Making sense of Bordeaux Classifications
A work-in-progress guide to the principal communes and their classification systems
Principal Communes
The vineyards of Bordeaux, in the south-west of France, lie on either side of the Gironde estuary. On the Left Bank are the Médoc and Graves, including St Estèphe, Pauillac, St Julien, Margaux and Pessac Léognan, while Pomerol and St Emilion are the stars of the Right Bank.
⬅️ Left Bank
🟠 St Estèphe
St Estèphe, the most northern of the four great Médoc crus, has a unique terroir made up of layers of gravel on a dense clay base. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon thrive, and the clay subsoil creates powerful, textured tannins which ensure St Estèphe stands out from the pack.
SECOND GROWTHS
Château Cos d'Estournel, St.-Estèphe
Château Montrose, St.-Estèphe
THIRD GROWTHS
Château Calon-Ségur, St.-Estèphe
FOURTH GROWTH
Château Lafon-Rochet, St.-Estèphe
FIFTH GROWTH
Château Cos Labory, St.-Estèphe
🔴 Pauillac
South of St Estèphe is Pauillac, king of the Left Bank communes, home to three first growths and a host of other classified growths. On its well-draining, gravelly soils Cabernet Sauvignon reaches fantastic heights of complexity and concentration. The wines are full-bodied yet fresh with compact tannins and classic Bordeaux aromatics: pencil shavings, cedar and blackcurrant.
FIRST GROWTHS
Château Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac
Château Latour, Pauillac (TWI)
Château Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac (reclassified from Second Growth status in 1973) (janeanson.com)
SECOND GROWTHS
Château Pichon Baron, Pauillac
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse De Lalande, Pauillac
FOURTH GROWTH
Château Duhart-Milon-Rothschild, Pauillac
FIFTH GROWTH
Château Pontet-Canet, Pauillac (TWI)
Château Batailley, Pauillac
Château Haut-Batailley, Pauillac
Château Haut-Bages-Libéral, Pauillac
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac (TWI)
Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse, Pauillac
Château Lynch-Bages, Pauillac
Château Lynch-Moussas, Pauillac
Château d'Armailhac, Pauillac
Château Pédesclaux, Pauillac
Château Clerc-Milon, Pauillac
Château Croizet Bages, Pauillac
🟡 St Julien
St Julien is like the middle child of the Médoc – not as assertive as Pauillac nor as coquettish as Margaux. It lies firmly between the two more outspoken communes and as a result produces a blend of them both. Its wines have often been sought out by aficionados for their balance and consistency, particularly in the UK, and for many it is the epitome of classic Left Bank Claret.
SECOND GROWTHS
Château Saint-Pierre, St.-Julien
Château Talbot, St.-Julien
Château Branaire-Ducru, St.-Julien
Château Beychevelle, St.-Julien (TWI)
THIRD GROWTHS
Château Lagrange, St.-Julien
Château Langoa Barton, St.-Julien
FOURTH GROWTH
Château Saint-Pierre, St.-Julien
Château Talbot, St.-Julien
Château Branaire-Ducru, St.-Julien
Château Beychevelle, St.-Julien
Others:
Château Léoville Poyferré, St.-Julien (TWI)
🟣 Margaux
Plump, silky and seductive are the words often used to describe wines from Margaux. With the thinnest soil and the highest proportion of chunky gravel in the Médoc, the vineyards drain well but are also susceptible to vintage variation. The wines tend to have the highest proportions of Merlot within the “core” of the Médoc, further adding to their ample roundness and openness.
FIRST GROWTHS
Château Margaux, Margaux
SECOND GROWTHS
Château Pouget, Cantenac-Margaux (Margaux)
Château Prieuré-Lichine, Cantenac-Margaux (Margaux)
Château Marquis de Terme, Margaux
THIRD GROWTHS
Château Kirwan, Cantenac-Margaux (Margaux)
Château d'Issan, Cantenac-Margaux (Margaux)
Château Giscours, Labarde-Margaux (Margaux)
Château Malescot St. Exupéry, Margaux
Château Cantenac-Brown, Cantenac-Margaux (Margaux) (janeanson.com)
Château Boyd-Cantenac, Margaux
Château Palmer, Cantenac-Margaux (Margaux)
Château Desmirail, Margaux
Château Ferrière, Margaux
Château Marquis d'Alesme Becker, Margaux
FOURTH GROWTH
Château Pouget, Cantenac-Margaux (Margaux)
Château Prieuré-Lichine, Cantenac-Margaux (Margaux)
Château Marquis de Terme, Margaux
FIFTH GROWTH
Château Dauzac, Labarde (Margaux)
Château du Tertre, Arsac (Margaux)
OTHERS:
Château Brane-Cantenac, Cantenac (Margaux) (TWI)
🔵 Pessac Léognan
Located directly south of the city of Bordeaux, Pessac-Léognan is famous for its intense gravel soils, deposited during the last Ice Age, which add profound mineral complexity to its wines. Producing superb red and white wines.
FIRST GROWTHS
Château Haut-Brion, Graves (janeanson.com)
CLASSED GROWTHS (1959 classification)
Château Bouscaut
Château Haut-Bailly
Château La Mission Haut-Brion
Château Olivier
Château Pape Clément
Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Château Latour-Martillac
Domaine de Chevalier
OTHERS
Les Carmes Haut-Brion (TWI)
➡️ Right Bank
🟢 Pomerol
The small sub-region of Pomerol is situated northeast of the industrious city of Libourne. Its soils are predominately iron-rich clay with a smattering of gravel that produce wines with extraordinary power and depth. As a result of this clay-dominance, it has the highest percentage of Merlot planted in all of Bordeaux. Certain châteaux are produced exclusively from this grape, but most incorporate smaller quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc as well. Despite its hefty (if not exclusive) proportion of Merlot, many people think of wines from this region as separate entities. As one wine aficionado stated recently, “It’s not Merlot. It’s Pomerol.” Despite the region’s small size, it contains some of the world’s most sought after (and expensive) wines including Pétrus, Le Pin, Lafleur, l’Evangile and Vieux Château Certan. Unlike other Bordelais subregions, there is no system of classification.
The châteaux are traded on reputation alone.
Pétrus (janeanson.com)
Château La Conseillante (TWI)
Château La Pointe (TWI)
⚪ St Emilion
South of Pomerol lies the medieval, perched village of St Emilion, with its round, rich and often hedonistic wines. Two main soil types dominate – the gravelly, limestone slopes that delve down to the valley from the plateau and the valley itself, comprised of limestone, gravel, clay and sand. It was not until the early 1990s that attention was brought to this region, when Robert Parker, the famous wine critic, began reviewing their Merlot-dominated wines and giving them hefty scores. The rest is history as they say. Similar to the Médoc, there is a classification system in place dating from 1955 with several levels of quality. These include its regional appellation of St Emilion, St Emilion Grand Cru, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé and St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, which is further divided into “A” and “B”.
The classification is redone every 10 years to reflect the quality of more recent vintages.
PREMIER GRAND CRU CLASSÉ 'A'
Château Figeac (TWI)
Château Pavie
PREMIER GRAND CRU CLASSÉ 'B'
Château Beau-Sejour Becot (TWI)
Château Beausejour Heritiers Duffau Lagarrosse
Château Belair Monange
Château Canon
Château Canon La Gaffeliere
Château Larcis Ducasse
Château Pavie Macquin
Château Troplong Mondot
Château Trottevieille
Château Valandraud
Clos Fourtet
La Mondotte
GRAND CRU CLASSÉ
Château Badette
Château Franc Mayne
Château Montlabert
Château Balestard La Tonnelle
Château Grand Corbin
Château Montlisse
Château Barde-Haut
Château Grand Corbin-Despagne
Château Moulin Du Cadet
Château Bellefont-Belcier
Château Grand Mayne
Château Peby Faugeres
Château Bellevue
Château Guadet
Château Petit Faurie De Soutard
Château Berliquet
Château Haut-Sarpe
Château Ripeau
Château Boutisse
Château Jean Faure (TWI)
Château Rochebelle
Château Cadet-Bon
Château La Commanderie
Château Rol Valentin
Château Cap De Mourlin
Château La Confession
Château Saint-Georges (Cote Pavie)
Château Chauvin
Château La Couspaude
Château Sansonnet
Château Clos De Sarpe
Château La Croizille
Château Soutard
Château Corbin
Château La Dominique
Château Tour Baladoz
Château Corbin Michotte
Château La Fleur Morange
Château Tour Saint Christophe
Château Cote De Baleau
Château La Marzelle
Château Villemaurine
Château Croix De Labrie
Château La Serre
Château Yon-Figeac
Château Dassault
Château La Tour Figeac
Clos Badon Thunevin
Château De Ferrand
Château Laniote
Clos De L’oratoire
Château De Pressac
Château Larmande
Clos Des Jacobins
Château Destieux
Château Laroque
Clos Dubreuil
Château Faugeres
Château Laroze
Clos Saint-Julien
Château Fleur Cardinale
Château Le Chatelet
Clos Saint-Martin
Château Fombrauge
Château Le Prieure
Couvent Des Jacobins
Château Fonplegade
Château Mangot
Château Lassegue
Château Fonroque
Château Monbousquet
INDEPENDENT
Château Angélus* (TWI) (cluboenologique.com)
Château Ausone* (cluboenologique.com)
Château Cheval Blanc*
Château La Gaffelière ** (cluboenologique.com)
*Note: Château Angélus announced in January 2022 that it is withdrawing its application for the 2022 ranking, and therefore renouncing its status as Premier Grand Cru Classé A. This is just six months after Châteaux Cheval Blanc and Ausone announced their own withdrawal in July 2021. Read more on janeanson.com ($). **In June 2022, Château La Gaffelière became the fourth premier grand cru classé (albeit “B”) château to withdraw from Saint-Émilion classification. (thedrinksbusiness.com)