About Bordeaux

In 1855, a group of wine brokers sat down to classify some wines for a special exposition that was to take place in Paris that year at the behest of Napoleon III. Their goal was to categorize wines from a growing region that had already gained a reputation as best in the world. Champagne? Nope. Burgundy? Uh-uh. Germany? Not even close. It was Bordeaux wines, specifically those from the Medoc and Sauternes/Barsac, that the brokers were tasked with ranking.

The brokers chose the 60 leading Médoc châteaux and one Graves (Haut-Brion), and formalized a 5-tier classification, or Growths. For the wines of Sauternes/Barsac they ranked them in a 2-tier classification. At the top of the Médoc pile were the 1st Growths of Haut-Brion, Lafite, Latour, and Margaux. Poor Château Mouton was originally classified a 2nd Growth, but was raised to 1st in 1973--the only château to ever change its rank, but that is another story. Château d’Yquem stood alone as the only 1st Growth from Sauternes.

So, what did this all mean? It meant that wine consumers could know what were the very best wines from Bordeaux, or all of France for that matter. The years since have seen their ups and downs with various pest infestations and just a few wars, but the best châteaux have stood the test of time.

The Best Châteaux
As we discussed above, some of the very best wines from Bordeaux were classified in 1855. Some Châteaux have since risen in quality to rival the 1st Growths. So, the 1855 Classification, while still relevant is not necessarily the final word on which wines are best.

That said, the following are really the best of the best:

Continue to The Best Château