Grand Cru

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The term Grand Cru ( French , literally "large greenhouse") is usually used for wine, but also for chocolate and coffee and also for some types of beer .

The different wine-growing regions of France define Grand Cru differently. In some wine-growing regions in Germany, the term Großes Gewächs is an equivalent for the highest classification level of wines from wineries that are members of the Association of German Predicate and Quality Wineries and the Bernkasteler Ring . In the Swiss canton of Valais , “Grand Cru” (GC) is a wine of higher quality that emphasizes the typicality of the terroir and the uniqueness of the local and traditional Valais grape varieties.

Burgundy

In Burgundy , Grand Cru refers to the location . In 1935, all of the Côte-d'Or vineyards were officially classified. Grands Crus are the best locations. This does not automatically mean that the best wine always comes from these - it also depends very much on the way of working and the commitment of the respective winemaker. One of the most famous Grand Cru locations is the Clos de Vougeot . The ownership of this location is shared by around 80 wineries that bottle wines of the most varied of quality. Other famous Grand Crus are Chambertin , Musigny , Richebourg , La Romanée , Romanée-Conti , La Tâche and Corton for red wine and Corton-Charlemagne and Montrachet for white wine.

Each Burgundy Grand Cru has its own appellation (controlled designation of origin).

In second place in the hierarchy comes the Premier Cru location classification . Then come the communal appellations, in which the name of the most famous location is often appended to the name of the commune, for example Gevrey-Chambertin .

Bordeaux

In the Bordeaux wine-growing region , Grand Cru or Cru Classé is the property of a winery (Château) and not a single location (see Burgundy or Alsace). The reasons for this lie in the historical development of viticulture in the Bordelais: The leading châteaux, especially those of the Médoc , were only systematically planted in the best locations from the end of the 17th century. Since then, numerous parcels have changed hands, but nothing has changed substantially in the vineyards of the best estates. Therefore, the location and the château are always identified with one another.

Most of Bordeaux's leading goods have come together in the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux . Membership in this exclusive club is not tied to the official classifications, but it is an equally significant indication of belonging to the wine-growing elite. The thousands of "less privileged" wineries have been classified as cru bourgeois , "bourgeois plants" , since the 1930s .

See also Bordeaux classification .

Médoc

Château Lafite-Rothschild 1983

In the wine-growing region around Bordeaux , the best goods were put together in a list as Grand Cru Classé for the Paris World Exhibition in 1855 . These goods were subdivided into five classes using the French ordinal numbers Premier , Deuxième , etc. These 65 or so wineries represented then (and also today for the most part) the "nobility" of wine-growing in Bordeaux, more precisely: the Médoc peninsula northwest of Bordeaux. The criterion for the subdivision was the average sales price of the wines at that epoch, based on the experience of several decades.

There has only been one change since 1855: Château Mouton-Rothschild was only promoted to Premier Grand Cru in 1973 from the Deuxième Grand Cru, which was allowed to carry the addition "Premier des Seconds" (first of the second). This long, elapsed time with almost no correction of the classification means indirectly that the old classification no longer corresponds in part to today's quality conditions. But nobody really likes to touch them to revise them; this classification is considered sacrosanct in France. Depending on their personal preferences, wine lovers have their own assessments, apart from the Grand Cru ranks, as to which wines are particularly worthwhile. The vintage differences are also far more important than the classification differences: A wine from a low-ranking estate from an excellent year will usually taste much better than the wine from a grand cru classified estate in a moderate year. A blatant example of an incorrect classification is the Château Lynch-Bages in Pauillac, previously classified as the fifth plant. For a long time, however, the estate has been working reliably on a par with the Deuxièmes, the Second Goods. What is also reflected in the prices: among the fifth goods, the wine from Château Lynch-Bages is by far the most expensive. Another example is the Château Palmer in Margaux , a Troisième Cru that has ranked immediately behind Premier Cru estates for decades.

There are also a number of goods that are not initially classified as Grand Cru - those with Cru Bourgeois classification, which have long been recognized as having managed to produce wines of the Grand Crus class . An outstanding example is the Château Sociando-Mallet in Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne north of Saint-Estèphe , which works on a par with the Second Goods and can sell its wine just as dearly.

Saint-Emilion

In the Saint-Émilion growing area , the quality pyramid is called:

  • Saint-Emilion
  • Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
  • Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé, divided into:
    • Grand Cru Classé
    • Premier Grand Cru Classé, Class B
    • Premier Grand Cru Classé, Class A

All Grands Crus, with or without the addition “classé”, form their own AOC , which is newly awarded every year. Since more than 60% of the production is now made up of "Grand Cru", this addition does not have the same value here as it is in the Bordelais. The classification is revised approximately every 10 years, whereby the goods can also lose their rank. The last update was in 2006. In general, companies have to apply for the classification.

Graves

The classification of Graves wines has existed since 1953 and was last updated in 1959. The only classified dry white wines of the Bordelais can be found here. There is no hierarchy within the classified wines; a revision of the classification is not planned. The French name of the wines is Cru Classé des Graves .

Pomerol

The most expensive Bordeaux, Château Pétrus from the Pomerol growing region , is not a Grand Cru, although it does not need to shy away from comparison with the wines of the Médoc. The "Nobel Appellation" Pomerol has no official classification.

Sauternes

Château d'Yquem - Great vintages - (1986)

The noble sweet white wines from the communities of Sauternes and Barsac were also classified in 1855 .

Champagne

KRUG vintage champagne in wooden packaging, 1982 and 1983

In Champagne , neither estates nor vineyards are classified, but the wine-growing communities. The price achieved by the winegrowers for their champagne grapes provided the basis of a scale ranging from 80% to 100%. The municipalities whose grapes achieved the maximum price of 100% are allowed to use the designation Grand Cru. The same applies to a champagne made exclusively from grapes from Grand Cru communities. However, since they are mostly cuvées from a wide variety of locations, Grand Crus are very rare. In addition, the brand name of the house is in the foreground when it comes to champagne. This is why the top cuvées of the big champagne houses, which are de facto often pure Grand Crus, do not have this name on their label.

The most famous of the 17 Grand Cru locations are Ambonnay, Avize , Aÿ , Bouzy, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger , Oger , Verzenay and Verzy.

Alsace

In 1975, the Schlossberg vineyard was recognized as the first Grand Cru vineyard in Alsace . 50 other top locations followed in two stages. Each of these Grand Crus has its own appellation. Approved grape varieties are Riesling , Gewürztraminer , Pinot Gris and Muscat ( Muscatel and Muscat-Ottonel ). The most famous locations are the Rangen , the Kastelberg and the Schlossberg . See also Alsace Grand Cru .

Swiss canton of Valais

The designation "Grand Cru" (GC) is reserved for the following indigenous (autochthonous) and traditional Valais grape varieties:

There are u. a. the yield limits per unit area are set as follows:

  • Fendant 1.1 kg per m 2
  • Johannisberg 1 kg per m 2
  • other white and red grape varieties 0.8 kg per m 2

literature

  • Pierre Galet : Cépages et Vignobles de France. Tome 3: Les Vignobles de France. Volume 1: Méditerranée, Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne, Franche-Comté, Alsace-Lorraine. 2nd édition entièrement refondue. Tec & Doc, Paris et al. 2004, ISBN 2-7430-0585-8 .
  • Benoît France (ed.): Grand Atlas des Vignobles de France. Éditions SOLAR, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-263-03242-8 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Article 85 of the (PDF) Ordinance on Viticulture and Wine (VRW, 916.142) , Sion March 17, 2004.
  2. Articles 32 and 88 of the Ordinance on Viticulture and Wine (VRW, 916.142) , Sion March 17, 2004.
  3. Article 91 of the Ordinance on Viticulture and Wine (VRW, 916.142) , Sion March 17, 2004.