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 The ‘1855 Classement des Crus du Bordelais’ was introduced exactly 160 years ago by classifying wineries based on the recent market prices they fetched, as First Growth to Fifth Growth. It was ordered by Napoleon III for the Paris Universal Exhibition 1855 and has held the ground with no change in the classification. There was one exception of Chateau Mouton Rothschild which was elevated from the Second Growth to First Growth in 1973 due to the persistent efforts of Baron Philippe de Rothschild.
It has long served an accurate barometer of wines in the region, categorizing châteaux by their quality. The system has remained firm with the En Primeur tastings each year validating its existence. However, a report in the Drinks Business claims that the 2014 campaign was different, according to the most eminent and thought provoking French wine critic duo, who claim that this could be the year when the 1855 ranking is finally made to look outdated with the advent of Super Bordeaux wines.
Citing the emergence of the Super Bordeaux in their report on the recent campaign in which they taste and listed their assessment of more than 300 wines from the 2014 En Primer from Bordeaux, Bettane and Desseauve claim this new category has the potential to redraw the map of the Growths. They believe that a new class of Bordeaux wines have been emerging outside the confines of the 1855 classification and cannot be ignored.
Game Changing Super Bordeaux
These Super Bordeaux, as they call them, have benefited from considerable investment and the expert guidance of some of the best winemakers in the world.
Such wines are potentially game changing as they open up new possibilities for the’ ultra conservative framework of Bordeaux orthodoxy. Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve believe that these Super Bordeaux” could redraw the map of the grand crus, and eventually undermine the relevance of the 1855 classification. According to DB, the duo feel that the message is clear- that there is new and different kind of greatness to be found outside of the 1855 Classement, and it’s time to move on.
Looking beyond the Classification
Speaking more widely about the 2014 campaign, the pair said, “(not only) the great growths but also many “classics” from Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe hit the nail on the head with aplomb; these will be very long keepers. “ The 54-page Report says that the Medoc Terroirs were helped by the best Cabernet Sauvignon the pair had tasted since 2010, as the grapes had managed to reach perfect maturity of sugar and tannins and imposed their depth , maturity and intensity.“In short, wines that one can forget in the cellar for ages then open to celebrate life’s big occasions down the road.
“The story is different on the right bank where the tannins of many growths, notably in Saint-Émilion are harsh. The best estates knew not to overly extract and produced very decent, fine, velvety wines,” says the report. It categorizes the wines into 4 categories- Bordeaux Elite (which includes the First Growths and a few prestigious wines like Petrus), Classics and Classés, Super Bordeaux and Bordeaux Quintessentials which constitute 95% of Bordeaux wines, but some of them deserving attention.
The Super Bordeaux category has 30 wines (around 10% of the total list) and ranks them from 90-93/100 with the exception of Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion from -Pessac Leognan which scores 95/100, similar to the 94-96/100 in the Elite Category. Included as 1 of the 8 not-to-miss Super Bordeaux, their tasting notes read: The Terroir is magnificent and the new owners (Patrice Pichet, a real estate developer) have big plans. The 2014 is one of the greatest of this vintage: very pretty floral notes, super fine grained tannins, unctuous length, great, deep, intense volume and refined saline tension. It will go far and already possesses rare personality.’
The other seven of the not to be missed Super Bordeaux are:
- Clos Saint-Julien, Saint-Emilon grand cru – 92-93/100
(curiously it gets 91-93/100 inside the detailed listing but rated higher in the summary)
- Château Branas Grand Poujeaux, Moulis – 91-92/100
- Château de Reignac, Balthus, Bordeaux Supérieur – 91-92/100
- Château Haut Carles, Fronsac – 91-92/100
- Château Haut Condissas, Medoc – 92-93/100
- Le Plus de la Fleur de Boüard, Lalande de Pomerol – 92-93/100
- Domaine de l’A,Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – 91-92/100
The Bordeaux jury is out to give a a reaction to the statement. Our Bordeaux Correspondent Pallavi Vatsa tried to contact a few Bordelais winemakers and negociants but could not get the reaction as they were very busy with VinExpo which starts on June 14. But the preliminary impression she could gather was ‘the emergence of a new kind of wine makers in the hyper conventional Bordeaux wine making scene itself is a trend which is creating a lot of buzz ( read raising eyebrows)’.
‘These wine makers are not shying away from making Bordeaux wines which are soft and easy to drink and do not need ageing in bottles to make them approachable much younger, like the New World wines.’ She says , adding her personal impression,’ while the arrival of these wines on the traditional Bordeaux scene is a good news for a non-conformist like me but jumping to a conclusion in brushing aside the classification which has worked well in establishing Bordeaux as a world brand, would be a mistake. The 1855 Classification has served the Chateaux very well and is a yardstick to promote their great wines year after year. But I love the term Super Bordeaux and welcome the debate it has kicked.‘
Bettane and Desseauve are holding a conference on Bordeaux revised by “Super Bordeaux” category at VinExpo, on the 17th June. She plans to attend and find out more and gather the impression of those who attend to report for our readers. Watch out for this space.
To view their complete 2014 Bordeaux report, click here.
Subhash Arora
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