The Bullies of Bordeaux
Written By: Kasey Carpenter on Mon, Jul 21st 2008
In a story that just broke, the Court of Bordeaux ruled on July 1 that the 2006 St. Emilion classification is null and void. There will still be only two Premiers Grand Crus Classés A in St. Emilion - Ausone and Cheval Blanc. Everyone who was awarded the status as of 2006 will stripped and reverted back to whatever they were before.
Why the ruling? Why do you think. For starters, the "lowly" house of Figeac was rebuffed in its bid to gain Classe A status, mainly due to image and price, versus quality and ratings in the press. The Court of Bordeaux went on record as saying that: "Figeac does not sell at the same level of price as Cheval Blanc or Ausone".
Hardest hit was relative newcomer (20 years old and counting) Troplong-Mondot, who was finally awarded the coveted Premier Grand Cru Classé distinction in 2006, only to have it stripped away on July 1st. And for those of us privileged enough to have tasted that wine (98 in magnum was my first exposure) you know they deserve it.
Many producers have appealed this decision, though most are doubtful anything will even be heard within the year, in the meantime, let's hope they didn't print those labels up just yet...
What this means for collectors: not a lot since 2006 futures haven't been released yet. But what it does reinforce is that Bordeaux takes care of its own. Specifically the 1885 Club. Those who fought against the ruling cited as their main point of contention the "tasting mechanism" whereby the judges would taste a batch of already classified wines and then the underdogs, and compare accordingly. The established Chateaux were worried that this system could not be enforced as truly impartial, but would be subject to biased tastings. How nice that they were so worried about a fair and balanced system of review...
Translation: what if some of these upstarts really tasted better than us? What if they were suddenly (or over a period of years - thanks Parker) deemed more representative of St. Emilion than we ourselves, who have been the guiding light of this region now spanning three centuries?
But the rejection of Figeac says nothing of tasting, impartiality, or the excuse of a "flawed system." In fact it points to what most people would assume already: "Stay out of our racket."
In Mob-like mentality, the little guys are pushed away, the big boys can afford better legal teams and lobbyists (sound familiar?) as well as no doubt the intimate attention of the ruling Court. Put yourself in Figeac's shoes. If you want to be a Premier Cru winery, do you start asking for Premier Cru prices before you get the designation? Or do you continue to price yourself according to the classification you are currently in, and show yourself to be worthy of the designation simply on the merits of what lies in your bottles beforehand? Remember how Bordeaux, and the world in general reacted to La Mondotte's initial prices only a decade ago? Unclassified Bordeaux going for as much as the 1885 Club at the time. Does Figeac want that kind of headache?
I applaud Figeac in not asking Cheval Blanc prices just yet, even they seem to understand, despite making excellent wine and despite being a consistent proven winner in ratings and competitions, that they are no Cheval Blanc. But to be rejected solely on the basis of one's market price? That screams good old boy protectionist politics. And do you think for one second that this matter wasn't argued and debated when it first came to the table back in 2006? Come on, you know it was soundly rebuffed at the time, yet then, the Court decided to award the classifications.
Why repeal it now?
We may never know the real reason, but just looking at the periphery of the situation, the signs, the little bits and pieces that have trickled down so far, one has to feel for the cheated Chateaux and bear some sort of ill feelings towards those that protected their singular status.
Lets face it, rather than force your competition out of the race altogether, why not simply improve your product? And if you, as a Chateau, are threatened by 1) the quality and successive improvements vintage after vintage of these "lesser Chateaux" or 2) upset that "international palette" is taking over Bordeaux, then you have two things to do. You can either address the trend and say "Thank you very much Mr. Parker and all of your followers, but we will not create wines of X style and Y caliber." Or you can learn from those around you, address some of your own winemaking and growing strategies to meet and even exceed what they are doing across the road.
Look, I'm all for keeping things clean, making sure every winery plays by the rules of the region they chose to set up shop. You want to bottle Montrachet, follow the rules. You want to make Napa Cabernet, follow the rules. But to have followed the rules for decades, proven yourself in the international market and press, only to be kicked to the curb because you aren't in the same tax bracket as the "stars of the region" - well that just plain seems like prejudicial bullying of the highest order.
Boo on Bordeaux. Show me legitimate reasons for the exemptions and I will retract my "Boo" - until then, you have shown an ugly side to your way of thinking that may ultimately hurt you in the long run. But then I doubt you are too concerned with what we think, for now.
