Bordeaux wines : 1855 classification

The auctions offer you a wide selection of wines, many of which are part of the grand classification of 1855.
Established at the request of Napoleon III for the 1855 world fair, this classification was established by the brokers of Bordeaux. This classification, established on the basis of the reputation of the châteaux, the prices charged and the quality of the wines, ranks them in order of importance from the first grands crus to the fifth cru.

All the red wines came from the Médoc except Haut Brion located in the Graves. The whites in the more secondary period were limited to sweet wines, Sauternes and Barsac.
Since the creation of this classification, only two modifications were made: the first was the addition of Château Cantemerle as a fifth cru and in 1973, Château Mouton Rothschild which went from second place to first.

The first Grands Crus Classé are, since 1855, with the 1973 modification, Château Lafite Rothschild (Pauillac), Château Latour (Pauillac), Château Margaux (Margaux), Château Mouton Rothschild (Pauillac) and Château Haut Brion (Pessac-Léognan) .

To name a few names in the second growths, we can remember, Château Léoville Las Cases (Saint-julien), Château Gruaud-Larose (Saint-Julien), Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, (Pauillac), Château Montrose (Saint-Estèphe ).