For as long as I can remember Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau Ausone have enjoyed nearly mythical status in the commune of Saint-Emilion, one of the principal wine-growing districts of the Bordeaux region.
Situated on the right bank of the Gironde river, Saint-Emilion dates to prehistoric times, and its first vines were planted by the Romans in the second century. Saint-Emilion was left out of the 1855 Classification of Bordeaux, which ranked only the wines of the Medoc and Graves, on the left bank of the Gironde.
So in 1955 it created a ranking of its own and the two estates, Cheval Blanc and Ausone, were given the exalted classification of Premier Grand Cru Classe A, at the pinnacle of quality and prestige in the famous wine village.
Though the ranking was reviewed every ten years, it was almost an article of faith that no other chateau could ever match the prowess, often measured as the ability to command the highest prices, of Cheval Blanc and Ausone. Almost.
In a stunning development announced this week, Chateau Pavie and Chateau Angelus were elevated to Premier Grand Cru Classe A from Premier Grand Cru Classe B, thus joining Cheval Banc and Ausone at the top of the heap. The new classification came about after a court challenge annulled the results of the most recent adjustment in 2006.
The changes were made by a seven-member panel of experts appointed by the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine, which overseess French wine appellations. The INAO had modified its review procedure by selecting wine professionals from outside the Bordeaux wine trade, thereby avoiding any legal challenge based upon conflict of interest. Representatives on the commission came from Burgundy, Champagne, the Loire Valley and the Rhone Valley.
I applaud both the courage and the astute evaluations of the commission, which also promoted Canon-la-Gaffeliere, La Mondotte, Larcis-Ducase and Valandraud to Premier Grand Cru Classe B. Previously La Mondotte and Valandraud had been unclassified, so Premier Grand Cru Classe B was quite a leap for both. Canon-la-Gaffeliere and Larcis-Ducase had previously been ranked Premier Grand Cru Classe.
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