First Growth, Second Growth and the 1855 Classification of Medoc, Bordeaux :

The classification of wines as a means to rate wines for market purposes has been attempted since the 14th century in France, Germany and Italy, but the only classification that has had any lasting value and is still respected today is the 1855 Bordeaux Classification.

By request of Napoleon III's Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1855, wine brokers were asked to rank the wines of the Médoc according to price. While that would seem to be a controversial method, the reality was that at the time (and arguably still today) price was directly related to quality. The brokers agreed on a five-class classification of 61 of the leading Medoc châteaux, the most prominent Graves châteaux Haut-Brion, and a two-class classification of Sauternes and Barsac.

The Classification was issued through the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce. Within each class, the châteaux were listed based on price in descending order. The official Classification of Sauternes-Barsac of 1855 was based on both price and the acclaim of sweet wines at the time. Château d'Yquem was raised to grand premier cru, a rank higher than any other first growth red wine.

The only change in the classification of 1855 occurred in 1973 after Baron Philippe de Rothschild lobbied to move Château Mouton-Rothschild from the top of the second growths up to first growth. At the time of the classification, the wines of Pomerol and St-Émilion were not viewed as stylish, as these areas were viewed as being detached from the rest of Bordeaux. Therefore they weren't included in the classification.

Pomerol is the smallest of the fine red-wine producing districts within Bordeaux and the only region to have never been classified, although Château Petrus is often included among the first growths. The Classification of St-Émilion was formally established in 1955, and since has been amended 3 times and will continue to be amended on the basis of wine quality, vineyard boundaries and prices. Cheval Blanc, Ausone, and Pavie are a few the great wines from this fine region. The red wines of Graves were not officially classified until 1953, and then only in a one-class system, and were immediately listed alphabetically rather than by price in order to avoid conflict. This is the system in Bordeaux. Each region has its own system of classification.