Crus Bourgeois du Médoc has announced that the 2025 classification will raise the environmental standards for all wineries even further than the 2020 classification. All Crus Bourgeois wineries will be required to have a Level 2 environmental certification, with the Supérieur and Exceptionnel tiers required to have HEV Level 3. HEV is an environmental certification for farmers and winegrowers in France, focused on four key areas: biodiversity conservation, plant protection strategy, fertilizer use, and management of water. Shifting to a five-year classification, beginning in 2020, was decided to give consumers confidence in purchasing, while offering producers a longer-term view of their wines’ classifications to better facilitate projects and investments toward quality.
With sustainability in mind, Crus Bourgeois du Médoc has also shifted to bottles with less weight. The classification was eager to become a part of the global movement towards more sustainable bottles and packaging, which has also been championed by wine critic Jancis Robinson. Since the beginning of 2022, Crus Bourgeois du Médoc has authorized bottles up to 390g, amounting to a 22% decrease in bottle weight.
Speaking about the 2021 harvest, Laurent Vaché, Vice President of the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc and Director of Uni-Médoc, looked to a quote from poet Clément Marot: “Tout vient à point à qui sait attendre” which translates to “Everything comes at the right time to those who know how to wait”. Harvest spanned from September 15th to September 25th. Producers from the Left Bank of Bordeaux contended with weather conditions throughout the growing season: irregular spring frost with areas over 80% frozen and others unscathed and heat in the south due to the later harvest. However, yields in the Médoc appellation amounted to approximately 36 hl/Ha. Vaché was very satisfied with the quality of Cabernet Sauvignon that winegrowers were able to allow to ripen fully under the autumn sun. Overall, he deemed the Merlot crop slightly hollow and diluted.
For more information, head over to the region’s official website.