Bordeaux Classifications Tasting Pack
This tasting pack includes 4 Cabernet Sauvignon dominated blends from Bordeaux demonstrating the different classifications.
A Grand Cru Classé, wines from the top appellations of Pauillac and Margaux and wines from the broader areas of Medoc and Haut-Medoc - a Cru Bourgeois Supérieur and a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.
Bordeaux wine classification
The hierarchy of the wines of Bordeaux are somewhat opaque unless you have spent some time researching the matter. We have put this tasting pack together to enable you to discover and taste this hierarchy to see if you agree with it.
Left Bank vs Right Bank
First the broad categories of Left Bank vs Right Bank. If you were on a boat heading downstream towards the sea, the Left bank is on your left. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates on the Left Bank and Merlot on the Right Bank. Saint-Émilion on the Right Bank is the oldest active wine-producing appellation in Bordeaux, with a history stretching back to Roman times. The Médoc, on the Left Bank, did not become a dominant wine region until after the Dutch drained its soggy marshlands in the late 17th century, creating the free-draining gravel soils that define its wines.
The wines in this pack all come from the Left Bank. In broad terms the Left Bank comprises the four famous appellations named after the towns of Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe and the larger areas of Medoc and Haut-Medoc.
Grand Cru Classé
Some individual chateau also have Grand Cru Classé added to their names. This classification was done at the behest of Emperor Napoleon III in 1855. The Bordeaux wine brokers, or négociants, who have a deep knowledge of the wines of the area, created the initial list based on reputation and, most importantly, the wines' sales prices at the time. With a few exceptions all the wines in the Grand Cru Classé are located in the appellations of Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe. There are 5 levels in the classification with Premiers Crus or First Growths being the highest rank.
Cru Bourgeois
The Cru Bourgeois classification was started in 1932 by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and the Gironde Chamber of Agriculture. Its basis was to group and promote estates in the Médoc that were excluded from the 1855 classification. The system is based on quality as judged by fellow winemakers. The criteria for inclusion have changed over time, with the current system in place since 2020, featuring a three-tiered structure: Cru Bourgeois, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur and Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.
Bordeaux Supérieur
Bordeaux Supérieur wines have been produced since 1967, when the Syndicat des Bordeaux first instituted rules for the appellation to ensure a higher quality than the basic Bordeaux AOC. The basis for Bordeaux Supérieur is a set of stricter regulations compared to the generic Bordeaux AOC. These include a requirement for higher planting density (to promote competition among vines for resources which improves grape quality). Other rules, such as an approved aging period, also apply.