I went to Bordeaux in 2017...it was a once in a lifetime trip. I spent all my time in the left back. I truly appreciated that you answered my question in Twitter for recommendation of best vineyards to visit. I learned a lot...you recommend a visit to Mouton Rothschild and they do a fantastic tour. My favorite experience was Chateau Beychevelle. I went for my birthday (14 July) and did a private tour and tasting. They were so gracious! And we did a blind tasting. It was super fun and informative. They also added one special wine because it was my birthday! I was happy they were open because it was a national holiday. Some other favorites: Lagrange, Gruaud Larose, Pontet Canet, Giscours. I would like to do a similar trip and focus on the right bank. I learned a lot...and I love this series. Thank you again for taking the time to respond to my question. Your advice was fantastic!
Wow, thanks a million for sharing an insight into your visit in the Bordeaux region. There is so many wonders for wine lovers there. I spent year's living there and working in wine, and haven't come close to seeing a tenth of it! So you were born on Bastille Day! Lucky you're not French then in a way! One of my daughters was born 15th July. It's actually a lovely time of the year for a Birthday. It's very kind of Beychevelle they opened an extra bottle for the occasion. I've never visited Pontet Canet. One I should definitely go to. Have you seen my videos about Giscours? Do you think you'll make it to go back to Bordeaux soon? Thanks so much for your support as well :-) it means a lot. It seems those who watch the series love it, but not enough know about it yet :-) Cheers, and thanks for stopping by. Have a lovely Friday, and a delightful weekend. Santé....
I guess I’m a bit of a wine geek, I love reading about wine, tasting wine, making wine! If I had to choose one particular area to drink wine from for the rest of my life it would be left bank Bordeaux. I have never tasted a first growth but have enjoyed some really nice second growths. This is the first video of yours I have watched other than your intro, I think this channel is going to be fantastic! So much of the info out there is aimed at the American wine novice, it’s really nice to have something to tickle the brains of us wine geeks for a change! Klaus
During Quarantine, I decided to do a virtual tour and refresher on the Medoc wines. I love your topics and entertaining delivery. Very informative. I live in Southern California but a huge fan of French wine. I really enjoyed your perspective on 1st-5th Growths and what it means today.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a kind note Cheryl :-) Glad to hear you're enjoying the videos, and it somewhat takes you to France a little bit during these times. If you like French wine, have a look perhaps into this playlist that gathers my wine travels, winery tours and things including quite a few in France: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KTKjf_yMP0c.html I think you mgith enjoy this one in particular about the Loire: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qgXk6-K40Eg.html If you like these wine education vids about Bordeaux wine specifically, I've just completed a series of 4 videos going around the different areas of Bordeaux for another channel here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rXdnzVzuOXo.html And just started a new series about Burgundy that you might want to follow along: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pcereAllufo.html I Love Cali. I worked in Sonoma county a little while ago, spent more time in North Cal so SoCal, but I used to judge at the LA International Wine Competition, and just missed trip to SD cebause of the lockdown. Anyways! Great to share the passion for wine, glad to hear you're enjoying at the content. Take care 🙏🙏😀🥂
Made a mistake I think in my previous comment, this is the Loire Video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qgXk6-K40Eg.html (I'll actually be publishing part 3 of the Loire trip series soon) Santé 🍷
Excellent! Glad to hear it 🙏🙏I made a video series about the different areas of Bordeaux on another channel if that may interest you 👉 ru-vid.com/show-UCcKEdHaIX31LrywZmGwRUnw And plenty of other wine videos about Bordeaux and other wines. Hope to see you around. Merci 🙏🙏😀👍🍷
Your videos have been incredibly insightful Julien. I am watching your videos for last two days only and found it really fantastic!!! Keep up your good work and wish you the best.
Bordeaux were my introduction of wine. I started at a. French restaurant in Chicago. Always have fond memories of French food and wine. Love Maxim’s in Paris!
Love your videos, they are getting me excited about wines again! Not to many people around here I can compare wine note with. I love Château Haut-Brion is one of my favorite when someone else is buying
A real pleasure to watch your films. I have started to build a collection from what I have seen and learned from you and most importantly to really understand what is to be discovered and appreciated in a quality wine. You do a wonderful job. Keep it up. PS - I have only just now really cried over a bottle of Petrus that my mother, wanting to give me a culinary surprise being invited to our home, used to make a Coq-au vin. She chose it because it had the shabbiest label.
Hello Julien. I just cam across your page yesterday-as I'm hoping to work in a French Restaurant here in Toronto (my background is Italian wine mostly). And I must say your content is amazing. I plan to watch them all. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Thanks much Haben. I'm very glad to hear my videos are useful. Feel free to just into the comments with questions or suggestions anytime. Will do my best to answer. Great to have on board. Alk the best with finding the job you want in Toronto 🤞 santé from France 🥂
Thank you- a lively topic. I like that you mention how the classified growths are mixing up the game and gaining their own momentum despite the inherent title held by the 5 first growths. For some reason, I am drawn to the right bank (Cheval Blanc, Le Pin) though only had a taste. And, I confess I haven't the riches nor the connections (yet) to taste a Margaux or Ch. Latour...I do have a Fourth Growth 2015 Ch. Beychevelle that you have inspired me to crack open-what am I waiting for? Next year may be my year to indulge since I am moving to Spain and Bordeaux is not that far away ( I'm in California, now). P.S. I love how thoughtful your replies are to all your subscribers- your passion is infectious and authentic.
Hi therr. Well, if you've tried Le Pin and Pétrus, that's a pretty good head start! I've always been more left bank, because i worked at Chateau Margaux and later in the Graves/Pessac-Leognan. But of course right bank wines are fantastic. I guess it's the Merlot influence that you like. Although Cheval Blanc has a fair bit of Cab Franc as well. I've tasted a few Cheval Blanc, and visited it several times, but that was before they built the whole new winery stuff. Beychevelle 2015 could wait a little more, although fair enough if you want to enjoy it and find out what it's got to say. Good to have you around, hope you'll enjoy the videos, and I'll be looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Spain is amazing. Lived and worked there as a winemaker for a couple of years. Where about will you be?
Definitely sounds like the classification needs to change. Also French wine is so complicated to understand, it puts people off and they then buy new world ones. Thank you for helping decode everything 👍
Great insider info. I remember little wineries (Right Bank) with wines that just were (if classified, i.e., "in the club") that blew everything else away.
man, absolutely, there are some very good wineries and wines in the area, glad to hear you can appreciate it. Thanks for stopping by, will keep sharing love and passion for wine Cheers 🙏😊🥂
These little artisan wineries are precisely what I will be looking for when I visit Bordeaux for my blog (winesnob.blog). It's very refreshing to get an industry insider perspective on the Bordeaux region. Merci beaucoup Julien!
TY very much Laura, glad it's useful :-) Hope you enjoy some other videos, plenty to watch around. Are you studying wine, or just for leisure and out of curiosity?
Excellent Teng, glad to hear it :-) There's quite a bit of wine videos about Bordeaux on this channel, all gathered in this playlist if you want to have a look around: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PH_j4jeDK5A.html I also made a complete series about Bordeaux wines, explaining quite a lot about it region by region, for this other channel I run: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rXdnzVzuOXo.html What do you think of those? Looking forward to see you again around the channel and hearing your thoughts. Cheers 🍷🙏😊
Great video Julien. I guess if we want to stay in just the investment game of Bordeaux wine, the classification is important, but as far as enjoying the wine, this classification is extremely out of touch. Sort of like record labels in the 70s, 80s, and 90s where their labels told us who were the best bands, but it also discounted incredible music, and musicians that did not get labeled. The internet has been the great equalizer of that phenomenon, and it's playing a role in the "best wines" category today
Julien, I appreciated your video! I think that 1855 Classification was - and still is - a huge, smart marketing tool. But, as I am a very curious and an advanced learner of wine world, I have tasted some Grand Cru Classés. 17 for being more exact (until now). And my favorite is Château Léoville Las Cases, vintage 2015. What a huge, fenomenal red wine!
I'm with you Grigor. I don't think in this video i said i didn't admire or enjoy the top Grand Crus of Bordeaux for what they are. I worked at Chateau Margaux myself and tasted quite a few of the 1855 Chateaux, and yes they are some of the best wines in the world, nor arguing about it, even though I love many wines from around the world. I haven't had enough exposure to Leoville Las Cases wines though, heard about it much bu haven't had much opportunity to taste it unfortunately. Did you se ethe video I made about saint-Julien wines ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sX_desw5HP8.html ? Would be interesting to hear your thoughts. Ever tried Leoville Barton?
Great video, would be great to hear about Burgundy classification, also delving deeper into the history of specific regions and vineyards, it’s an aspect that even the best sommeliers can sometimes only glance over, France is such a historic country. I’ve read before classification even top burgundy would be spiced up with Rhone Syrah before shipping to England. Maybe some history of champagne and Champagnes relationship to Russia, sunken btls found on transit etc, their high sugar content related to Tsarist preferred taste (Jugler, Veuve Clicquot) etc. looking forward to whatever you decide!:) Regarding Bordeaux classification questions of redoing, it could make or break too many wineries now, growths can be directly proportional to market value, better to leave in the past and let the market decide prices, in my humble opinion!!:)
J'adore la raison et logique, merci bien pour m'apprenez!!!! Je pense que l'histoire est plus interresante, et les methodes? Je crois que, peut-être, il y a besoin de repairer, les familles vieux n'est pas le même... alors, je suis aussi liberal-democratique "écoutez-vous le voix de tous les peuple chantent!!!"
In the Bordeaux-region one can find some really, really good stuff for less than 50 euros; even to be stored over decades. Only a wee tiny little bit away from these classified châteaux. I'm often wondering, what is that thing with the pricy stuff? Don't we get tricked ourselves here by our psyche, when we believe, expensive things are better? And on the other hand - what happened to the psyche of people offering these expensive wines, yearning after what I would call a ramp or daylight robbery?
Agreed Didier, there certainly are some fantastic wines made in Bordeaux for less than 50 euros, and ones that will age beautifully, reaching their peak around 10-15 years of age I would say. Now as you know, the top classified growth are very demanded, they are collectible wines which brings the prices higher than the less famous ones. it's the same in every industry. Famous illustrious brands command higher prices. What's so surprising about it? As for the quality, having worked at Chateau Margaux myself, well, it's always going to be subjective. That said, the consistency at which these Grand Cru can deliver the highest standards vintage after vintage is rare. One and many would argue that the finesse, the density, the refinement and the age-worthiness of the top estates is unparalleled. For having tried a few myself, I tend to agree. Now is it worth the money? It's up to you and every wine buyer I guess. Probably not for most wine drinkers...
Very nice content. However when 1855 was established, Mouton Rothschild was only a deuxieme cru instead of Premier Cru. I wish more detailed about the Sauternes ranking were discussed especially d'Yquem.
Thanks Adrian for the additional details. Indeed. I did mention that Mouton was upgraded to 1er cru in 1973 in the vid, but Yes I think i missed to say it was 2d growth before that. Trying to keep things concise and simple to digest :-) I just started a series on Sauternes last week, not all specifically about the 1855 classification, although i do discuss it briefly in the first episode: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-V3DUjc7M1uQ.html Hope you find some interesting info there?
Hi Atul. tx for stopping by and your suggestion. How do you mean the History of wine? There's an awful lot to cover. You mean as a general overview of it, or which part of the history did you have in mind?
Sir whatever you feel pls do it in your way because I have been seeing your video since last month and I understand easily through you. I have just appeared for my wset level 3 and interested to go for higher certifications and be a Sommelier.
This is a great essay on the Bordeaux classification and further confirmed my impressions. I think the classification has no merits and should be discarded. It has stifled a lot of potential and talent in the region. It should be wide open and competitive. It has also established so many false notions in wine circles about what is a good Bordeaux and what isn't. I will be sharing this on my blog.
Sorry I missed your comment earlier B. Glad you enjoyed. Fair enough you discard the classification, it's all about how they taste now for sure. Of course the chateaus that were classified back then have had a big advantage of bringing in more sales for 170 years than the others, so they're often still very good. But there's more affordable wines that are excellent outside of this too. What is your blog?
I agree completely!!!! With the price of land, standardized production requirements, and name recognition. It must be especially difficult to change and improve your "brand" and move the needle in a positive direction. The old history books I have read especially discuss the difficulty of intergenerational transitions and inheritance law that further complicate the situation. I think that is one of the motivators for Mme. Drouhin coming here to Oregon... and I am glad she did!!!!
yes, I made a couple of videos about Robert Parker like ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MbNr7_n5bZY.html I'll speak about James Sucking in a future video on that channel soon too. CHeers!
Honestly although I'm sure that all or most of the 1855 classification Château are indeed still producing the top quality wines of today it is almost certainly in part an unfair legacy advantage which will lead to stagnation in the market. Although marketing and money will always find a way to create these unfair advantages for established brands a more informed consumer base would help ensure that brands get the attention that they deserve, not the attention that they have purchased and perpetuated.
Sure. that's a fair analysis. the 1855 classification certainly led to stagnation in Médoc for a big chunk of the 20th century, especially after WW2 and all the way up to the 1990s while quantity of production matter more than quality in France, because wine was selling and drunk whatever the quality. Lines have moved considerably since though as we know, as markets have opened up, many new producing nations and regions, Robert Parker, the Judgement of Paris, etc. Many in the 1855 classification are still making great wines, bacause as I explain in the video, they have a great terroir, and being recognised brands they have received the necessary investments to stay highly relevant. Thanks for stopping by :-) Cheers
@@RU-vidJulien Also, the market decides what tastes good and what doesn't. A good vintage of 5th growth Pontet Canet (they even have a recent 100RP point vintage) costs more than some second or third growth wines like Palmer. Then again, there are 5th growths like Clerc-Milon that are more affordable at $70 per bottle and still gain fairly good critic points (usually in the 90-93 range). Most people don't blindly buy by 1855 classification, they realize lots has happened after 164 years have passed. Some second growths can absolutely be inferior to some modern 4th or 5th growths.
Hi asking, in wine making option for red super premium priced grand Crus Classe wine How to link them to 1855 classification system?? I would love to here from you Thank you
Can anyone help me? I am looking for a very fruity tasting wine. Taste of berries, etc... I have found California wine to be more tasty, but Bordeux to be far superior and more smooth, but lacking the fruity taste. What is a good fruity tasting Bordeaux wine?
Hi man, I personally don't know of any brand with that kind of super fruity Bordeaux. They tend to be more austere there, and I'm not very sure that you can get both the super-fruitiness and the depth and complexity of superior wines. It comes with some savoriness and spices that you don't necessarily get from fruit bombs. Have you tried Beaujolais wines? I'd say some Cru Beaujolais or some Villages might be close to that style it sounds you're looking for...
Hi there. Not entirely sure I understand your question. The classification was for all the wines from Médoc, BUT all top estates are the Haut-Médoc part. The Médoc part that is not in the Haut-Médoc area (Haut-Médoc is a sub-region of Médoc), at the very North, are generally considered a little less qualitative overall, and all the very best terrois are certainly within the borders of Haut-Médoc, but I don't think the 1855 classification was ruling a border between Haut-Medoc and Medoc. There probably wasn't any distinction between the two at the time. This is more modern AOC regulation. Does that answer your question? Useful?
Hey! It would be nice if you included sources for your research, there's a lot of free material on BNF.fr, Jstor + sci-hub will take you a long way too ;). This topic prompted me to write my thesis about wine, but I didn't know about Jefferson. Good job!
It's a very good question Edith. This is a rare bottle, so there is not much of a market value that exists for. You'd have to put it on a market somehow to find out, on auction for example, online or else. As always, price could vary greatly depending on provenance, bottle condition, wheter or not you can attest or certain good storage conditions or not, etc. But this is a $30-$40 bottle of wine in a recent vintage, and not one of the great great names in Medoc. So i suspect it wouldn't fetch very high a price. But you might be able to get a few hundreds of dollars from a curious collector if the bottle and the cork are in reasonably good condition. Perhaps ask on reddit with a picture of the wine, or an online auctioneer like vinfolio. Hope this helps 🍷
Definitely needs to be redone :: with all the science that we know about grapes and climate and the changes in climate change this is going to be so outdated you might as well start to redo it now,
I Medoc specifically, there is no simple Grand Cru that would not be Grand Classé, so yes in Medoc it's the same. But beware because in Saint Emilion it's very different, Grand Cru and Cgrand Cru Classé are two very different things there. Have you watched my video about the St-Emilion classification yet? Here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HbNItY_Cj1k.html
