September 18, 2026
The 1855 Classification: The Ranking That Still Defines Bordeaux Wine
A list drawn up in two weeks, based on prices, and almost unchanged for more than 170 years.
58
estates on the original list of reds
2 weeks
to draw up the list
5
levels, from First to Fifth Growth
1973
Mouton Rothschild promoted, the only change of rank
At its core, the 1855 classification ranks the best estates of Bordeaux in five levels, from First to Fifth Growth.
It was born for the Universal Exposition in Paris, and it still shapes how the world sees Bordeaux wine.
What is the
1855 classification?
It came about for the 1855 Universal Exposition in Paris. Wine brokers drew up, in two weeks, a list of the region’s best wines, based almost entirely on selling prices.
The list had 58 estates, almost all in the Médoc, with a single exception: Château Haut-Brion, in Graves.
A separate ranking covered the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, with Château d’Yquem alone at the top.
Why
in 1855?
It all starts with Napoleon III, who wanted to show the wines of France at the 1855 Universal Exposition. He turned to the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce, which handed the task to the brokers, the people who knew the market best.
Rather than taste every wine, they ranked the estates by a measurable yardstick: the prices fetched on the market over roughly thirty years. Since price and reputation go hand in hand in Bordeaux, this settled a delicate task quickly.
No blind tasting, no debate about quality: just price data.
What is missing: the Right Bank
Almost every estate comes from the Médoc, mainly Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux and Saint-Estèphe, plus Château Haut-Brion in Graves.
What surprises my guests is what is missing: the Right Bank. Château Cheval Blanc and Château Ausone, in Saint-Émilion, are not in the 1855 classification. It was not for lack of quality: the eighteenth-century quality revolution had taken hold in the Médoc first, and the Right Bank did not yet have the reputation it enjoys today.
Saint-Émilion now has its own classification, revised every ten years.
The original list
58 estates, five levels
Five levels for the reds, based on selling prices, with no blind tasting. A separate, shorter list covered Sauternes and Barsac.
First Growths
4 estates
Lafite Rothschild, Latour, Margaux and Haut-Brion.
Second and Third
12 + 14 estates
Twelve estates in the second rank, fourteen in the third.
Fourth and Fifth
11 + 17 estates
Eleven estates in the fourth rank, seventeen in the fifth.
THE 1973 EXCEPTION
The classification has seen only one change of rank. In 1973, after decades of campaigning, Château Mouton Rothschild moved from Second to First Growth, the only estate ever promoted. A few estates have split or merged, which is why the total is sometimes given as 61 instead of 58, but the levels have not moved.
Private tour
Why it still matters today
For a system built in two weeks on prices more than 170 years old, its influence remains considerable. The “classified” status still shapes demand and prices worldwide, and remains for many the reference for what a “great Bordeaux” means.
That said, I always tell my guests not to treat it as absolute truth. Many unclassified châteaux today rival their classified neighbors, or even surpass them. That is why it pays to taste for yourself, château by château.