As the date for the announcement of the new St Emilion classification gets nearer, Bordeaux is rife with speculation, reports Decanter.com. The 2006 revision of the classification will be revealed on September 7.

Unlike the Médoc and Graves classification, which has only been altered twice in 150 years, the St Emilion hierarchy is revised, in great secrecy, every decade.
Industry watchers are dusting off their crystal balls. Difficult as it is to speculate, there's talk in Bordeaux that Chateaux Troplong Mondot and Pavie-Decesse are candidates for promotion from Grand Cru Classe to Premier Grand Cru Classe. But a third chateau, Beausejour-Duffau-Lagarosse, could be demoted from Premier Grand Cru Classe to Grand Cru Classe.

There are four tiers within the St Emilion classification: the lowly Grands Crus, of which there are hundreds, 63 Grands Crus Classés, and 13 Premiers Grands Crus Classés. The Premiers are divided into two groups, (A) consisting of top performers Ausone and Cheval-Blanc, and (B) being the rest.

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