Among the many wine classification systems in Bordeaux, France, the 1855 Medoc Classification is an extremely important one, occupies a pivotal position, and has become an important reference standard for many wine lovers to select Bordeaux wines.
On the eve of the Exposition Universelle de Paris in 1855, under the impetus of Napoleon III, the Syndicat of Courtiers in Bordeaux drew up an official classification list to promote Bordeaux wines at the fair. This rating is what we often call the 1855 rating.
Image source: www.bordeaux.com
The grading system consisted of two parts: the 1855 Medoc classification and the 1855 Sauternes & Barsac classification. Among them, the Medoc classification is for red wines, while the Surtoisen & Bassac classification is for sweet and white wines. The Médoc classification divided the wineries that produced fine red wines in Bordeaux at that time into five classes. In this classification, most of the listed wineries are located in the Médoc region, and there is only one outside the Médoc region from the Chateau Haut-Brion from Graves. This article will show you the 61-ranked 1855 Medoc-scale and the appellations to which they belong.
Vineyards in the Médoc region (Image: www.medoc-bordeaux.com)
The Médoc region is located on the left bank of Bordeaux north of the city of Bordeaux. There are 8 AOC regions in the region, including Médoc, Haut-Medoc, Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estephe. Among these appellations, Margaux, St. Julian's, Poillac and Saint-Estève are the four most famous. Of the 61 1855-ranked estates, 55 are located in these four appellations, and 5 of the remaining 6 are located in OberMedoc. Next, let's take a look at the location of these column-level banks.
Map of bordeaux appellations
First, on the Medoc
First, let's take a look at the Upper Médoc region. The appellation is not a complete region, divided into three blocks by Margaux, Mullis and Listerhac, with a vine cultivation area of 4,318 hectares and an average annual wine production of about 29.5 million bottles. The five listed villages distributed in the production area are:
Lalagun Manor Building (Image: www.ugcb.net)
Tertiary Estate: Chateau La Lagune
Grade IV: Chateau La Tour Carnet
Five-level estates: Chateau Belgrave (aka: Bagave Castle), Chateau de Camensac and Chateau Cantemerle
Second, Margaux
Of the four boutique appellations, Margaux is located in the far south, with an area of about 1,500 hectares of wine grown and an annual wine production of about 9 million bottles. In addition, Margaux is the only production area that includes 5 grades of listed villages, and it is also the production area with the largest total number of listed villages among the four major production areas, with as many as 21. The ranks distributed in the production area are as follows:
Margaux production area of 1855 ranked zhuang distribution map
First Estate: Chateau Margaux
Secondary estates: Chateau Rauzan-Segla, Chateau Rauzan-Gassies, Chateau Durfort-Vivens, Chateau Lascombes and Chateau Brane-Cantenac
Three-level estates: Chateau Kirwan, Chateau d'Issan, Chateau Giscours, Chateau Malescot St-Exupery, Chateau Cantenac-Brown, Chateau Boyd Cantenac, Chateau Boyd Cantenac, Chateau Palmer, Chateau Desmirail, Chateau Ferriere and Chateau Marquis d'Alesme Becker
Tier 4: Chateau Pouget, Chateau Prieure-Lichine (aka Chateau Marquis de Terme) and Chateau Marquis de Terme
Level 5: Chateau Dauzac and Chateau du Tertre
Iii. St. Julian's
Pass through Margaux and head north into st. Julian's appellation. The St. Julian vineyard covers only 910 hectares and produces an average of about 6.2 million bottles of wine per year. Among the four boutique production areas, St. Julian's has only 11 ranked zhuangs, and has the least number of ranked zhuangzhuang, neither first-class zhuang nor five-level zhuangzhuang:
St. Julian's appellation of 1855
Secondary estates: Chateau Leoville Las Cases, Chateau Leoville Poyferre (aka Chateau Leoville Barton), Chateau Gruaud Larose and Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou
Three-tiered estates: Chateau Lagrange (aka: Lagersy Manor) and Chateau Langoa Barton
Tier 4: Chateau Saint-Pierre, Chateau Talbot, Chateau Branaire-Ducru and Chateau Beychevelle
Iv. Boyac
Located in the north of St. Julian's, the Pauillac appellation has a total vineyard area of 1,213 hectares and an average annual wine production of around 7.2 million bottles. There are as many as 18 first-class villages in Pojac, second only to Margaux, and it is even more famous for having the most first-class villages. Among the five ranks of ranks, Pojac lacks three levels of villages:
1855 Rank Zhuang distribution map of the Poillac appellation
First estates: Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Latour and Chateau Mouton Rothschild
Second Estate: Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron (aka Baron Besan) and Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Grade IV: Chateau Duhart-Milon
Five-tiered estates: Chateau Pontet-Canet (aka Chateau Batailley), Chateau Haut-Batailley, Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Chateau Grand-Puy-Ducasse, Chateau Grand-Puy-Ducasse, Chateau Lynch-Bages, Chateau Lynch-Moussas, Chateau d'Armailhac, Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal, Chateau Pedesclaux, Chateau Clerc Milon) and Chateau Croizet-Bages
2016 Château Lafite Red Wine
V. Saint-Estèphe
Among the four boutique appellations, the Saint-Estève appellation is located in the far north, with a total vineyard area of about 1,229 hectares, ranking first among the four appellations. As early as the Roman period, Saint-Estève began to grow grapes, wineries began to appear in the 14th century, and today the total annual wine production is about 8 million bottles. Among the four major production areas, Saint-Estef has the smallest number of listed villages, only 5 listed villages, but its two second-level villages are "super second-level villages", and their strength should not be underestimated:
1855 Column-level Zhuang distribution map of the Saint-Estève appellation
Secondary estates: Chateau Cos d'Estournel (aka Chateau Cos d'Estournel) and Chateau Montrose
Grade III: Chateau Calon Segur
Grade IV: Chateau Lafon-Rochet (aka: Hacienda De La Corusi)
Grade 5: Chateau Cos Labory
Pessac-Leognan
In the 1855 Médoc classification, the other 60 wineries were located in the Médoc region, and only one winery was unique, located in the Pessac-Léolian appellation of Bordeaux-Graf, and was a high-ranking estate, which was the famous Hauber Estate.
2014 Hou bo wang estate red wine
The above is the specific sub-production area distribution of the 61 listed villages in the 1855 Medoc classification. In the world's top wine industry, these long-established listed estates have excellent terroirs and advantages, and constantly show the world unlimited charm.
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