tract record. 1855 was a result of the need to expand commerce to the world as the French were the first to lose their nobility and kick their artisans into the open world market. (relatively non existent for luxury goods) 1855 was simply a decision made by British wine merchants and chateau owners looking to corner that market. The Right Bank producers are still pissed off that the Left Bank left them out of the Classification. If one seeks to reorganize a classification based on terroirs, like Burgundy, (neighboring Cos & Lafite are on the exact same terroirs, yet different communes) I would be up for that discussion. But to say that the current 1st -5th system is sacrosanct is just plain hooey. And BTW, they have already lost the next gen.
If you want to taste a lineup of realistic Bordeaux producers making the best wine they know how, try attending one of James Suckling’s Bordeaux Confidential tastings. www.jamessuckling.com/bordeauxconfidential2015.html
Christopher Pappe
my02.com
Mr. Pappe,
I appreciate and try to respect everyone’s opinions about wine, however, facts are facts. The most comprehensive, researched, and seminal reference book available on the Classification of 1855 was written by Dewey Markham Jr. and first published around 1997 (I’m not sure it’s still in print but you may be able to find a copy on Amazon). Not surprisingly, the book is entitled “1855 A History of the Bordeaux Classification”. Within its 535 pages, one will uncover the many misnomers and myths surrounding the classification.
You may question Mr. Wong but he’s absolutely correct in stating that the châteaux selected for inclusion in the classification were based on records that dated hundreds of years back. The Left bank did not exclude the Right Bank and to say they were ‘pissed off’ is risible. Right Bank châteaux simply did not belong to the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and it was the Chamber of Commerce that was approached by Napoleon’s (III) team to put a list together in the first place.
Also, even though Cos d’Estournel is essentially across the road (D-2) from Lafite Rothschild they are indeed very different in terrain and soil but you’d have to go there to see the difference – a Google map or Google Earth will not reveal this. They are in different appellations, not communes, with the former being in Saint-Estèphe and the latter being in Pauillac, (which is also a town or in French, ‘commune’).
To counter your tasting suggestion of attending James Suckling’s event, I’d recommend to you that if you want to taste a lineup of the best Bordeaux producers, go to Bordeaux. The classification, as it exists today, does not need to be altered in any way and it’s not because it is sacrosanct but because it works.