First Growth Bordeaux

It all started when Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordeaux wines that were to be on display at the1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris. Brokers from the wine industry ranked the wines according to a château's reputation and trading price, which at that time was directly related to quality. Ultimately this work gave birth to the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. Wines were ranked in importance from first to fifth growths (crus). Four of the red wines that made it to the First Growth on the list came from the Médoc: Ch. Lafite, Ch. Mouton Rothschild, Ch. Margaux and Ch. Latour and one from Grave: Haut-Brion. Today The First Growth Bordeaux wines are among the world’s most expensive and famous wines.