St Emilion Classifications

The 2006 St Emilion Classification

Unlike the 1855 classification of the Médoc, St Emilion's classification is revised and updated ever 10 years or so, with the latest version announced in 2006. Rather than being judged on price, as for the 1855 classification, châteaux have to apply for inclusion and are judged by a tasting of their wines from the previous 10 vintages. The classification groups the best wines into 2 categories: 'Premier Grand Cru Classé' (which is sub-divided into the rather unglamorous tiers, 'A' and 'B'), and the less illustrious 'Grand Cru Classé'.

It is often thought that the term 'Grand Cru' is part of the St Emilion classification, however this is not the case. 'St Emilion Grand Cru' is simply another St Emilion appellation, albeit one that covers the same geographical area. The 600 or so châteaux that use the term on their labels simply have to produce wines with 0.5% more alcohol and a slightly lower yield than basic St Emilion. It would be more accurate if the wines were refered to as 'St Emilion Supérieur' rather than 'Grand Cru'.

St Emilion may boast Bordeaux's most meritocratic and up to date classification, but the names for its various tiers leave a great deal to be desired. The most serious of these is the overly grandiose and frankly misleading use of 'Grand Cru' for wines that are often distinctly ordinary, and barely better than basic appellation wine. This then causes confusion with the normally vastly superior 'Grand Cru Classé' whose name is virtually the same. Less seriously, the marketing men really need to get hold of the 'A' and 'B' sub-categories of Premier Grand Cru Classé as these are clumsy and rarely used.

The first St Emilion classification was drawn up in 1955 by the local 'Syndicat Viticole', exactly a century after the famous Médoc classification that had excluded the region's wines. Amended by decree in 1958, it contained 12 Premier Grand Cru Classés, and 63 Grand Cru Classés. It was updated in 1969, 1985, 1996 and most recently and controversially in 2006. Today there are 15 Premier Grand Cru Classés, courtesy of 2006 promotions for Châteaux Troplong Mondot and Pavie-Macquin, and 46 Grand Cru Classés, the smallest number ever. Eleven Grand Cru Classés were demoted and two disappeared: Ch. Curé-Bon was bought by Chanel and became part of Ch. Canon while Ch. la Clusière was absorbed into the famous vineyards of Ch. Pavie.

The furore following the release of the new 2006 St Emilion classification was the greatest the region had ever seen, marked by law suits and accusations of bias from four demoted Grand Cru Classé estates. An administrative tribunal in Bordeaux suspended the classification in 2007 which meant that no estate, not even Ausone or Cheval Blanc would be able to use their Premier Grand Cru Classé (or whatever) status on the labels for their 2006 wines. Thankfully, the France's highest court brought the farce to an end in November 2007 when it overruled the suspension. The fate of the four demoted châteaux who complained, however, is yet to be decided.