4.0 Rules and Classifications Flashcards
Answer questions about French wine law.
The 1855 classification ranked wines in what regions?
The Médoc and Sauternes
What French ruler commisioned the 1855 classification?
Napoleon III
True or False
The rankings in the 1855 classification applied to specific vineyards, elevating the best land to 1st Growth status.
False
The rankings applied to specific producers, regardless of the land they owned. If a 1st Growth chateau acquired more land, the new land would be given 1st Growth status.
What is the only chateau to have its ranking in the 1855 classification changed?
Mouton-Rothschild, when it was elevated to 1st Growth status in 1973.
What is the name of the chateau that was ranked Superior First Growth in the 1855 classification?
Chateau D’Yquem in Sauternes
The 1953 classification applied to wines from what region?
Graves, specifically Pessac-Leognan
What is the only chateau to belong to two classifications?
Haut-Brion - 1st growth from 1855, and Cru Classé de Graves for Red and White from 1953
What are the three classifications for wines from Saint Émilion?
Premiere Grand Cru Classé A
Premiere Grand Cru Classé B
Grand Cru Classé
How often are classifications from Saint Émilion updated?
Every 10 years.
When was the original classification of Cru Borgeois introduced?
The Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and the Gironde Chamber of Agriculture first assembled a list of 444 “superior” chateau in 1932. However, this ranking wasn’t officially recognized until 2003.
Why was the first official Cru Bourgeois classification annulled?
In 2009, the Administrative Court of Appeal of Bordeaux annulled the classification because the believed one cannot judge something in which one has an interest.
When did the current modern system of Cru Bourgeois begin?
The procedure for approval was authorized in 2009 and the first rankings were published in September 2010.
How often are Cru Bourgeois classifications updated?
Every year.
