Bordeaux re-classified: 2009 predictions, promotions and a sixth Premier Cru

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The 1855 Bordeaux Classification was revised with projected rankings for 2009 crus based on price and quality without any tasting on March 10 before En Primeur week, annual wine futures event. Here is more information on the nine newly added wines, including a sixth Premier Cru (First Growth) and the ten that have been dropped.

The London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-ex), the fine wine exchange, based their calculations on the average case for the past five years for qualifying wines, then followed the original classification process from 1855 used by the Bordeaux Brokers Union by taking a minimum average case price to define a classification and organized them by price bands via their growths.

This new ranking has created a sixth First Growths (premiers crus) by adding the wine Mission Haut Brion. Also, Lynch Bages jumped from the 5th growths to the 2nd.

Liv-ex has deemed these ten wines as losers; all were previously classified as third, fourth and fifth by the 1855 Bordeaux classification:

Marquis d' Alesme Becker
Pouget
Tour Carnet
Desmirail
Pedesclaux
Croizet Bages
Cantemerle
Lynch Moussas
Camensac
Belgrave

But Liv-ex welcomed nine new ones in every Cru class:

Mission Haut Brion
Pape Clement
Haut Bailly
Smith Haut Lafitte
Malartic Lagraviere
Domaine de Chevalier
Haut Marbuzet
Sociando Mallet
Carbonnieux

To see a complete list of both Liv-ex and the 1855 classifications of all the growths, price projections and rankings, go to: http://liv-ex.typepad.com/livex_fine_wine_market_bl/2009/03/the-liv-ex-bordeaux-classification.htm