Best of Bordeaux. Rolf Bichsel

had gained direct access to

       the Atlantic and Mediterranean following the opening of the Canal de Bour-

      gogne (1832), were wanting to have their wines o

       ffi

       cially classified at the 1855

       Paris Universal Exposition. The Bordelais simply decided to beat them to it. In

       1855, Dijon-based doctor and researcher Lavalle did indeed publish a compre-

      hensive work covering all wines in the Côte d'Or, which is still a treasure trove of

       information about the region. There was never any mention of the state's bless-

      ing. However this was also no longer relevant, as the initiative taken by the Bor-

      deaux Chamber of Commerce and the city's wine brokers gained Bordeaux and

       Eric de Rothschild

       36

       its new-born ‘Crus Classés du Médoc, de Sauternes et des Graves' an ingenious

       advertising campaign which is still benefiting the region today. It is therefore no

       surprise that two other Bordeaux appellations have since emulated this rank-

      ing system, namely Saint-Emilion and Graves (now Pessac-Léognan), which

       have also been operating their own classifications since the mid-1950s. Graves

       has a similar static system to their model, whilst the Saint-Emilion classifica-

      tion is updated every ten years. Whether or not this is an advantage remains

       open to question: sometimes, it seems to me that the biggest beneficiaries are

       the lawyers who are constantly appealing against the recently adopted reclas-

      sifications, on behalf of those who have been declassified of course. The value

       measured by all of this cataloguing, often based on quality but also nearly al-

      ways on high prices, is something that wine enthusiasts are capable of deciding

       for themselves. We should note that state-sanctioned classifications are not the

       same as state protections of origin (AOC), which have applied in France since

       1937 for the geographical origins, style and production conditions of a particu-

      lar area. In Bordeaux a distinction is drawn between regional appellations (e.g.

       Haut-Médoc) and village appellations (e.g. Margaux, Sauternes, Pomerol) within

       the base appellation (Bordeaux), and Saint-Emilion has two appellations, name-

      ly Saint-Emilion and Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, with the latter awarded annually.

       The Saint-Emilion classification on the other hand di

       ff

       erentiates between Grand

       Cellar of Pichon Baron

       37

       Crus Classés and Premier Grands Crus Classés A and B, and is updated around

       once a decade. Still clear?

       The 1855 classification is first and foremost a historical legacy with obliga-

      tions: not a single estate under that classification currently fails to produce

       at least good and generally excellent wines, with the same also applying to

       Saint-Emilion Premiers Crus Classés and Graves Crus Classés at the very least.

       Whether or not historical classifications can or should be updated remains open

       to question: to me, it is like wanting to banish Picasso or Braque from the pan-

      theon of fine art because their works were not painted on an iPad. The fact that

       Lafite is still Lafite and Margaux is still Margaux does not prevent any wines with

       lower classifications or no classification at all from tasting even better than them

       on occasion, but this alters nothing about the historic context and significance

       of either. I do not believe in objectivity when it comes to art or top wine – this

       drinkable product of agricultural cultivation and handcrafted production that

       arouses so much passion. Objectivity is the first step on the road to cultural fas-

       cism.

       38

       History Global trade

       The power of the brand

       Between 1700 and 1870, Bordeaux was synonymous with great, elegant red

       wines and also a new colour (Bordeaux red), all of which quickly conquered the

       world. Dry white wine also continued to be produced, but in the 19th century

       in particular had to give ground to the production of exclusive sweet wines en-

      joyed by more than just female foodies. This utterly blissful period – when the

       vineyards of the Gironde were literally bursting at the seams and in addition to

       the true top terroirs also occupied soils that would have been better used for

       growing corn – was brought to a terrible end by the phylloxera crisis, stock mar-

      ket crash and two world wars. This was a long drawn-out tragedy, as the region

       constantly fought back but was ultimately forced to surrender. By the late 1940s,

       Grand Crus existed only in memory in many areas. The Bordeaux wine as we

       know it today is not centuries old, but is in fact now only barely reaching retire-

      ment age. Bordeaux's return to its current lofty heights began around the turn of

       the millennium, with the enthusiastic adoption of new technology which in the

       best cases works hand-in-hand with age-old experience, and observance of the

       golden rule that if you want to stay healthy and keep chalking up profits then

       you have to master the art of selling your products, which requires international

       distribution along a well-oiled, seamless chain stretching from the owner or a

       director of an estate, who is responsible for the wine's quality and typicity (i.e. its

       recognition factor), via merchants and wholesalers to general agents in distant

       lands. This is how it works in Bordeaux: producers make wine from a selected

       terroir using specially adapted grape varieties, which when blended ensure a

       very particular style whose key characteristics are body, density and tannins

       which develop as time passes. This style is elevated to