A few years ago (2003) Cru Bourgeois classification had the same unpleasant experience as the Saint Emilion one: a revised classification was challenged in court as being unfair and unjust. The plaintiffs won and the Cru Bourgeois classification was annulled. Since then there is no Cru Bourgeois classification, albeit it continues to be used in many circumstances… Instead of trying to make a new (and fairer) classification, as will be the case in Saint Emilion, the Médocains are trying to resuscitate Cru Bourgeois not as a classification but as a kind of quality label. Instead of a classification it will be called “Alliance” Cru Bourgeois. The principle is that the chateau would sign a quality charter and the wines be subject to tasting by an independent jury. Any chateau could sign the charter and adhere to the rules. They would then be subject to controls and audits by an independent organisation. If all is well according to the controls they would get the right to use the Alliance Cru Bourgeois label (but, as mentioned, it would not be considered to be a classification). One glitch: we read in La RVF that Bureau Veritas, the independent audit and control organisation originally in the picture, has declined the project since it is “politically and humanely unmanageable”.
