Bordeaux Explained

1855 and all that…

In 1855, the recently crowned Emperor of France Napoleon III authorised the staging of a huge exhibition in Paris intended to rival the great English exhibitions of previous years (such as Crystal Palace 1851), with the ultimate intention of boosting international trade. This showcase of the best of French produce included the wines of Bordeaux, which were to be classified into five groups in order of quality. The classification, however, was actually based by contemporary brokers on the reputation of each Chateau and the trading price of their wines at the time.

The five groups are named crus or growths, from premiers (first) to cinquiemes (fifth), and are restricted to Chateaux from the Left Bank of the Gironde, the estuary within Bordeaux. Although there have been classifications of wines from different areas (Graves, St. Emilion), it is the 1855 which has come to dominate over the years.

Also – confusingly – it is possible that wines from many different Chateaux both within and outside of this classification will show financial return. However, it is generally considered prudent to concentrate on obtaining the best vintages of the following wines:

Super-Second Growths

Super-Second Growth is an umbrella term in the wine trade understood to encompass extremely highly regarded wines from other ranks of the 1855 classification, as well as certain right-bank Chateaux not considered for the 1855 exhibition and as such “unclassified”, which include, but are not restricted to: