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- Mert Muftugil - 10-15-1999

Hello,
I have begun tasting wine and I have made wine an important member of my dinner table. I recently heard that there are over 80000 wine houses (chatoes if I am spelling correctly) all over France. However, only five of these have been announced to be the best of the best. A recent addition was during 1950s I suppose. However, as you might have noticed, my information is very limited on this subject. What I am asking is the names of these 5 top wine houses of France. I would like to have this information sculpted in my brain if one day I would have the opprtunity to taste them.

Thank you in advance!


- Jerry D Mead - 10-15-1999

You've been given bad information. I'm guessing what you are referring to are the so-called "First Growths" of Bordeaux (which is not to say all of France...because Burgundy, Champagne, the Rhone, Loire, etc are not included).

This rating system was created in 1855 and was based on average prices fetched by said properties over a certain period of time. Are they great wines? Usually...In most years.

Are they the absolute best in France and the world? That is open to dispute.

The names you are looking for are:

Chateau Lafite Rothschild
Chateau Latour (my personal favorite)
Chateau Margaux
Chateau Haut-Brion
Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (the one not decreed first growth until 1973)

They are all dry red wines made from blends based on the Cabernet Sauvignon grape...so if you don't like dry red wine you won't like them even if they are deemed the best by some.

There is also a sweet dessert style made in Sauternes that was rated even higher at the same time...it was called the "First of Firsts" and is certainly considered one of the greatest dessert wines in the world in most vfintages...it is Chateau d'Yquem.

All of these wines are terribly expensive and you will do much better seeking out wines you can afford to drink frequently and that taste good to you than to spend very much effort trying to find what some folks thought best 150 years ago.

On the other hand...don't turn down an opportunity to taste any of the above mentioned wines as they are usually exceptional.