Classified Growths, 2nd Wine, and 2nd Label
Sometimes, people who are not knowledgeable about French wines, and more especially Bordeaux and its classification, seem to mistake 2nd growth with the 2nd wine or 2nd label, confusing them or misunderstanding the concept of them.
It is easy to differentiate them. A "growth" is part of the ranking system of a classification, like 1st growth, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th growth, of the 1855 Bordeaux Classification of the Bordeaux left bank wines.
While a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd wine is part of a tiered pyramid-like structure quality system often used in many Bordeaux wineries to differentiate their wines: a "grand vin" (first wine), a "second wine," and a "third wine".
2nd and 3rd labels are often confused with 2nd wine or 3rd wine; for many people, they are the same, yet, personally, I differentiate them.
It happened with one of my colleagues at work who enjoys wine from time to time but has little knowledge about the history and/or classification of Bordeaux wines. He was confused with 2nd growth, 2nd wine, and 2nd label.
Therefore, I tried to answer his question as simply and clearly as possible, and it inspired me to write this post for anyone interested in learning about the differences.
Let's try to define them to have a clearer idea of what they are...
Classified Growths
The term "Classified Growths" (or "Crus Classés" in French) usually refers to Bordeaux Wines. It basically represents the listed Chateaux included in the original "1855 Bordeaux Classification," as well as the Chateaux resulting from property splits due to new ownership or family matters.
Although the list only stated them as "Crus" (Premiers Crus, Deuxième Crus, etc...), the word "Grand" ("Great") was added to their title to become "Grand Cru" (see labels below for examples)
For the Reds:
- 56 Châteaux from the "Haut-Médoc"
- 4 Premiers Grands Crus Classés (1st Growths)
- 12 Seconds Grands Crus Classés (2nd Growths) (including Mouton *)
- 14 Troisièmes Grands Crus Classés (3rd Growths)
- 10 Quatrièmes Grands Crus Classés (4th Growths)
- 17 Cinquièmes Grands Crus Classés (5th Growths) (+ Cantemerle added later **)
- 1 Château from the "Graves"
- 1 Premier Grand Cru Classé (Haut Brion)
For the Whites (Sweet):
- 21 Châteaux from the "Sauternes-Barsac" region
- 1 Premier Cru Supérieur
- 9 Premiers Crus
- 11 Second Crus
FYI: Despite Château Lafite-Rothschild, 3 of the original 4 "First Classified Growths" bear the name "Premier Grand Cru Classé" on their label. Some 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th growths also bear "Grand Cru Classé en 1855" on their label.
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| Châteaux Margaux - Latour - Haut Brion Collage - ©LeDomduVin |
NB: 2 more Classifications were established later on for the "Graves" and "Saint-Emilion" regions, with Châteaux also bearing on their labels the name of "Classified Growth" or "Great Classified Growth" ("Cru Classé" or "Grand Cru Classé" in French)
- Graves - Pessac-Léognan: The First Classification was established in 1953 but officialized in 1959 (read the press release details about this classification here)
- Saint-Emilion: First Classification in 1955, updated in 1969, then 1986, 1996, and 2006, declared invalid (back to the classification of 1996 between 2006 and 2009), the latest Classification dates from 2012. (Read the press release details of this newest classification here)
You can also check a full listing of the wines for these 3 classifications here, and you will surely notice the usual recurring mistakes made in all 1855 Bordeaux Classification I could find on the internet, which are:
(*) Château Mouton-Rothschild was a 2nd Growth in 1855 and was only elevated to the rank of 1st Growth in 1973, yet most listings I found include it in the 1st Growth of 1855, which is wrong and makes me wonder why people do not check prior publishing such incorrect lists on the internet.
(**) Château Cantemerle was apparently not listed on the 1855 list. It appears that it was added to the Classification List the following year, in 1856. Was it forgotten or omitted from the original list and then added later? Who knows, really? We know that some writings on the subject are quite controversial and/or contradictory on whether Cantemerle was part of the original 1855 Classification list or not.
However, suppose one looks at the original classification list (see the picture below at the end of the list of the "Cinquièmes Crus"). In that case, it is clear that Cantemerle was added after the completion of the list. The font, size, and handwriting style are quite different from those of the original list. Therefore, it was added for sure after. Whether it was in 1855 or 1856 will be difficult to know now. Another controversial fact about Cantemerle from these writings is that, despite proofs of its existence dating back to the 12th Century, it seems that Chateau Cantemerle has never appeared on Bordeaux Wine Region maps before 1856. This is surprising, but maybe the best approach would be to ask the Chateau directly.
I wrote a little about the 1855 Bordeaux Classification further below in this post to complement this "Classified Growths" chapter.
2nd Wine (or 3rd wine)
A 2nd wine is a wine also produced at the Chateau and from the same appellation (AOC), but usually can either come from:
- From younger vineyards that are not used for the Grand Vin
- Or from vineyards that do not produce grapes of high quality enough to be included in the production of the "Grand Vin" due to various factors (Terroir: soils, subsoils, inclination, exposition, orientation, climate, environment, etc...).
The best parcels are usually reserved for producing the "Grand Vin," and lesser or younger parcels to make the 2nd or even 3rd wine.
For example, Chateau Latour produces 3 wines at the Chateau, all from the Pauillac Appellation Contrôlée.
- Château Latour - 1st Wine or "Grand Vin"
- Les Forts de Latour - 2nd Wine
- Pauillac (also known as "Le Pauillac de Château Latour") - 3rd Wine
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| Châteaux Latour - Les Forts de LaTour - Pauillac Collage - ©LeDomduVin |
2nd Label (or 3rd Label)
Often confused with or referred to as a "second wine," a" second label" is, in my opinion and by definition, a totally different wine (than a "second wine").
A "2nd label" is usually also produced at the Chateau, but can either come from:
- From a specific vineyard, parcel, or cru of the same appellation (AOC)
- From vineyards outside the appellation of the "Grand Vin" within a more generic appellation
- From declassified wines not good enough to pass the quality standards for the upper-rank
- From grapes not authorized in the specific appellation of the Grand Vin, but that can still be used for more generic appellation wines
- From a vineyard reattached to the Chateau but located nearby or in a neighboring appellation.
For example, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild produces three wines at the Chateau, two under the Pauillac Appellation and one under the Bordeaux Appellation, which, in my opinion, can be considered a second label.
- Château Mouton-Rothschild - Pauillac - First Wine or "Grand Vin"
- Le Petit Mouton - Pauillac - 2nd Wine
- Mouton Cadet—Bordeaux—2nd Label or 3rd Label (I'll let you decide, depending on your perspective) is produced from grapes sourced in Pauillac and neighboring appellations.
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| Châteaux Mouton-Rothschild - Le Petit Mouton - Mouton Cadet Collage - ©LeDomduVin |
To Recap
- The 1st wine or 1st label is always the "Grand Vin", meaning the main wine from one producer produced from one appellation.
- The 2nd and/or 3rd wine is usually made from younger vines, specific parcels, or the finished wine that isn't good enough to be the grand vin or the 2nd wine, typically from the same appellation.
- The 2nd label and/or the 3rd label is usually made from vines outside the appellation of the grand vin, often a more generic appellation.
Some people may tell you that 2nd wine ("second vin" as we say in French) is a term commonly used in Bordeaux wine to refer to a 2nd label wine made from a cuvée not selected for the Grand vin or first label. Therefore, they often equate "2nd wine" with "2nd label." However, as I mentioned in this post, I personally make a point of differentiating "2nd wine" and "2nd label."
As shown in the examples above, Chateau Latour produces a first wine or Grand Vin: "Chateau Latour", a second wine: "Les Forts de Latour", and a third wine: "Pauillac". In comparison, Chateau Mouton Rothschild produces a first wine or Grand Vin: "Chateau Mouton-Rothschild", a second wine: "Le Petit Mouton," and another wine which, in my opinion, is a second or third label: Mouton Cadet, as it is labeled under a generic appellation, Bordeaux, instead of Pauillac, which differs from the Grand Vin and the second wine.
Et Voilà! I hope it makes sense to you. It does to me. And that is the simplest way to explain the differences between a 2nd growth and a 2nd wine or 2nd label. I hope it helped you to clarify and/or even answer your questions. Leave me a comment in the comments box at the end of this post if you have any on the subject, and let's discuss it :-)
And now, to complement the Classified Growths Chapter above, let's talk about the 1855 Bordeaux Classification in Photos. Visuals often speak louder than words, and too many long articles have already been written on the subject.
1855 Bordeaux Classification
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| 1855 Bordeaux Classification (Courtesy of Cadman Fine Wines) |
The 1855 Bordeaux Classification
In 1855, Emperor Napoleon III requested that wine Brokers, Negociants, and/or Merchants create a Classification system of the best Bordeaux wines to be displayed for visitors at the "Exposition Universelle de Paris."
They first established a list of the best Chateaux in Bordeaux based on their reputation and notoriety, then ranked them by adding the Chateau's trading prices, which, at the time, was a reflection of their quality (I said "at the time" because, nowadays, if the Classification had to be redone, people would realize that high price is not always reflecting the quality of the wine and the ranking of these same wines will definitely not be the same.... but that will be the subject of another post).
At the time, only the wines from the Left Bank (left of the Garonne River and Gironde Estuary) were ranked and divided into 2 main categories:
- The Reds of the Gironde (Reds of the Haut-Medoc region mostly + Haut Brion from the Graves region)
- The Whites of the Gironde (Whites of the Sauternes-Barsac region)
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| Bordeaux Left Bank Map (Courtesy of www.wino4life.com) |
The wines were ranked and sorted by order of importance, notoriety, and price.
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| 1855 Bordeaux Classification Original handwritten letter preceding the list of classified growths (courtesy of here) |
Most Reds came from the Médoc region except for Château Haut-Brion from Graves.
The list was divided into five categories, from the First to the Fifth growths (or "Crus" in French).
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| 1855 Bordeaux Classification red wines 1st and 2nd Growths (Courtesy of www.bordeauxwineblog.com) |
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| 1855 Bordeaux Classification red wines 3rd and 4th Growths (Courtesy of https://i.servimg.com) |
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| 1855 Bordeaux Classification red wines 5th Growths (Courtesy of https://journalepicurien.com) |
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| 1855 Bordeaux Classification red wines 5th Growths (courtesy of click here) |
As for the white wines, the classification concerned only the sweet wine of Sauternes and Barsac, which were ranked in 3 categories: Superior First Growth, First Growths, and Second Growths.
The classification of French wineries, estates, and vineyards does not solely stop at Bordeaux. Other French Regions, like Burgundy and Alsace, also possess their own "Grand Crus" and "Premiers Crus."
Cheers! Santé!
Dom
And drink good wines. Life is too short to drink bad wines!
And do me a favor, stop thinking that good wines are always expensive.
There plenty of great wines at very affordable prices out there, just look for them, they exist...!?!
LeDomduVin a.k.a Dominique Noël
@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wine #bordeaux #grandcru #grandscrus #history #secondwine #secondlabel #classifiedgrowths #1855classification
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