Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Best Crus Bourgeois du Médoc (2011) - Decanter's 58 Favorites, Bordeaux

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with a Chateau Le Crock, Cru Bourgeois du Médoc, in Pauillac, one of the Decanter's Favorites

Four years ago, Cru Bourgeois du Médoc became an annual label, awarded annually to any winemaker that met the conditions for the Cru Bourgeois label.

In September 2013, the 2011 labels were announced: 256 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc make up the new Official Selection for the 2011 vintage. See here for a complete listing of the 256 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc for the 2011 vintage.

The Best 58  Crus Bourgeois du Médoc (2011) - Decanter's Selection 

Half a year later, the British Wine Magazine Decanter presented a list of 58 2011 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc, which it considers as the top Cru Bourgeois wines of the 2011 vintage. Here is the list, presented in a slide-show.

The Cru Bourgeois Classification of 1932

From 1932 to the end of the 1900s, the Cru Bourgeois du Medoc system was a classification system set in stone. The first Cru Bourgeois list was drawn up by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and Chamber of Agriculture in 1932, selecting 444 estates from the Medoc for the classification. These were wines that were not included in the 1855 Classification of Crus Classes, but still of high quality.

Picture: Annette Schiller, ombiasy PR and WineTours, with a 2012 Chateau Le Crock, Cru Bourgeois, and a 2012 Chateau Leoville Poyferre, a Classified Growth, both owned by the Cuvelier Family

For the 2014 Wine Tours by ombiasy, including to Bordeaux, see:
3 Wine Tours by ombiasy Coming up in 2014: Germany-North, Germany-South and Bordeaux  

Cru Bourgeois du Médoc Today: A Label Awarded Annually

Today, the Cru Bourgeois du Medoc is a wine label that is awarded annually, on the basis of an assessment of both production methods and the wine. Any property in the Médoc may apply. Chateaus’ production methods are periodically inspected and their wines are submitted to an independent panel for annual tasting. The first vintage that came under the current system, is the 2008 vintage, announced in 2010.

Picture: The Cru Bourgeois Label

Note that some highly regarded wines outside the 1855 classification such as Château Gloria and Château Sociando-Mallet do not submit their wines for the Cru Bourgeois du Medoc classification. Thus, there is a sizable number of top producers in the Medoc today that are neither in the 1855 classification nor in the Cru Bourgeois du Medoc classification.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Vincent Faure, Directeur Technique, Chateau Sociando Mallet, at Restaurant Le Peyrat in Saint-Estèphe, where we met by accident during the Bordeaux Tour 2013 by ombiasy, organized and led by Annette Schiller

The Cru Bourgeois Classification of 2003 (Annulled)

In between the current annual classification system and the 1932 classification system set in stone, there was a new classification introduced in 2003 that was subject to a lot of controversy and later annulled. Of the 490 châteaux that applied to be included in the classification of 2003, only 247 were included, a significant contraction of the original listing made in 1932 (444 estates).

The 2003 Cru Bourgeois classification classified the 247 properties in three tiers: Exceptionnel (9 properties), Supérieurs (87 properties) and straight Bourgeois (151 properties).

In February 2007, the 2003 was annulled. At this point, the 1932 classification was briefly reinstated, with its single tier and 444 estates.

schiller-wine: Related Posting

3 Wine Tours by ombiasy Coming up in 2014: Germany-North, Germany-South and Bordeaux

Upcoming in September 2014: Bordeaux Wine Tour by ombiasyPR – Bordeaux Immersion

What is a Bordeaux Cru Bourgeois? France

Bordeaux - En Primeur, Negociants, Courtiers, the Quai de Chartons and the Place de Bordeaux – A Short Introduction

Château Pape Clément in Pessac-Léognan and the World Wide Wine Empire of Bernard Magrez, France

Château Léoville-Poyferré, Chateau Le Crock, Didier Cuvelier in Bordeaux and the Cuvelier Los Andes Wines in Argentina

Lunch with Didier Cuvelier at Château Léoville-Poyferré in Saint-Julien, Bordeaux

The 260 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc of the 2010 Vintage, France

The 256 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc of the 2011 Vintage Announced, France

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