Collection: 1er Grand Cru Classé (Médoc)

What does 1er Grand Cru Classé actually mean?

You have certainly noticed the designation 1er Grand Cru Classé or Premier Grand Cru Classé on the label of a bottle of red wine.

First of all, 1er Grand Cru Classé refers to a quality level. In Bordeaux there is a classification of wineries in the Médoc. This happened in 1855. You will often find this year on the wine label. This of course has nothing to do with the vintage of the red wine.

In 1855, a classification was carried out for the Médoc wine-growing region based on the quality and price of the wines produced by the wineries. Five groups were created in a hierarchical manner. The highest level is the 1er Grand Cru Classé.

There are five quality levels:

• 1er Grand Cru Classé
• 2ème Grand Cru Classé
• 3ème Grand Cru Classé
• 4ème Grand Cru Classé
• 5ème Grand Cru Classé

Until 1973, only four wineries belonged to the top category Premier Grand Cru Classé:

• Château Haut-Brion
• Château Lafite-Rothschild
• Château Latour
• Château Margaux

Until then, Château Mouton-Rothschild was one of the Deuxième Grand Cru Classé in Bordeaux. It was only after the appointment by the then French Minister of Agriculture - Jacques Chirac - that Château Mouton-Rothschild was promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé.

By the way: Château Haut-Brion has its vineyards in the Graves wine-growing region and belongs to the Pessac-Léognan appellation. This makes it the only winery from Graves that belongs to the classification of wine from the Médoc.

For wine collectors, such exclusive wines from the 1er Grand Cru Classé are ideal for collecting. The quality and storage capacity of these red wines mean that they can be kept in the wine cellar for a longer period of time.

So collect 1er Grand Cru wine now!