The 1855 Bordeaux classification is the ultimate shopping list of the region's historical heavyweights. Originally ordered by Emperor Napoleon III to show off France’s finest wines at the Paris Universal Exhibition, this ranking remains a global benchmark for prestige. Based entirely on the market prices and reputations of the châteaux at the time, it split the best properties of the Left Bank into five distinct tiers, or "growths".
For everyday wine drinkers, it is a brilliant roadmap for exploring the Médoc, Pessac-Léognan, and the sweet nectar of Sauternes and Barsac. While the wine world has changed over the last two centuries, the names on this list still represent the pinnacle of traditional winemaking craft, history, and terroir.
The Red Wines: Left Bank Growths
The red wine ranking features sixty estates from the Médoc and one legendary inclusion from Pessac-Léognan (Château Haut-Brion). They are divided into five classes, from the absolute elite First Growths down to the brilliant value Fifth Growths.
PREMIERS CRUS (FIRST GROWTHS)
- Château LAFITE-ROTHSCHILD – Pauillac
- Château LATOUR – Pauillac
- Château MARGAUX – Margaux
- Château MOUTON ROTHSCHILD – Pauillac
- Château HAUT-BRION – Pessac
DEUXIÈMES CRUS (SECOND GROWTHS)
- Château RAUZAN-SÉGLA – Margaux
- Château RAUZAN-GASSIES – Margaux
- Château LÉOVILLE LAS CASES – Saint-Julien
- Château LÉOVILLE-POYFERRÉ – Saint-Julien
- Château LÉOVILLE BARTON – Saint-Julien
- Château DURFORT-VIVENS – Margaux
- Château GRUAUD LAROSE – Saint-Julien
- Château LASCOMBES – Margaux
- Château BRANE-CANTENAC – Margaux
- Château PICHON BARON – Pauillac
- Château PICHON LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE de LALANDE – Pauillac
- Château DUCRU-BEAUCAILLOU – Saint-Julien
- Château COS d’ESTOURNEL – Saint-Estèphe
- Château MONTROSE – Saint-Estèphe
TROISIÈMES CRUS (THIRD GROWTHS)
- Château KIRWAN – Margaux
- Château d’ISSAN – Margaux
- Château LAGRANGE – Saint-Julien
- Château LANGOA BARTON – Saint-Julien
- Château GISCOURS – Margaux
- Château MALESCOT SAINT-EXUPÉRY – Margaux
- Château BOYD-CANTENAC – Margaux
- Château CANTENAC BROWN – Margaux
- Château PALMER – Margaux
- Château LA LAGUNE – Haut-Médoc
- Château DESMIRAIL – Margaux
- Château CALON SÉGUR – Saint-Estèphe
- Château FERRIÈRE – Margaux
- Château MARQUIS d’ALESME BECKER – Margaux
QUATRIÈMES CRUS (FOURTH GROWTHS)
- Château SAINT-PIERRE – Saint-Julien
- Château TALBOT – Saint-Julien
- Château BRANAIRE-DUCRU – Saint-Julien
- Château DUHART-MILON – Pauillac
- Château POUGET – Margaux
- Château LA TOUR CARNET – Haut-Médoc
- Château LAFON-ROCHET – Saint-Estèphe
- Château BEYCHEVELLE – Saint-Julien
- Château PRIEURÉ-LICHINE – Margaux
- Château MARQUIS de TERME – Margaux
CINQUIÈMES CRUS (FIFTH GROWTHS)
- Château PONTET-CANET – Pauillac
- Château BATAILLEY – Pauillac
- Château HAUT-BATAILLEY – Pauillac
- Château GRAND-PUY-LACOSTE – Pauillac
- Château GRAND-PUY DUCASSE – Pauillac
- Château LYNCH-BAGES – Pauillac
- Château LYNCH-MOUSSAS – Pauillac
- Château DAUZAC – Margaux
- Château d’ARMAILHAC – Pauillac
- Château du TERTRE – Margaux
- Château HAUT-BAGES LIBÉRAL – Pauillac
- Château PÉDESCLAUX – Pauillac
- Château BELGRAVE – Haut-Médoc
- Château de CAMENSAC – Haut-Médoc
- Château COS LABORY – Saint-Estèphe
- Château CLERC MILON – Pauillac
- Château CROIZET-BAGES – Pauillac
- Château CANTEMERLE – Haut-Médoc
The Sweet White Wines: Sauternes & Barsac
The luscious, sweet white wines made from grapes touched by "noble rot" received their own parallel classification in 1855. Covering the unique, misty microclimates of Sauternes and Barsac, these twenty-six estates represent almost half of the region's vineyard area and are celebrated for their incredible longevity and rich, honeyed complexity.
PREMIER CRU SUPÉRIEUR (SUPERIOR FIRST GROWTH)
- Château d’YQUEM – Sauternes
PREMIERS CRUS (FIRST GROWTHS)
- Château LA TOUR BLANCHE – Sauternes
- Château LAFAURIE-PEYRAGUEY – Sauternes
- Clos HAUT-PEYRAGUEY – Sauternes
- Château de RAYNE VIGNEAU – Sauternes
- Château SUDUIRAUT – Sauternes
- Château COUTET – Barsac
- Château CLIMENS – Barsac
- Château GUIRAUD – Sauternes
- Château RIEUSSEC – Sauternes
- Château RABAUD-PROMIS – Sauternes
- Château SIGALAS RABAUD – Sauternes
DEUXIÈMES CRUS (SECOND GROWTHS)
- Château de MYRAT – Barsac
- Château DOISY DAËNE – Barsac
- Château DOISY-DUBROCA – Barsac
- Château DOISY-VÉDRINES – Barsac
- Château d’ARCHE – Sauternes
- Château FILHOT – Sauternes
- Château BROUSTET – Barsac
- Château NAIRAC – Barsac
- Château CAILLOU – Barsac
- Château SUAU – Barsac
- Château de MALLE – Sauternes
- Château ROMER du HAYOT – Sauternes
- Château ROMER – Sauternes
- Château LAMOTHE – Sauternes
- Château LAMOTHE-GUIGNARD – Sauternes