Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855
For the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordeaux wines which were to be on display for visitors from around the world. Brokers from the wine industry ranked the wines according to a château's reputation and trading price, which at that time was directly related to quality. The result was the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.
The wines were ranked in importance from first to fifth growths (crus). All of the red wines that made it on the list came from the Médoc region except for the Château Haut Brion from Graves. The white wines, then of much less importance than red wine, were limited to the sweet varieties of Sauternes and Barsac and were ranked only from first great growth to second growth.
Within each category, the various vineyards are ranked in order of quality and only once since the 1855 classification has there been a change, when in 1973, Château Mouton Rothschild was elevated from a second growth to a first growth vineyard. Interestingly, since it is a classification of chateaux, the actual vineyards owned by some wineries have expanded and shrunk without any reclassification. Determining an up-to-date classification is favorite parlor game, especially among French wine geeks.
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