Bordeaux

Wine-growing region located in the eastern part of the Bordeaux region in France. The total vineyard area is 5.500 hectares. It is named after the small town of the same name, which takes its name from Saint Aemilius, or Emilion. He was a Benedictine monk who lived in a cave in this area in the 7th century, the cave is today on the property of Château Laniote. The town is also a station on the pilgrims’ path in the footsteps of St. James to Santiago de Compostela. The Romans planted the first vines here. In 1999, Saint-Émilion was the first wine-growing region in the world to be designated a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO. The area of around 5 by 10 kilometres in extent includes the 5 „saintly villages“ of St-Christophe, St-Émilion, St-Etienne, St-Hippolyte and St-Laurent. In addition, it includes a part of Libourne, as well as the four communes of Lussac, Montagne, Puisseguin and Saint-Georges, which lie off to the north and east. These are independent appellations that are permitted to use their own communal name in conjunction with that of Saint-Émilion on the label, though they do not all make use of this. The climate is more continental and less maritime than that of the Médoc, which lies to the west, and is characterised by greater variations in temperature. The vineyards are located at an altitude of 25 to 100 metres above sea level. The region is characterised by a wide variety of soils, sometimes with various structures on a single chateau. Very roughly, the area is divided into four zones: Plateau (limestone-rich formations with clay and limestone or sandy clay), Côtes (similar, but different orientation and slope), Graves (gravel and rough gravel) and Sables (alluvial soils with gravel).Naturally, these differing soils produce different styles of wine. There are around 1.000 producers in the region, producing mainly red wine, which is the only type to have appellation status. The red wines are full-bodied with a silky texture, and are made mainly from Merlot, which accounts for around 60% of the vineyard area, as well as from Cabernet Franc (known here as Bouchet) with smaller portions of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Carmenère. The wines generally undergo lengthy fermentation on the skins, and are matured in mainly new oak barriques. The wines are more fruity, softer and less tannic than those of the Médoc.

Apart from the town itself, an additional eight communes are permitted to use the appellation Saint-Émilion. There is a second appellation, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, which is not an area, but refers to wines that have been tasted and which fulfil specific sensory requirements. Before the wines are bottled, they must be tasted for a second time. From these those chateaus are selected that will be classified. The classification system is not as rigid as that of the Médoc, and is regularly revised. The first list was complied in 1955, further classifications took place in 1969, 1985, 1996 and 2006. A maximum of 90 wines may be classified. The number has been continuously reduced over the years. There were 85 classified wines in 1986, this came down to 68 in 1996 and only 60 estates in 2006. There are 15 Premier Grand Cru estates, divided into two groups, A for two châteaux and B for the other 13. The Grand Crus make up the lower level, but this is not a fixed classification, it is revised each year and announced after a jury has tasted the wines, this is restricted to châteaux-bottled wines.

Premier Grand Cru Classé A (2): The two estates Château Ausone and Château Cheval Blanc are among the absolute top producers in Bordeaux, their quality is equal to that of the Premier Cru Classé châteaux of the Médoc.

Premier Grand Cru Classé B (13). 11 estates were classified in this group in 1996, they were all confirmed in 2006, with two new ones added: Château Angélus, Château Beauséjour, Château Beau-Séjour-Bécot, Château Belair, Château Canon, Château Figeac, Château La Gaffelière, Château Magdelaine, Château Pavie, Château Pavie-Macquin (new), Château Troplong-Mondot (new), Château Trottevieille and Clos Fourtet.

Grand Cru Classé (45). 55 estates were classified in this group in 1996, and one was merged with another in 2000, leaving 54. In 2006, 2 were put in a higher classification (see above), 13 were downgraded, and 6 new estates were added: Château Balestard La Tonnelle, Château Bellefont-Belcier (new), Château Bergat, Château Berliquet, Château Cadet-Piola, Château Canon-La-Gaffelière, Château Cap-de-Mourlin, Château Chauvin, Château Clos des Jacobins, Château Corbin, Château Corbin-Michotte, Château Couvent des Jacobins, Château Dassault, Château Destieux (new), Château Fleur-Cardinale (new), Château Fonplégade, Château Fonroque, Château Franc-Mayne, Château Grand Corbin (new), Château Grand Corbin-Despagne (new), Château Grandes Murailles, Château Grand-Mayne, Château Grand-Pontet, Château Haut-Corbin, Château Haut-Sarpe, Château La Clotte, Château La Couspaude, Château La Dominique, Château Laniote, Château Larcis-Ducasse, Château Larmande, Château Laroque, Château Laroze, Château L´Arrosée, Château La Serre, Château La Tour Figeac, Château Le Prieuré, Château Matras, Château Monbousquet (new), Château Moulin du Cadet, Château Pavie-Decesse, Château Ripeau, Château Saint-Georges-Côte-Pavie, Château Soutard, Clos de l´Oratoire and Clos Saint-Martin.

The 13 estates that were declassified in 2006: Château Bellevue, Château Cadet-Bon, Château Curé-Bon (merged with Château Canon in 2000), Château Faurie-de-Souchard, Château Guadet-Saint-Julien, Château La Clusière, Château La Marzelle, Château La Tour-du-Pin-Figeac#Château La Tour-du-Pin-Figeac (Giraud-Bélivier) (Giraud-Bélivier), Château La Tour-du-Pin-Figeac#Château La Tour-du-Pin-Figeac (Moueix), Château Petit-Faurie-de-Soutard, Château Tertre-Daugay, Château Villemaurine and Château Yon-Figeac.

Grand Cru: The difference in the regulations in comparison to Grand Cru Classé is significant. The minimum alcohol content prescribed is only 0,5% vol higher than that of basic AC Saint-Émilion, while the permitted yields are lower. Any producer can claim use of the designation, and hundreds make use of it. In fact, it is not really a classification (as these estates were never classified), it is just an additional designation for an appellation. The difference between Grand Cru Classé and Grand Cru can be compared to that between Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur in Bordeaux. Naturally, some of the estates that carry “only” the Grand Cru designation make excellent wines. Good examples are, for instance, Château Patris and Château Valandraud.