1855

1855 HISTORY
by Dewey Markham jr
Writer of 1855 a History of the Bordeaux Classification

150 years of excellence

The history of Bordeaux may be read in the pa es of its classification! "ore than #ust a hierarchy of $ine%producin estates& the list spea's (olumes about the ori ins of the re ion& the $ine trade that ma'es it function& and& of course& the ch)teaux themsel(es! Bordeaux*s eo raphical location shaped its commercial destiny from its earliest days! +ituated on the ban's of the ,aronne ri(er& the city $as founded as a -oman outpost $here $ines from inland re ions upri(er $ere loaded onto ships headed bac' to .taly! /ater& $hen (ines $ere planted around the city and the area became a ma#or $ine producer in its o$n ri ht& the re ion*s production follo$ed the same ocean%bound route to its mar'ets o(erseas! This $as especially necessary since domestic sales for these $ines faced a si nificant problem! The 0rench customers for $ines of this caliber $ere to be found amon the nobility at court in 1aris2 ho$e(er& Bordeaux*s distance from the capital $as a ma#or handicap in their acceptance& since it meant that numerous taxes and tariffs $ere placed on the $ines as they made their $ay north! 3ineyard areas closer to 1aris& such as Bur undy and Champa ne& tended to be more popular because fe$er char es $ere imposed on them& resultin in a relati(ely lo$er price!,i(en the international nature of its mar'et& by the se(enteenth century there $ere t$o main buyers for Bordeaux*s $ines4 the 5utch and the British! 6ach customer $as fundamentally important& albeit in (ery different $ays& in shapin the character and 7uality of the $ine $e en#oy today! The 5utch sou ht out the cheapest $ines they could obtain& $ith 7uality bein a secondary consideration! +ince their purchases $ere destined to be shipped to 5utch colonies throu hout the $orld& $hate(er finesse a better%7uality $ine mi ht ha(e possessed $ould ha(e lon disappeared by the time it reached its destination! To help preser(e the $ines durin their lon (oya es& 5utch merchants de(eloped a number of techni7ues to i(e them reater potential for successful a in ! 0or example& burnin sulfur in a barrel before fillin it $ith $ine enabled the contents to arri(e in a more drin'able condition! 89f course& it $ould be se(eral centuries before /ouis 1asteur*s disco(ery of bacteria as the a ents for the $ine*s spoila e! The 5utch had no $ay of 'no$in that sulfur acted as an antibacterial a ent:all they 'ne$

$as that the $ine benefited from this treatment!; Than's to such methods& the 5utch radually transformed Bordeaux from a $ine to be drun' 7uic'ly to one that $as capable of a mar'ed impro(ement $ith a e! Bordeaux*s other ma#or customer $as substantially different in its orientation! The British put their purchases on ships that made a relati(ely short (oya e north& $here they dran' all the $ine themsel(es! <ccordin ly& their main priority $as better 7uality& and the (o ue for these $ines amon the upper%middle class became so reat that a continually increasin demand inexorably dro(e prices e(er hi her! .n the 1=>?s& it $as sufficient for these $ine drin'ers merely to as' their merchants for a $ine from the "@doc re ion to be assured of obtainin somethin of superior 7uality& and price lists from this period sho$ that Bordeaux*s production $as classified accordin to such lar e& re ional di(isions! Ho$e(er& $ith the passa e of time& customers* re7uests became more and more focused& homin in on particular communes that had de(eloped commercial reputations for better $ine%ma'in techni7ues! By the middle of the se(enteenth century& contemporary price lists sho$ that Bordeaux $ines had become identified not #ust as ,ra(es& for instance& but also as 1essac! <s the decades passed& British $ine drin'ers became more precise in desi natin the ori ins of their $ines& and from the commune le(el attention shifted to indi(idual producers $ho had de(eloped a particular reputation $hich set them apart from their nei hbors in the same locality! This process is enerally ac'no$led ed to ha(e be un $ith a commercial initiati(e by <rnaud de 1ontac& the o$ner of Haut%Brion! 5urin the rebuildin of /ondon in the $a'e of the ,reat 0ire of 1===& de 1ontac sent his son to the 6n lish capital to establish a ta(ern 'no$n as the 1ontac*s Head that $ould ser(e as a sho$case for the $ine from his estate! The ta(ern:and the $ine:became 7uite fashionable $ith /ondon*s middle class& and the identity of a $ine*s producer be an to ain reater si nificance $hen ma'in a purchase! By the end of the se(enteenth century it $as no lon er sufficient to as' for a 1essac2 no$ drin'ers instructed their merchants to ac7uire Haut%Brion! Haut%Brion $as not the only property that benefited from this early Abrand a$arenessB amon British $ine drin'ers! Three other properties had also car(ed out a distinct identity for themsel(es in $ine drin'ers* consciousness4 "ar aux& in the commune of the same name& and /atour and /afite& situated in 1auillac! Because the 7uality of the $ine from these four producers a(e them unparalleled name reco nition& demand for them $as hi her than for any other $ine& and this demand caused their prices to achie(e a le(el unmatched by any other property in Bordeaux! To ether& Haut%Brion& "ar aux& /atour& and /afite $ere rouped in their o$n commercial cate ory& $hich came to be 'no$n as the Afirst ro$ths!B By the middle of the ei hteenth century other producers& $ho sa$ the financial re$ards that such efforts at 7uality brou ht& also sou ht to ma'e $ines that $ould be $orthy of note amon the hi her%payin British $ine drin'ers! < roup of properties succeeded in creatin a similar reco nition for themsel(es in the mar'etplace& albeit $ithout e(er achie(in the (ery hi hest prices that the four first ro$ths had mana ed to $in! These properties& $hose $ines $ere closely rouped to ether in price& became 'no$n as Asecond ro$ths!B <round a doCen (ineyards $ere enerally ac'no$led ed as bein in this cate ory! Ho$e(er& a number of additional properties $ere be innin to brea' free from their communal anonymity& althou h they had not yet achie(ed the clear commercial identity of the four first ro$ths or the roup

of second ro$ths $hich follo$ed them! By the time Thomas Defferson arri(ed in Bordeaux in the sprin of 1E8E& this system had e(ol(ed to encompass a $ell%defined third ro$th le(el! Their commercial success encoura ed the identification of yet another series of $ines as a cate ory only sli htly inferior to the third ro$ths! 1rice lists from the 18F?s sho$ that this trend continued $ith the establishment of a fourth% ro$th le(el! By the early 185?s& there $ere fi(e $ell%defined classes in this commercial hierarchy& comprisin some sixty $ine producers! Thus it $as that the structure of this commercial ran'in system too' form& de(elopin from the top do$n and continually e(ol(in as conditions at the indi(idual properties and in the Bordeaux mar'etplace chan ed! .n the early 1=??s& the $ines most in demand $ere from the ,ra(es& but as the century pro ressed and the "@doc de(eloped its (ocation as a top%7uality re ion& its $ines de(eloped a reater follo$in :and their prices rose accordin ly! By the middle of the nineteenth century& the "@doc $ines commanded prices so hi h that Haut% Brion remained the only $ine that could match them& and thus became the sole ,ra(es property $orthy of inclusion in the upper ran's of this hierarchy2 none of Bordeaux*s other red $ine re ions produced anythin that could match these prices! The classification $as a cornerstone of the local $ine trade& and e(eryone in(ol(ed: merchants& proprietors& and bro'ers:'ne$ $here each property $as situated $ithin it! This familiarity $ith the established pec'in order $as reinforced by the $ide distribution that the classification came to en#oy! 0rom its primary use amon initiates of the Bordeaux $ine trade& the classification found e(er%$ider exposure throu hout the nineteenth century in a reat (ariety of (enues! Wine boo's destined for $ine drin'ers $ere becomin more common in the early 18??s& and the list $as often incorporated in the text& in boo's li'e Topo raphie de tous les (i nobles connus& by <ndr@ Dullien in 181=2 The History of <ncient and "odern Wines& by <lexander Henderson in 18F>2 and < History and 5escription of "odern Wines& by Cyrus -eddin in 18GG! The classification also demonstrated its utility in helpin to shape public policy4 it $as included in a British 1arliamentary report A9n the Commercial -elations bet$een 0rance and ,reat BritainB dra$n up in 18G5& and in a sur(ey commissioned by the 0rench "inister of < riculture and Commerce entitled A3ine ,ro$in & 6(aluation of the 1roduce for 18>E and 18>8!B The e(ol(in list e(en made appearances in a ro$in number of tourist uideboo's for (isitors to the re ion& such as /e uide de l*@tran er& $hich $ent throu h se(eral editions be innin in 18F5& as $ell as an 18>= $or' entitled Bordeaux4 .ts Wines& and the Claret Country by Charles Coc's 8$hich e(entually became Bordeaux et ses (ins& the AbibleB of Bordeaux;! With each ne$ appearance in print of the $ine trade*s classification& proprietors& bro'ers& and merchants all sa$ ho$ the price structure of the mar'etplace currently stood& and consumers radually de(eloped an increased appreciation of the idea of 7uality in Bordeaux $ine! <s personally satisfyin as it $as for producers to see their properties achie(e classed% ro$th status& there $as a more practical aspect to this system for the Bordeaux $ine trade! 6ach sprin $hen a ne$ (inta e $as ready for sale& buyers and sellers ali'e $ere faced $ith the tas' of determinin a #ust price for the $ines on offer! <s the principal industry in 0rance*s bi est department& the $ine trade $as a lar e& complex enterprise $hose (ery existence depended on its smooth operation! With thousands of producers offerin $ines for sale to hundreds of merchants& the entire system $ould ha(e collapsed if buyers had to be in arran in prices from scratch each year! The classification $as a $ell%refined tool $hich ser(ed to streamline the process!

Based firmly on a property*s trac' record of sales prices o(er an extended period of time& the classification offered a shortcut in commercial ne otiations& a startin point from $hich an appropriate final price for a $ine could be determined efficiently! .f a property had traditionally sold its $ines at the third% ro$th le(el& for example& and others in this class $ere ettin a hundred francs per bottle& both the proprietor and the potential customer 'ne$ that a price of around a hundred francs $as a fair estimation of the $ine*s commercial (alue& and ne otiations could be in $ith that as a point of departure! .t $as 8and still is; habitual for proprietors to hold bac' the release of their ne$ (inta e until they $ere able to see the le(el of acceptance or resistance $hich that initial as'in price met $ith in the mar'etplace! There $as no fixed order of precedence in the declaration of prices& and the system enabled the Bordeaux mar'etplace to de(elop the le(el of efficiency that $as essential for the $orld*s lar est fine $ine re ion to operate smoothly! .n 1855& a Hni(ersal 6xhibition $as planned for 1aris& and oods from all o(er 0rance:and the $orld:$ere shipped to the 0rench capital for display! Wine $as sent from Bordeaux in a collection or aniCed by the city*s Chamber of Commerce! Ho$e(er& the or aniCers faced a tric'y problem4 only six bottles of each $ine $ere to be sent to 1aris& a 7uantity sufficient merely for the display and for a pri(ate tastin by a panel of #ud es! The thousands of ordinary (isitors to the 6xhibition $ould not ha(e the opportunity of tastin the $ines to de(elop an appreciation of the different 7ualities possessed by Bordeaux*s $ines! <ll that $ould be e(ident to these masses $ould be the rather ordinary si ht of a uniform collection of bottles lined up on the shel(es of a display case! To render the presentation more interestin and to better communicate the idea of superior 7uality represented by Bordeaux*s best production& a $ine map of the re ion $as commissioned to accompany the display! <s part of this map& a roster of the finest $ines from Bordeaux $as included& and the Chamber of Commerce as'ed the Hnion of Bro'ers to furnish a list of the properties that $ere $orthy of such status! The bro'ers $ere the ideal choice for the #ob& since amon the three main actors in the Bordeaux $ine trade:producers& bro'ers& and merchants:they $ere the only ones $ith a comprehensi(e (ie$ of the entire commercial picture! The proprietors 'ne$ their $ines better than anyone& but their appreciation of the lar er picture beyond their (ineyards $as less authoritati(e! The merchants had a ood understandin of the mar'et for Bordeaux*s $ines& but commanded a lesser 'no$led e of conditions at the properties! 9nly the bro'ers had a first%hand 'no$led e of production& de(eloped throu h their scheduled (isits to the (ineyards throu hout the year& and a $ell%de(eloped sense of a $ine*s commercial prospects& than's to their reater proximity to the mar'etplace! Thus it $as that on <pril 5th& 1855& the Chamber of Commerce addressed a letter to the Bro'ers* Hnion re7uestin a Alist of all the red classed ro$ths in the department& as exact and complete as possible& specifyin to $hich of the fi(e classes each of them belon s and in $hich commune they are located!B 5ue to the impendin debut of the Hni(ersal 6xhibition& $hich $as less than a month a$ay& a ti ht deadline $as imposed! The bro'ers had all the necessary sources on hand to supply the list of the best $ines in such a short time! 9n <pril 18& they produced the list& $hich has become 'no$n as the A1855 classification!B 9ne hundred and fifty years after its draftin it remains one of the most authoritati(e references in the $orld of $ine! < property*s inclusion on the list did not result merely from furnishin the Chamber of

Commerce $ith $ine to send to 1aris2 indeed& most of those on the list did not bother to send samples! 8< close loo' at the ori inal document sho$s that the $ord point:meanin AnoneB:is $ritten across the names of those properties that did not offer $ine for display at the Hni(ersal 6xhibition!; < property*s inclusion in this hierarchy $as also not a result of ma'in a superior $ine in 185> and ettin an abnormally hi h price that year:and& conse7uently a place in the classification in 1855:follo$ed by a return to inferior 7uality in succeedin (inta es! The ran'in system of Bordeaux*s $ines $as based not on one year*s results& nor e(en a half%doCen or so (inta es2 it $as a lon %term trac' record that earned a property its berth in the classification! .f there $as a sole reason $hy the properties appearin on the 1855 classification $ere included& it $as simply because they deser(ed to be there! Their superiority $as established by a consistent le(el of exceptional 7uality o(er an extended period of time that left no doubt as to their fundamental capacity for producin reat $ine! With time this bro'ers* list achie(ed an authority and a lon e(ity that the more ephemeral (ersions prior to 1855 had ne(er achie(ed! Throu hout the latter half of the nineteenth century& this classification became the accepted& authoritati(e source for understandin the notion of 7uality at the top end of Bordeaux*s production! Ho$e(er& it must not be thou ht that this status as a reference for $ine drin'ers pre(ented the trade from continually ree(aluatin the #ust price for a property*s $ines& based on its current performance! The enius of the 1855 classification is that it has ne(er hindered the continuin functionin of the $ine trade in its tas' of ensurin that the 7uality of a $ine finds its commensurate recompense in the mar'etplace! Thus& e(en thou h the bro'ers* classification has experienced only t$o official chan es since its transcription in <pril 1855:the promotion of "outon -othschild in Dune 1IEG& and the inclusion of Cantemerle amon the fifth ro$ths on +eptember 1=& 1855:the 7uality of a property*s $ine has al$ays encoura ed mobility in its current price& earnin it an appropriate position abo(e or belo$ its AofficialB 1855 ran'in ! The bro'ers* #ud ments from 1855 remain remar'ably accurate2 ho$e(er& no one $ould ar ue that their classification continues to present the same precise picture of the $ines* relati(e 7uality as it did one hundred and fifty (inta es a o! Today& the classification*s reatest role is as a promotional tool& not only for the properties it includes& but for the reater Bordeaux area! Jo other $ine re ion possesses a similar system for ran'in its $ines $ith a reno$n e7ual to that en#oyed by Bordeaux*s classification! <s a basic road map to the finest $ines that this (ineyard area produces& the classification offers a reliable and reassurin & reference for no(ice $ine drin'ers $hen ma'in their initial selections! The $ords A1855 ,rand Cru Class@B constitute a uarantee that the bottle bearin this le end $ill offer a $inethat $ill do a host proud $hen it is presented to uests! 9n the hundred and fiftieth anni(ersary of the 1855 classification& it is e(ident that the $orld of $ine is richer for the existence of this testament to the outstandin 7uality of $hich the Bordeaux re ion is capable! The list itself and the names inscribed upon it ha(e achie(ed a double existence that spea's to both our spirits and bodies4 a mythic status that spea's to the possibility of achie(in perfection in an imperfect $orld& and a tan ible expression in the form of the wines themselves, which offer so much pleasure to oenophiles everywhere.