1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book

BORDEAUX

These sixty-two red wines of the Haut-Medoc, the great Clarets, are classed into Five ' Growths' or Sections—" First Growths," " Second Growths," etc., a classification which has been in use since 1855, when it was drawn up by a committee of experts. This classification may be accepted as representing the ' bigness ' and power of the wines in a descending scale of alcoholic content. It does not follow that a Fourth and Fifth Growth is inferior in quality to wines in higher classes, as no more delicate refined wines exist than many of the Fourth and Fifth Growths. With the exception of Chateau Haut-Brion, nearly all the famous red wines of France are grown in the Haut-Medoc. There are five supremely important communes in the Medoc—Pauillac, Cantenac, Margaux, Saint- Julien and Saint-Estephe—famous in all Christian countries. There are five less important ones, Saint- Laurent, Labarde, Ludon, Arsac and Macau. These ten communes contain all the sixty-two Crus Classes.

I

FIRST GROIVTHS. The four Giants among Clarets. Chateau.

Commune. PAUILLAC. MARGAUX. PAUILLAC. PESSAC.

chateau LAFITE. CHATEAU MARGAUX. chateau LATOUR. chateau HAUT-BRION.

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