First Growths, Premier cru

Premier cru, the French phrase meaning "first growth", refers to a classification of elite wines primarily from the Bordeaux region of France. It is the highest subcategory of cru classé, or classed growth.

For the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France’s best wines, which were to be displayed for visitors from around the world. Brokers from the wine industry ranked the wines according to a château’s reputation and trading price, which were directly related to quality. With several thousand different château producing their own wines in Bordeaux, to be classified was to carry a mark of high prestige.

The result was the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. The best of the best wines were assigned the highest rank of Premier Cru. Only four wines, Château Latour, Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Margaux and Château Haut-Brion were deemed worthy. The 1855 list remained unchanged for over a hundred years, until Château Mouton-Rothschild was promoted to Premier Cru status in 1973.

Bordeaux wines that achieve this ultimate ranking may put “Premier Grand Cru Classé” on their labels. Currently, only the Pétrus rivals the five First Growths in status.

If you are interested in finding out more about purchasing Premier Cru fine wines please contact one of our brokers at Capital Vintners.  See contact us for details.

Alternatively see our guide to buying and selling fine Bordeaux wines.