🏷️ Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855

The 1855 Classification is a list of the best châteaux of Bordeaux. It was drawn up for the Paris World Fair of 1855 at the request of Emperor Napoleon III. It was based on the price of the wine: the higher the price, the higher the rank.

The list included red wines of the Médoc and one red from Graves (Haut-Brion), as well as the sweet white wines of Sauternes. Red châteaux were divided into five ranks, from first to fifth. Sauternes got its own scale. The list has hardly changed: the one notable change came in 1973, when Château Mouton Rothschild was moved up to first growth.

It classifies châteaux, not individual plots as in Burgundy. It belongs to the "grand cru classé" idea and sets a pattern for wine classification. Later lists appeared: the classifications of Saint-Émilion and Graves, and the crus bourgeois for lesser Médoc châteaux. For collectors the 1855 list still serves as a reference.