Bordeaux, the 2020 classification of Crus Bourgeois du Médoc is now available!
After a 17-year absence, the Crus Bourgeois classification of Medoc It's back! That's fantastic, but what does it mean? Cavissima explains everything, follow the guide!
What is a Cru Bourgeois?
As early as the 19th century, a Cru was designated according to the status of the winemaker who produced it. It could then be Bourgeois, Artisans or Peasant. The term was revived in 1932.
The Cru Bourgeois It therefore designates a special distinction awarded to the wines of the Medoc, has BordeauxThis new ranking responds to producers' requests to update the historical reference ranking of Classified Growths of 1855.
The mention Cru Bourgeois allows for vintages that do not fall within the classification of Classified Growths of 1855 to obtain recognition for their outstanding quality.
Created in 1932, the classification was recognized as official in 1978 and then updated in 2003 and 2020! These classification updates provide a real-time overview of the wines, allowing you to see the progress of some. Several hierarchical levels are possible: Crus Bourgeois, Crus Bourgeois Supérieur And Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnel (in ascending order).
However, these regular corrections are a subject of debate, as in 2003 when certain decisions were not understood by the affected areas. In other words, the classification into Cru Bourgeois gives a distinction to quality wines, which remained in the shadows after the 1855 classification.
3 key steps to becoming a Cru Bourgeois
To be eligible for the title of Cru BourgeoisThe estates pay €8,000 to submit an application to The Alliance of Crus Bourgeois of the MédocOnce the body responsible for allocation has received the applications, it studies them by following 3 specific steps:
- Eligibility verification
To be eligible, the wine must come from one of the eight AOCs of the Médoc (Medoc, Haut-Médoc, Saint-Estèphe, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Margaux, Listrac-Médoc And MoulisIn parallel, the farms receive a systematic visit from a person responsible for validating eligibility criteria. This visit takes place at least once every five years. The producer must comply with a precise set of specifications. The criteria are numerous, most of them relating to winemaking.
This eligibility is essential to offer tastings and claim the title of Cru Bourgeois.
- Determining the minimum grade to be achieved
From one year to the next, the quality of a vintage can vary. A panel of tasters therefore conducts a blind tasting of several Médoc wines. Following the tasting, an average score for these wines is determined and kept confidential.
To obtain the mention of Cru BourgeoisThe wines absolutely must reach this average score! It corresponds to a minimum rating to achieve in order to obtain the distinction.
- A tasting that lived up to expectations
Finally, a sample is taken from the vat and bottled before being tasted by a panel of experts. Anonymously, blind, and individually, each taster then assigns a score to the wines. For the awarding of the designation... Cru Bourgeois, la cuvée must obtain a grade equal to or higher than the minimum rating determined previously.
What's changing in the 2020 Crus Bourgeois classification
This year, the annual classification becomes a five-year classification and ranks the wines more precisely using the designations. "superior" And "exceptional".
The wines that have received the mention of Cru Bourgeois had the opportunity to complete an application in order to be considered for the rank of Crus bourgeois superior Or exceptionalAn additional €4000 is then requested from the competitors.
Vineyard Château Lilian Ladouys
There, a second, more focused visit to the domaine is carried out by the jury. The specifications then extend to more precise criteria such as environmental standards, reputation, wine tourism, marketing, etc... At the end of the visit, the Cru Bourgeois can be upgraded to superior or exceptional.
And the lucky Crus Bourgeois selected are…
Of the 490 applications received, 249 were awarded the Crus Bourgeois designation, including 179 Cru Bourgeois, 56 Cru Bourgeois Supérieurs, and 14 Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnels. This represents 28 million bottles and approximately 30% of Médoc production.
As with the famous Michelin stars, the decisions regarding the awarding of the various distinctions can be controversial. Estates can try again with each new edition of the ranking. See you in five years for the next vintage rankings. ! With each new edition, there are those who are disappointed, those who are surprised, but above all, plenty of good wines to discover!
Discover our Crus Bourgeois and their tasting tips and their food and wine pairings on Cavissima.com !