The End of Bordeaux Classifications? A new era for the Grand Crus

by Guillaume Jourdan

Personally, I wasn’t at all surprised when Angelus announced it was leaving the Saint-Emilion classification. Nor when Ausone and Cheval Blanc did the same thing last year. Because Bordeaux classifications are in danger of becoming yesterday’s news. One minute everyone wants to be seen in “the Place to Be”. It creates headlines and is the subject on everyone’s lips….and then, time goes by, and it’s no longer frequented by celebrities, or mentioned in the media. It just isn’t interesting anymore. And seeing no reason to continue being seen there, the prestigious guests of its early days let their membership expire, while others jostle for a place in the establishment whose historic image and reputation continue to feed the dreams of those who had never previously been allowed inside. In the end, the place that used to be fashionable closes because it never managed to keep up with the times. Or else a new generation gives it a new lease of life by completely rethinking the way it operates.

What’s happening in Saint-Emilion is therefore entirely predictable. The most prestigious names are leaving the classification whilst others aspire to join it to give added prestige to their wines. So why have these big names waited so long to leave? The history and the past prestige of the classification no doubt weighed on the decision of the biggest names in Bordeaux.

A reordering of priorities for some, perhaps even the impact of businesses evolving after Covid for others, no doubt acted as accelerating factors over the past few months. Naturally being included in a classification is good, and if that classification adds luster to your image, that’s even better. But if it stops being an advantage, notably in terms of reputation and international stature, and instead becomes an extra administrative burden, then why stay? The economic situation of the biggest chateaux has changed since the creation of the Bordeaux classifications, as have their needs and desires. Their size, their ambitions, and their financial resources have evolved considerably, while the classifications, for their part, have remained obdurately unchanged.

The objective of  all classifications, on both Right and Left Banks of Bordeaux, was initially to offer greater clarity concerning the quality of wine from a particular chateau. Eligibility for the classification was reliant upon fulfilling a certain number of established criteria. But with the arrival of the internet, the boom in information, consumer feedback and social media, these classifications became outmoded. International wine critics like Robert Parker also contributed to their demise, by shaking up the system and having no qualms about giving high scores to chateaux whose “pedigree” did not match. The rise in the prestige of wines from other regions and countries that were not able to rely on historical factors has also made an impact – they have shown the power of building your own brand.

These days, a brand’s reputation, recommendations from wine professionals, and online comments from companies such as Vivino are the main sources that consumers use to judge a wine. These new benchmarks are an unprecedented counterweight to the existing classifications. Great wines are now navigating a new galaxy: the digital world, less rigid and restrictive than the classifications, that has space for opinion and nuance. Above all it is in real time. The reputation of a chateau can change rapidly, whereas its classification is set in stone. The acceleration of time that the digital world offers, and corresponding customer expectations, have also contributed to the classifications’ obsolescence.

Customer experience and brand promise are what take precedence today. Try asking people what the promise of a First or Second growth is in 2022…. nobody can tell you. So, are the classifications lost forever? I don’t think so. But for them to become relevant again, it’s imperative that they undergo significant change and offer resolutely modern added value. It is only by doing so that they will be restored to their former glory. I’d love to see these ‘1st Crus Classés’ raised to the status of palaces like the Bristol, the Meurice, the Hotel Crillon or the Plaza Athénée in Paris. It is a status that is held in awe around the world, for everyone recognises the promise of a palace.

Would it not be better, today, for all chateaux with global ambitions to concentrate their efforts on their e-reputation and real world branding strategies, recognising that these values will inexorably take over in importance from outdated classifications which no longer benefit the top chateaux?

Historically classifications played an important part in increasing the visibility and desirability of the great chateaux. But in this pivotal moment in their lives, when estates are looking to create ever greater worth and reach, they no longer fulfil this role. Since the price of their wines is already high, châteaux have little room for manoeuvre on this level.  But the brand, still a greatly undervalued intangible asset, is the ideal instrument for ensuring the growth of the top chateaux that are laying the ground today for their success of tomorrow – and if a classification gets in the way of that brand, it no longer serves its purpose.

Guillaume Jourdan is founder and director of VitaBella