The art of the 1855 classification

My dear friends, good morning!

Today I made a discovery that has turned my day upside down. Listen up. With the excitement of the harvest behind me, and the weather being rainy, I decided the other day to do some reading to add to my personal culture. In the course of reading a book, I was astonished to discover that other illustrious men were born after me (what a disappointment not to be the one and only one!) There was in particular a certain Napoleon III, who seems to have left a legacy that is still with us today: the 1855 classification. Guided by my age-old thirst for knowledge, I decided to learn more. I now know that this classification was established on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of 1855 in Paris, under Napoleon III.

The Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce then sent wine brokers to draw up a list of Médoc and Sauternes crus that were likely to represent the Gironde at this event. To establish this list, they used the reputation of each growth and the market prices of the wines. Published on April 18, 1855, this classification still counts 87 classified growths today, from the 1er cru supérieur (the famous Château d’Yquem in Sauternes) to the 5e cru classé. Among them, Château Marquis de Terme occupies the very fine rank of 4th grand cru classé, what a pride! Highly respected, this hierarchy is still a reference and a guarantee of excellence for consumers, with the properties choosing only the best plots to create their cuvée bearing the mention “Grand cru classé en 1855”.

While I am just beginning to integrate this fresh knowledge, meditating on the subject under my wig, Sandrine Chamfrault, the Château’s head of wine tourism development and communication, comes into the room. Finding me thinking, she stops dead in her tracks and asks me: “Is everything all right, Marquis? “I nod and explain my discovery to her. After listening to me carefully, she adds, laughing, “and I’ll even teach you something else! “(Ahhhhhh what a well of science this Sandrine is!).

(Ahhhhhh what a well of science this Sandrine is!) “Imagine, Marquis, that the château has created ” a “Atelier Grands Crus Classés 1855” visit and tasting to help you discover this historical heritage. “Intrigued, I beg her to continue. She explains: “We have devised a two-hour tour of the estate during which visitors discover and taste a classified growth from each appellation concerned by the classification, whether it be the Médoc (Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe, Margaux, Haut-Médoc) or Sauternes and Barsac. We even won a Best Of Wine Tourism award this year, rewarding the quality of this workshop.”

Enthusiastic, I immediately ask him how to book this visit to perfect my newly acquired science on the 1855 classification. It seems that all I have to do now is go on the internet to book online at  http://leblogduchateaumarquisdeterme.com at the rate of 100€ per person.

So I’m off to learn how to run “a computer to surf the web”, as you say in 2018!

Signed: The one and only Marquis de Terme