“Grand Cru” is a term that is often mentioned when talking about Bordeaux wines. But are we talking about a great vintage in Médoc, Saint-Emilion, Sauternes or Graves? Here is a short summary of the classification of Bordeaux wines.

The best known ranking, and the one to which one usually refers is that of Medoc. During the 1855 World’s Fair in Paris, the French Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification of Bordeaux wines to be made so as to be able to present that classification during the Fair. The wine merchants of Bordeaux selected the wines which were considered to be the most prestigious. The Reds were classified into 5 categories (first cru to fifth cru). They all came from the Medoc zone except Chateau Haut-Brion (Premier Grand Cru) which was in the Graves zone. Read the rest of this entry »