Bordeaux First Growths: A True Trophy Wine For Wine Collectors

It is surprising that the classification is still in use today, however, there are many reasons for that.  First, it is a great marketing tool; Chateaux that were granted classified status like to publicize the fact.  The second reason has to do with the French psyche.  The French accept the notion, much more than other countries, that they are privileged/limited by their terroir.

In the past, wineries with exalted terroirs may have underperformed, but seldom was it acknowledged that a winery could consistently over perform their terroir.  That notion is changing as younger people take over wineries and the knowledge of how to make better wines is being applied.  

First Growths are neither rare wines nor are they particularly hard to obtain.  All you need is the money.  They can command prices of $1,000 a bottle in the best vintages and a few hundred dollars in the lesser vintages.  So, what makes them so special?

Over the years, the quality of many of these wines has ebbed and flowed.  There were times when, for reasons ranging from weather to idleness, these Chateaux did not produce wines justifying their cost.  Yet, they continued to sell because of their reputation.  The First Growths became a luxury brand that the wealthy wanted to hold in their cellars and pour for their friends.