It was announced last week that 246 out of 304 applicants have been listed in this year’s Cru Bourgeois classification. The current listing applies to the Bordeaux 2009 vintage and includes nine chateaux from Margaux, five from Pauillac and 19 from Saint-Estephe. (View this year’s selection here.)
The Cru Bourgeois listing was revisited for the first time in its sixty-year history in 2003, but the controversy that followed saw the revised classification nullified in 2007. After years of fierce debate, a simpler, more democratic system was approved in September 2010 – one that did away with former designations such as “Superieur” and “Exceptionnel.
Despite the overhaul last year, calls for change have yet to be quelled. According to Decanter, the release of the 2009 listing has prompted renewed discussion over the need for an upper tier. Other “internal reflections” reportedly relate to the frequency with which chateaux should be assessed for inclusion in the classification. Will next year see another round of revisions?
