Château Angélus has chosen not to be included in the 2022 update of the Saint Emilion classification. This announcement comes a few months after two other A-chateaux dropped out, Cheval Blanc and Ausone. Angélus, together with Château Pavie, reached the highest level, premier grand cru classé A, at the update in 2006 (and approved in 2012).
But this will not mean the end of the classification. Whatever reasons the three chateaux state for leaving, the bottom line is that they are so well known that they do not have to be classified. It is not uncommon for famous producers to refrain from classifications and wine competitions.
Look at the cru bourgeois classification in Médoc (albeit a classification with a lower status factor than the one in Saint Emilion). Here, several top chateaux choose not to be involved, such as Phelan Ségur, Chasse-Spleen, Fourcas-Hosten and Rolland de By. As to wine competitions, those already known do not need a medal. Classifications are primarily a marketing tool. Participating can even be a disadvantage if they do not end up in the top group or do not win a great gold medal. And with blind tastings, you never know.
Read more on the value of classifications and about their foundations.
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