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decision is final. The classification was officially
annulled last week and use of the term Cru Bourgeois
is now illegal. The French fraud office (the DGCCRF)
announced its decision at the end of June, via a letter
delivered to the Gironde Wine Growers Federation.' In
the absence of a full classification, the term can not
be used,' the letter read.
Since the initial suspension in February 2007, following
legal challenges brought against the 2003 classification
by excluded property owners, chateaux have been unsure
exactly what was allowed or not allowed on the labels.
Although a definitive judgment has now been given over
the term, it is still not clear from which date the
ruling will be enforced.
'The 2005 vintage is already in bottle,' one insider
commented, ' it is surely impossible to change anything
now. The 2006 is in barrel, and the agrément
(approval process for the granting of the appellation)
has already begun, so we expect this ruling to be enforced
from the 2007 vintage.'
Frederique de la Motte, Director of the Alliance des
Crus Bourgeois is sure that the Alliance will try again
and get the classification back. Right now, you can't
use the term at all and that's a disaster for all the
property owners of cru bourgeois.'
The ban applies to all wines, whether formally included
or excluded from the 2003 classification, and also extends
to those few wines in Sauternes and Cotes de Bourg and
Blaye which are still using the term.
During my discussion with many producers at Prowein
and other forums, most felt that it had been foolish
of the companies who had rebelled against the decision.
One producer who had not been successful in getting
the classification was categorical and philosophical
that despite him not getting it, it was a good system.
The latest decision is bound to cause significant financial
losses to all the affected producers-editor
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