IS THIS THE FINAL EPISODE IN THE SAINT-EMILION CLASSIFICATION SAGA?

The Bordeaux administrative court of appeal could reinstate the great growths classification of Saint-Emilion which was cancelled last year :

The Saint-Emilion classification has been through troubled times in the past year : suspension, cancellation, chambers referal, legal amendments and a constitutional advisory committee...The legal imbroglio surrounding the hierarchy of the great estates of Saint-Emilion which was declared invalid last year by the administrative tribunal, may finally have come to an end.

Yesterday, Patrice Lerner, who is the spokesman for the Bordeaux administrative court of appeal, announced the partial cancellation of the 2006 - 2016 classification. If this is the case, the 61 distinguished classified growth and first classified growth estates and among them the eight châteaux which were promoted to classified growth status in 2006 will all be reinstated. The eight properties which lost their classified status in 2006 and which appealed against this decision, will be given the chance to recover their classification because each case will be re-examined by the classification committee.

The basic problem of inequality remains : this concerns the manner in which the contestants' wines were tasted and compared during the last classification in 2006. From the beginning of the tasting, which involved a total of 95 candidates, the classification committee had separated the wines from the 66 estates who were candidates for renewal of their classifed status from those who were competing for a chance to become classified growths. The committee argued that this method enabled the tasters to have a "quality reference level" to which the wines were compared.
"This was unequal differentiation," explains Patrice Lerner. The 1996 - 2006 classification should not have been taken into account in judging the new classification. "The tastings were not done anonymously", regrets Jean-Philippe Magret, who is defense lawyer for two châteaux who were de-classified, Croque-Michotte and La Tour du Pin Figeac. The first A and B classified growths which are the appellation's élite, were clearly visible because they were merely there to renew their status at the top of the hierarchy.

Legal subtlety :

A "grand cru classé" label ensures a price increase of 30% on a bottle and doubles the real estate value per hectare. These are arguments put firmly forward by those in charge of the appellation system, especially since the classfied hierarchy has been under threat.
There were sighs of relief yesterday after spokesman Patrice Lerner explained that it was not a question of erasing the 2006 - 2016 classification by the mere signing of a document.
The legal reasoning behind this statement is founded on the distinction between the competition and the examination.
In the first case, the candidates' wines are compared to eachother. In the second case, candidates are judged in relation to a level of quality. If the classification tasting is considered to be a competition, then any proved discrimination would invalidate the whole proceedure.
If, however, the tasting was considered to be an examination, only the jury's decision concerning the penalised candidates would be invalid.

As there is a limit to the number of châteaux admitted into the classified élite (not more than 90), surely the classification tasting is more a competition than an exam?
"We must put things into perspective. There were only 95 candidates after all," says Patrice Lerner, who lays emphasis on the fact that the jury made decisions based on the "quality reference level" . Where there is a level, there is surely an examination with a pass or a fail in relation to that reference level.....

"Either this classification is legally acceptable or it is not. There must be a clear decision," demands Philippe Thevenin, who is defending Châteaux Cadet Bon, Guadet-Saint-Julien and Lamarzelle.
The proprietors of these châteaux and the rest of those who 'failed' to pass the jury's tasting test, are not particularly reassured by the idea of having to take the exam again. They have not minced their words during this affair and the jury is well aware of that.

As Jean-Claude Martin, defense lawyer for one of the châteaux, said yesterday :"Everyone admits it. Bordeaux wines are getting better and better in terms of quality. However, there are less and less great classified growths in Saint-Emilion : 61 today as opposed to 84 in 1969. People are no longer thinking about the wine itself. All they think about is money. This classification is actually no more than a élitist club of brand-names whose hope is to find Château Ausone or Château Cheval Blanc on tables for 1200 - 1500 euros a bottle."

Author:
d.Richard

doc@sudouest.com
S.O. 13/02/09

Translated by Maxine Colas.

http://bordeauxwinenews.blogsudouest.com

GOOD FOR THE HEART :

At last, some heart-warming news for wine lovers just in time for Valentine's Day!

A healthy attitude :
Following studies showing that moderate wine consumption is beneficial to health, Stéphane Courrèges, a Bordeaux oenologist and his Akima (photo), are marketing their wine "Corazon" which is rich in polyphenols.

The scientific world has come to the unanimous conclusion that regular but moderate drinking of wine, with a well-balanced meal, is good for your health : Three glasses for a man and two for a woman per day, with one day's abstinence per week is a recipe for a healthy (and longer) life.
Indeed, the "French paradox" - idea promoted by Professor Serge Renaud who ,after a brilliant international career, is now retired and living in the Gironde area - is still very much alive.

"We read everything that had been written on the subject of wine and health and decided to launch our "health wine" project in 2004," explains Sréphane Courrèges, who, not without a certain amount of nostalgia, recalls "..when I was a child, my grandfather used to pour an inch of wine in my glass, saying how good it was for my future health."

Stéphane, who lives in the Bordeaux area, is a consultant oenologist for some twenty Médoc properties including Château Greysac and La Cardonne. He and his wife have also registered as wine merchants in order to launch the new wine called "Corazon" - the Spanish word for "Heart".
This red wine is produced in A.O.C. Médoc and partly aged in oak barrels. The grapes come from plots specially selected by Stéphane. The yield is deliberately small and the grapes are at optimum maturity (even slightly over-ripe). This makes for a concentrated, full bodied wine. The production is around 30,000 bottles. The first vintage for Corazon was 2006 but it is not the vintage which figures on the label but the mention :"Rich in polyphenols".
"Polyphenols contained in wine help the body fight against cardio-vascular diseases and old age," says Akima Courrèges.

In the plant world, polyphenols form a vegetal defense mechanism and wine, which has a high tanin content, contains large amounts of polyphenols, especially resveratrol.
"We are selling our first bottles and American as well as Japanese buyers are sensitive to the health apsect of our marketing campaign," explain the Courrèges couple, who will be exhibiting both in London and at Vinexpo this year.
"However, we are not doctors and wine is not medicine! We know that associating wine and health is risky because, drunk in large quantities, wine can be a poison!"

Indeed, the "wine and health" argument could well backfire and most merchants avoid the association.

The Courrèges couple have a refreshing attitude towards the concept : "Corazon combines the pleasure of moderate wine tasting with the practical side of looking after one's health. Moderate wine drinking can be part of an individual's healthy régime, just as a balanced diet can."

Corazon is selling for 9.80 euros a bottle.

See : www.courreges-wines.com

In Brief :

THE PINK PANTHER ON A BOTTLE OF BORDEAUX 'CREMANT'(sparkling rosé wine) :

After negociations with Metro Goldwin Meyer, Jean-Christophe Icard, who is a wine producer in the Bordeaux region, acquired the right to sell his wine with a special Pink Panther label. The first bottles of this sparkling Bordeaux rosé will be on the U.S. market by the end of the month. www.chateau-orangerie.com


Author:
César Compadre

doc@sudouest.com
S.O. 12/02/09

Translated by Maxine Colas.

SUDOUEST WINE NEWS

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FREE WINE TASTINGS UNDER THREAT

Roselyn Bachelot, France's Health minister presented an extensive health bill to the French National Assembly today. The bill, which is mainly about proposed reforms in hospitals and the public health service, also contains two sections relative to wine and other alcoholic drinks.

Firstly, the use of the Internet as a legalised marketing medium in France is confirmed. This comes as a relief to wine business professionals using the Web who, since the 2008 court decision, have been living with a Damocles sword over their heads : Internet did not figure among the legal mediums specified in the Evin Law of 1991 (simply because it did not exist at the time!). Websites devoted to wine and other alcohols were therefore declared illegal last year. This new law could put an end to this anachronism. Indeed, at the end of last year, Roselyn Bachelot had declared that she was not opposed to the idea, under certain conditions (especially where young people were concerned).
Last week the National Assembly's social affairs committee prepared this amendment. And now for the bad news...Publicity via the Internet is authorized...but only for websites belonging to wine business professionals. This does not allow much scope for development in the promotion department...

The second sensitive subject dealt with in the bill is that of wine tastings : Article number 24, which concerns the prevention of alcoholism in young people, puts forward the principle of banning sales of wine "passes" or "open bars" at wine fairs and free tastings. The off-shoot effect of this ban would be to render free tastings in cellars, wine shops and at wine fairs illegal! The same goes for a tasting at a wine producer's property before choosing which bottle to buy or enjoying a glass or two at an estate during "open day" weekends in the various wine regions...

It is difficult to imagine such a stab in the back for products for which the art of tasting before purchase is often a basic principle.

This also means the end of menus with wine included or discount prices for a certain number of bottles bought.

The planned amendments to the bill, especially those proposed by the various wine regions' elected representatives, could well change all that.

César Compadre S.O. 10/02/09


In brief :
A NEW CELLAR FOR CHEVAL BLANC :

The Libourne Wine Merchants Syndicate, chaired by Gérard Milhade, celebrated its centenery today at Château Cheval Blanc, first classified growth of Saint-Emilion.
Pierre Lurton, who is the manager of this estate owned by French and Belgian industrialists Bernard Arnault and Albert Frère, took the opportunity to announce the planned construction of the château's new cellar. The architect, Christian de Portzamparc, is known world-wide and responsible for the design of the French Embassy building in Berlin and the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy Tour in New York amongst others.
Building work should begin in a few months.


Author:
César Compadre

doc@sudouest.com
S.O. 10/02/09

Translated by Maxine Colas.