the Atlantic and Mediterranean following the opening of the Canal de Bour-
gogne (1832), were wanting to have their wines o
ffi
cially classified at the 1855
Paris Universal Exposition. The Bordelais simply decided to beat them to it. In
1855, Dijon-based doctor and researcher Lavalle did indeed publish a compre-
hensive work covering all wines in the Côte d'Or, which is still a treasure trove of
information about the region. There was never any mention of the state's bless-
ing. However this was also no longer relevant, as the initiative taken by the Bor-
deaux Chamber of Commerce and the city's wine brokers gained Bordeaux and
Eric de Rothschild
36
its new-born ‘Crus Classés du Médoc, de Sauternes et des Graves' an ingenious
advertising campaign which is still benefiting the region today. It is therefore no
surprise that two other Bordeaux appellations have since emulated this rank-
ing system, namely Saint-Emilion and Graves (now Pessac-Léognan), which
have also been operating their own classifications since the mid-1950s. Graves
has a similar static system to their model, whilst the Saint-Emilion classifica-
tion is updated every ten years. Whether or not this is an advantage remains
open to question: sometimes, it seems to me that the biggest beneficiaries are
the lawyers who are constantly appealing against the recently adopted reclas-
sifications, on behalf of those who have been declassified of course. The value
measured by all of this cataloguing, often based on quality but also nearly al-
ways on high prices, is something that wine enthusiasts are capable of deciding
for themselves. We should note that state-sanctioned classifications are not the
same as state protections of origin (AOC), which have applied in France since
1937 for the geographical origins, style and production conditions of a particu-
lar area. In Bordeaux a distinction is drawn between regional appellations (e.g.
Haut-Médoc) and village appellations (e.g. Margaux, Sauternes, Pomerol) within
the base appellation (Bordeaux), and Saint-Emilion has two appellations, name-
ly Saint-Emilion and Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, with the latter awarded annually.
The Saint-Emilion classification on the other hand di
ff
erentiates between Grand
Cellar of Pichon Baron
37
Crus Classés and Premier Grands Crus Classés A and B, and is updated around
once a decade. Still clear?
The 1855 classification is first and foremost a historical legacy with obliga-
tions: not a single estate under that classification currently fails to produce
at least good and generally excellent wines, with the same also applying to
Saint-Emilion Premiers Crus Classés and Graves Crus Classés at the very least.
Whether or not historical classifications can or should be updated remains open
to question: to me, it is like wanting to banish Picasso or Braque from the pan-
theon of fine art because their works were not painted on an iPad. The fact that
Lafite is still Lafite and Margaux is still Margaux does not prevent any wines with
lower classifications or no classification at all from tasting even better than them
on occasion, but this alters nothing about the historic context and significance
of either. I do not believe in objectivity when it comes to art or top wine – this
drinkable product of agricultural cultivation and handcrafted production that
arouses so much passion. Objectivity is the first step on the road to cultural fas-
cism.
38
History Global trade
The power of the brand
Between 1700 and 1870, Bordeaux was synonymous with great, elegant red
wines and also a new colour (Bordeaux red), all of which quickly conquered the
world. Dry white wine also continued to be produced, but in the 19th century
in particular had to give ground to the production of exclusive sweet wines en-
joyed by more than just female foodies. This utterly blissful period – when the
vineyards of the Gironde were literally bursting at the seams and in addition to
the true top terroirs also occupied soils that would have been better used for
growing corn – was brought to a terrible end by the phylloxera crisis, stock mar-
ket crash and two world wars. This was a long drawn-out tragedy, as the region
constantly fought back but was ultimately forced to surrender. By the late 1940s,
Grand Crus existed only in memory in many areas. The Bordeaux wine as we
know it today is not centuries old, but is in fact now only barely reaching retire-
ment age. Bordeaux's return to its current lofty heights began around the turn of
the millennium, with the enthusiastic adoption of new technology which in the
best cases works hand-in-hand with age-old experience, and observance of the
golden rule that if you want to stay healthy and keep chalking up profits then
you have to master the art of selling your products, which requires international
distribution along a well-oiled, seamless chain stretching from the owner or a
director of an estate, who is responsible for the wine's quality and typicity (i.e. its
recognition factor), via merchants and wholesalers to general agents in distant
lands. This is how it works in Bordeaux: producers make wine from a selected
terroir using specially adapted grape varieties, which when blended ensure a
very particular style whose key characteristics are body, density and tannins
which develop as time passes. This style is elevated to