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In 1855, Napoleon III, emperor of France, decided to throw a Universal Exposition in Paris, a kind of world's fair, and wanted all the country's wines represented. He invited Bordeaux's Chamber of Commerce to arrange an exhibit. The members of the chamber knew a hornet's nest when they saw one, so they passed the buck. They agreed, according to their records, to present "all our crus classés, up to the fifth growths," but asked the Syndicat of Courtiers, an organization of wine merchants, to draw up "an exact and complete list of all the red wines of the Gironde that specifies in which class they belong."

The courtiers hardly even paused to think; two weeks later, they turned in the famous list. It included 58 chateaux: four firsts, 12 seconds, 14 thirds, 11 fourths and 17 fifths. They expected controversy. "You know as well as we do, Sirs, that this classification is a delicate task and bound to raise questions; remember that we have not tried to create an official ranking, but only to offer you a sketch drawn from the very best sources."

Curiously, all of the courtiers' selections came from the Médoc, with the single exception of Haut-Brion (they also ranked the sweet white wines of Sauternes and Barsac). It's not that other wine regions weren't active; the Graves boasted a much longer history, and Cheval Blanc in St.-Emilion and Canon in Fronsac were highly regarded by the early 19th century. But the 18th century revolution in wine quality took hold first and most firmly in the M?doc.

Reaction to the classification was heated. The courtiers' original list ranked the chateaux by quality within each class, so, for example, Mouton-Rothschild appeared at the head of the seconds. But undoubtedly responding to criticism, they wrote the chamber in early September insisting that no such hierarchy had been intended, so the chamber rearranged the list of each class into alphabetical order.

Since 1855, many changes have occurred in the chateaux's names, owners, vineyards and wine quality, and because of divisions in the original estates, there are now 61 chateaux on the list. But if an estate can trace its lineage to the classification, it retains its claim to cru classé status. The only formal revision came in 1973, when after half a century of unceasing effort Baron Philippe de Rothschild succeeded in having Mouton elevated to first growth.

--Excerpted from an article by Thomas Matthews. Read the complete story.