New classification for Crus Bourgeois du Medoc to launch

By Michelle Perrett

Published: 28 September, 2018

A new classification has been launched to guarantee the quality and origin of Crus Bourgeois du Medoc.

Fréderique de Lamothe, who has been director of the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc for 11 years, announced the next stage of the development at a presentation yesterday.

This comes as in 2017 the French government approved the specifications and the verification procedure that will be used to establish the new Crus Bourgeois du Médoc classification.

According to the organisation this represents a return to the original Crus Bourgeois du Médoc system, which for centuries operated on a hierarchical basis. The three levels of "Cru Bourgeois", "Cru Bourgeois Supérieur" and "Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel" will re-appear on wine labels from the vintage 2018 onwards and be reviewed every five years.

The five-year classification is based on the quality of wines being assessed by a blind tasting of several vintages. Under the new standards a verification body will supervise the independence and impartiality of juries and tasters. There will also development of “positive points” put forward by each château as well as respect for the environment and a commitment to consumers. The classification also means that there will be quality controls throughout the classification period while there will be authentication of all bottles thanks to the "Cru Bourgeois" sticker.

Candidates for the classification have until 30 September 2018 to submit their applications, specifying the level for which they are applying. This approval will mean the implementation of the classification should be published early 2020.

This year, 270 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc make up the new Official Selection for the 2016 vintage. This represents 33m bottles, which will be marketed over the coming months.  

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