Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, led a Bordeaux Cru Bourgeois Tasting at the Washington Wine and Cheese Seminar on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. Although this was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, with many of the regulars of the Washington Wine and Cheese Seminar travelling, the event was well attended, with almost 60 participants.
Not the Crus of the Aristocrats, but the Crus of the Bourgeoisie
In the 18th century, before the French Revolution (1789–99), in the
French feudal order, the bourgeoisie was the class of common people, who
had become rich, as opposed to the clergy and the aristocrats.
Generally speaking, the Cru Bourgeois classification encompasses the
group of chateaux in the second class, below the top chateaux.
The Cru Bourgeois Classification of 1932
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.
Invitation
Dear wine friends,
Bordeaux is the largest wine region in France and arguably the most renowned.
In 1855 Napoleon III ordered that the wines of the " Médoc”, deemed as the most exclusive wine growing area, be classified according to quality and price. We all know this classification of the 61 Châteaux listed as Grand Cru Classé ranging from 1st down to 5th growths.
But there are hundreds other Châteaux in the “Médoc” that make excellent wines for far less money than the well-known ‘Grand Cru Classé’ ones. Some great estates did not even exist in 1855, hence they did not have a chance in getting included in the 1855 classification.
One of the goals of coming up with classifications is to guide the consumer when choosing his wines. In 1932 the Cru Bourgeois du Médoc association was founded as a way to appreciate and to showcase great wine making estates that were not included in the 1855 classification. The original selection deemed worthy carrying the ‘Cru Bourgeois’ label comprised 444 Châteaux. Over the years, the system of how to evaluate the Châteaux included in the Cru Bourgeois classification has evolved and tightened. One big difference to the 1855 classification system is that the Cru Bourgeois classification is not set in stone. A re-evaluation occurs every five years. The last evaluation took place in 2020 (with 250 Châteaux selected), hence next year, in 2025 the next evaluation is coming up.
The Châteaux applying for Cru Bourgeois du Médoc classification have to undergo a rigorous process. This includes following requirements in viticultural and wine making methods, and presenting wines from five vintages for evaluation. The tastings are blind and the judges come from outside the Médoc area to be impartial.
The classification knows three quality levels from bottom to top: Cru Bourgeois, (in 2020: 180) Crus Bourgeois Supérieurs (in 2020: 56), Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnels (in 2020: 14).
Today the distinctive Cru Bourgeois du Médoc Logo is visibly placed on the bottle for the consumer to immediately recognize the wine on the shelf. These wines generally range from 18$ to 35$ and are an outstanding value for money.
5 Wines
Baguette and 2 Cheeses
Tasting
Join us as we explore Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe, Médoc, Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, Sauternes, Pessac-Léognan, where we will visit well-known classified Châteaux, classified under-the-radar Châteaux, and so-called “Petits-Châteaux” producing phenomenal wines. Wine and food, that’s so important in Bordeaux, and wine pairing lunches or dinners at famous châteaux with the owner or Managing Director are an almost daily routine. Besides doing Châteaux hopping, I will also show you other aspects of “Bordeaux” that the usual wine tours do not do: we will be introduced to the “Place de Bordeaux” buying and selling system unique in Bordeaux by visiting a négociant house, a wine merchant; we will visit a cooper to see from A to Z how a barrique is being made; we go to the basin d’Arcachon to see how an oyster is raised; we will experience the big bodies of water so important for the Bordeaux climate: the mighty Gironde estuary and the Atlantic ocean. Instead of sitting for 3 to 4 hours in traffic every day going back and forth to Bordeaux city we will travel around, spending nights in the heart of the Left Bank in Pauillac and in the heart of the Right Bank in Saint-Émilion to “feel” the vineyards; and of course we will spend some time in the vibrant, hip, cultural, cool city of Bordeaux.
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