Montag, 10. September 2012

New Classement de Saint Emilion

The New Classification of Saint Emilion has now been made public and we are pleased to share this news with you, especially when two wines estates we work a lot with, are upgraded ! That is to say Ch. Angelus to Premier Grand Cru Classé A, from owner Hubert de Boüard, and Ch. Canon-la-Gaffelière & La Mondotte (both owned by Stephan von Neipperg) promoted to : Premier Grand Cru Classé B, awarding two decades of hard labor for both of them.  Please find below an analysis as well of the methods having led to this new classification.
- PREMIERS GRANDS CRUS CLASSES A

 Château Angélus (promoted)
 Château Ausone
 Château Cheval Blanc
 Château Pavie (promted)
  
- PREMIERS GRANDS CRUS CLASSES B

 Château Beauséjour
 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot
 Château Belair-Monange
 Château Canon
 Château Canon La Gaffelière (promoted)
 Château Figeac
 Clos Fourtet
 Château La Gaffelière
 Château Larcis Ducasse (promoted)
 La Mondotte (promoted)
 Château Pavie Macquin
 Château Troplong Mondot
 Château Trottevieille
 Château Valandraud (promoted)
 
- GRANDS CRUS CLASSES

 Château L’Arrosée
 Château Balestard La Tonnelle
 Château Barde-Haut (promoted)
 Château Bellefont-Belcier
 Château Bellevue
 Château Berliquet
 Château Cadet-Bon
 Château Capdemourlin
 Château Le Châtelet (promoted)
 Château Chauvin
 Château Clos de Sarpe (promoted)
 Château La Clotte
 Château La Commanderie (promoted)
 Château Corbin
 Château Côte de Baleau (promoted)
 Château La Couspaude
 Château Dassault
 Château Destieux
 Château La Dominique
 Château Faugères (promoted)
 Château Faurie de Souchard
 Château de Ferrand (promoted)
 Château Fleur Cardinale
 Château La Fleur Morange (promoted)
 Château Fombrauge (promoted)
 Château Fonplégade
 Château Fonroque
 Château Franc Mayne
 Château Grand Corbin
 Château Grand Corbin-Despagne
 Château Grand Mayne
 Château Les Grandes Murailles
 Château Grand-Pontet
 Château Guadet (promoted)
 Château Haut-Sarpe
 Clos des Jacobins
 Couvent des Jacobins
 Château Jean Faure (promoted)
 Château Laniote
 Château Larmande
 Château Laroque
 Château Laroze
 Clos La Madeleine (promoted)
 Château La Marzelle
 Château Monbousquet
 Château Moulin du Cadet
 Clos de l’Oratoire
 Château Pavie Decesse
 Château Péby Faugères (promoted)
 Château Petit Faurie de Soutard
 Château de Pressac (promted)
 Château Le Prieuré
 Château Quinault l’Enclos (promoted)
 Château Ripeau
 Château Rochebelle (promoted)
 Château Saint-Georges-Côte-Pavie
 Clos Saint-Martin
 Château Sansonnet (promoted)
 Château La Serre
 Château Soutard
 Château Tertre Daugay
 Château La Tour Figeac
 Château Villemaurine
 Château Yon-Figeac

The classified wines of Saint Emilion are the only one in the world to submit to a 10 years classification, where Chateaux are revised upwards and downwards depending on quality, the classification was first established in 1955.
Following legal disputes over the 2006 classification – brought by chateaux that had lost their status – the system has been in limbo. Drama turned to black comedy, then farce as a compromise was reached whereby promoted chateaux kept their new status, but demoted chateaux also remained classified.
The criteria contributing to the final establishment of the grade are:
1/ the quality of wines considered by tasting of samples (50 % of the final grade for Grand Cru Classé and 30 % for Premier Grand Cru Classé)
2/ the fame of the vineyard (20 % of the final grade for Grand Cru Classé and 35 % for Premier Grand Cru Classé)
3/ the parcel plan and the homogeneity of the terroir (20 % of the final grade for Grand Cru Classé and 30 % for Premier Grand Cru Classé)
4/ the conduct of the vineyard (10 % of the final grade for Grand Cru Classé and 5 % for Premier Grand Cru Classé)

It is not any more about a competition, but about an examination, what entails two major changes.
1. If a property disputes judicially its non-classification or its downgrading, it does not question the classification itself, as it was the case in 2006. Every case can be possibly revised
2. The number of properties which can appear in the classification is not any more limited. The final appreciation of a property just has to be superior to 14/20 so that it is " classified Vineyard " and in 16/20 so that it is " First Grand Cru Classé ".

A few other important facts :
- The members of the committee are appointed  by the “INAO” and are not from Bordeaux anymore. They are wine growers of the other wine-producing regions, members of the “INAO”. Mr. Tinlot (president), Mr. Guigal (Rhone Valley), Mr. Brugnon (Champagne), Mr. Drouhin (Burgundy), Mr. Vinet (Muscadet), Mr. Bronzo (Côtes de Provence), and Mr. Faure-Brac (sommelier).
- The tastings and the examinations of the properties will be outsourced and managed by a certification body, which will hire paid wine tasters.
- During the previous classifications, the parcel plan of every property must have varied of no more 5 % during the last ten years. For 2012, this notion was softened and will be individually observed. So that a property having grown of 20 % can aspire to the classification.