First Growth (French Premier Cru) status refers to the greatest wines of the Bordeaux region. A glass of red wine Wine display at the Mt Markey Winery This article is about the beverage. ... For the wine, see Bordeaux Wine City motto: Lilia sola regunt lunam undas castra leonem. ...

According to the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, only four red wines were assigned the status of Premier Cru, three from Médoc and one from Graves. In addition, eleven of the sweet white wines of Sauternes and Barsac were classed as Premier Cru, and one (Château d'Yquem) was granted a special Premier Cru Supérieur (Great First Growth) classification. For the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for Frances best Bordeaux wines which were to be on display for visitors from around the world. ... The Médoc is one of the most famous of the French wine-growing regions, consisting of the region in the département of Gironde, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux. ... Graves (meaning gravel land in French) is an important wine region of Bordeaux, producing over 20 million bottles each year. ... Sauternes is a commune of the Gironde département in France. ... Barsac is a town on the left bank of the Garonne river in the Gironde département in south west France. ... Château dYquem is a Premier Cru Supérieur (French, Great First Growth or Great First Vintage) wine from the Sauternes region in the southern part of Bordeaux. ...

With the exception of Château Haut-Brion from Graves, the 1855 Classification overlooked the regions of Graves, Saint-Emilion and Pomerol entirely, despite the fact that several were and remain to be ranked among the finest red wines in the world. For details on their own classification schemes, see their sections below. Graves (meaning gravel land in French) is an important wine region of Bordeaux, producing over 20 million bottles each year. ... Saint-Émilion is a small town near Bordeaux, France that is famous for the eponymous wine region that surrounds it. ... Pomerol is a village and wine growing region (AOC) in France. ...

In addition, Burgundy maintains its own classification scheme based on specific appellations. Coat of arms of the 2nd duchy of JOSH GARLAND Burgundy and later of the French province of Burgundy Burgundy (French: Bourgogne) is a historic region of France, inhabited in turn by Pre-Indo-European people, Celts (Gauls), Romans (Gallo-Romans), and various Germanic tribes, most importantly the Burgundians and... An appellation in its broadest sense is a name or designation. ...

Médoc

In the 1855 classification, three wines were assigned the status Premiers Crus.

• Château Lafite Rothschild (Pauillac)
• Château Margaux (Margaux)
• Château Latour (Pauillac)

Another château, Château Mouton-Rothschild, also from the commune of Pauillac, was elevated to the status of Premier Cru in 1973 and remains the only change to the original list. REDIRECT Ch�teau_Lafite-Rothschild ... Pauillac is a small village and port on the Gironde estuary, famed for producing some of the finest and longest-lasting red wine in the world. ... The vineyard of Château Margaux stands as the producer of one of the worlds greatest and most sought-after red wines. ... Margaux is a village and commune in the Gironde département of south-west France, famed for its production of red wine. ... Château Latour In most appraisals of the wine-growing world, the five First Growth Châteaux of the famous 1855 Bordeaux Classification are placed among the very best in the world. ... A château (French for castle; plural châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of gentry, usually French, with or without fortifications. ... Château Mouton Rothschild, located 50 km (30 mi) north-west of the city of Bordeaux, France in an area known as the Médoc, specifically the village of Pauillac. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ...

In addition to the five Premiers Crus there are 12 Deuxièmes Crus, 14 Troisièmes Crus, 11 Quatrièmes Crus and 17 Cinquièmes Crus.

Sauternes

The sweet white wines of Sauternes and Barsac were classified in the original 1855 scheme, and have thus remained unchanged ever since. In addition to the 12 Premiers Crus, it assigned a further 14 wines the label Second Cru (sic). The first growths are listed here with the commune (village) into which they fell in 1855.

Premier Cru Supérieur

• Château d'Yquem (Sauternes)

Château dYquem is a Premier Cru Supérieur (French, Great First Growth or Great First Vintage) wine from the Sauternes region in the southern part of Bordeaux. ...

Premier Cru

• Château Coutet (Barsac)
• Château Climens (Barsac)
• Château Clos Haut-Peyraguey (Bommes)
• Château Guiraud (Sauternes)
• Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey (Bommes)
• Château Rabaud-Promis (Bommes)
• Château Rabaud-Sigalas (Bommes)
• Château Rayne-Vigneau (Bommes)
• Château Rieussec (Fargues)
• Château de Suduiraut (Preignac)
• Château La Tour-Blanche (Bommes)

The communes of Bommes, Fargues and Preignac now fall into the single commune of Sauternes.

Graves

Only a single producer from Graves and Pessac-Léognan was included in the classification of 1855, and was assigned the status of Premier Cru: Pessac-Léognan is one of the most important of the French wine appellations, and consists of many of the finest of the vineyards of the Bordeaux region. ...

• Château Haut-Brion (Pessac)

After the Second World War the omission of the great wines of Graves from the official classification was having a noticeable effect on the price and desirability of wines from the region, and so in 1953 the region announced its own classification of red wines, with white wines being added in 1959. Sixteen wines were given special classification. Château Haut-Brion is located in Pessac, Graves just one mile (2 km) from the city of Bordeaux in France (Appellation Graves Controlée). ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Château Bouscaut (red & white)
• Château Carbonnieux (red & white)
• Château Couhins (white)
• Château Couhins Lurton (white)
• Château Domaine de Chevalier (red & white)
• Château Fieuzal (red)
• Château Haut-Bailly (red)
• Château Haut-Brion (red)
• Château La Mission Haut-Brion (red)
• Château Latour Haut-Brion (red)
• Château La Tour Martillac (red & white)
• Château Laville Haut-Brion (white)
• Château Malartic-Lagravière (red & white)
• Château Olivier (red & white)
• Château Pape Clément (red)
• Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte (red)

Saint-Emilion

The region of Saint-Emilion offered its own classification in 1955, and is unique in that it is updated approximately every ten years with each wine able to be promoted or relegated according to quality. The scheme labelled eleven wines Premiers Grands Crus Classés, subdivided into two further classes A and B, and a further 63 wines were classified Grands Crus Classés. 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Premiers Grands Crus Classés - A

• Château Ausone
• Château Cheval-Blanc

Premiers Grands Crus Classés - B

• Château Beauséjour-Dufau-Lagarosse
• Château Belair
• Château Canon
• Château Clos Fourtet
• Château Figeac
• Château La Gaffelière
• Château Magdelaine
• Château Pavie
• Château Trottevieille

Pomerol

Despite being one of the greatest appellations of Bordeaux, Pomerol has refused to create any sort of classification scheme. It is remarkable that despite this, it has consistently produced red wines that are among the most expensive in the world, such as the much sought after Château Pétrus. Château Pétrus is the flagship wine of the Pomerol wine region in Bordeaux. ...

Burgundy

The region of Burgundy also maintains its own classification of Grands Crus and Premiers Crus generally controlled by the geographical specificity of the appellations used on the bottle. For example, only a Grand Cru wine is permitted to use Appellation Chambertin Contrôlée on its label, whereas wines bearing Appellation Clos Saint-Jacques Contrôlée are implicitly of Premier Cru status, despite both being from the village of Gevrey-Chambertin. Coat of arms of the 2nd duchy of JOSH GARLAND Burgundy and later of the French province of Burgundy Burgundy (French: Bourgogne) is a historic region of France, inhabited in turn by Pre-Indo-European people, Celts (Gauls), Romans (Gallo-Romans), and various Germanic tribes, most importantly the Burgundians and... An appellation in its broadest sense is a name or designation. ...