The Full List: MICHELIN Guide Debuts Bordeaux Selection For Michelin Grape Scoring 84 Estates

Just two months ago, the MICHELIN Guide made waves - and certainly spurred much debate - when it unveiled its inaugural selection for its MICHELIN Grape scores ranking some of Burgundy's most haloed domaines. Today, MICHELIN has pressed on to unveil the Guide's second Grape Selection, this time scoring the chateaux of France's Bordeaux!

MICHELIN Grape Guide In A Nutshell

As a recap, the MICHELIN Guide has sought to assess wine producing estates on five key criteria:

• Quality of Agronomy
  • Agronomy is the science of soil management and crop production. This measure will evaluate the vitality of an estate's soil, the balance of the vine stocks and the care provided for the vines.
    
    
• Technical Mastery
  • An inspection process prioritises technical mastery within the cellar, making sure production methods are exacting and rigorous. Wines should be flawlessly executed and fully developed, serving as an utmost expression of both the vine type and the distinct terroir from their point of origin.

• Identity
  • The Guide will highlight winemakers who craft wines that express the personality, the sense of place and the culture behind them.

• Balance
  • An evaluation of how well the wine's acidity, tannins, oak, alcohol and sweetness come together.

• Consistency
  • Wines will also be evaluated across multiple vintages to make sure they uphold consistent excellence even when facing the most challenging production years. The Guide specifically champions those wines that showcase greater depth, complexity, and refinement as they mature over time.
    

Based on these five benchmarks, the MICHELIN Guide, via its dedicated wine inspectors, will then offer a rating of One, Two, or Three Grapes. A longer list of Selected honourable mentions also follows the estates receiving the MICHELIN Grapes.

• One Grape
  • Very good producers who craft wines of character and style, especially in the best vintages.
    

• Two Grapes
  • Excellent producers who stand out as exceptional within their peer group and region for both quality and consistency.
    

• Three Grapes
  • Exceptional producers. Whatever the vintage, wine lovers can turn to the estate’s creations with complete confidence.

•  Selected
  • Dependable producers who have been chosen for regular review, producing well-made wines that deliver a quality experience.

It is stated by the MICHELIN Guide that its wine inspectors are solely employed by the MICHELIN Group and make their recommendations collectively and with complete independence. The team is thus composed of a mix of seasoned wine specialists and carefully selected new Inspectors. Crucially, all members were chosen not solely for their formal qualifications, but also for their proven ability to assess a vineyard with unwavering rigor and absolute integrity.

MICHELIN Grape Goes To Bordeaux

And so with that said, the second selection from the MICHELIN Grape Guide has thus just unveiled its scores for France's iconic Bordeaux region, featuring chateaux across appellations including both the Left Bank and Right Bank, including Medoc's Saint-Estephe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux and Pessac-Leognan, as well as Saint-Emilion, Pomerol and also Sauternais' Sauternes and Barsac. The inaugural Bordeaux selection has identified 9 Three Grape, 16 Two Grape, 38 One Grape, and 21 Selected chateaux.

MICHELIN Three Grape (9 Estates)

Medoc: Chateau Leoville Las Cases, Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Montrose.

Pomerol: Petrus, Chateau La Conseillante and Chateau Lafleur.

Saint-Emilion: Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau-Figeac.

Sauternais: Chateau d'Yquem.

MICHELIN Two Grape (16 Estates)

Pauillac: Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Pichon Comtesse, Chateau Pichon Baron and Chateau Pontet-Canet.

Margaux: Chateau Margaux and Chateau Palmer.

Saint-Emilion: Chateau Troplong Mondot, Chateau Canon, Chateau Ausone, Chateau Angelus and Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot.

Pomerol: Vieux Chateau Certan.

Pessac-Leognan: Chateau Haut-Brion, Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion, Chateau Les Carmes Haut-Brion.

Sauternais: Chateau de Fargues.

MICHELIN One Grape (37 Estates)

Saint-Emilion: Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere, Chateau Belair-Monange, La Mondotte, Chateau Beausejour, Chateau Bellefont-Belcier, Chateau Jean Faure, Chateau Larcis Ducasse, Chateau Berliquet, Chateau Mangot and Chateau Soutard.

Saint-Julien: Chateau Branaire-Ducru, Chateau Leoville Barton, Chateau Lagrange, Chateau Langoa Barton.

Saint-Estephe: Chateau Calon Segur, Chateau Cos d'Estournel, Chateau Haut-Marbuzet.

Pessac-Leognan: Chateau de Fieuzal, Chateau de Chevalier, Chateau Haut-Bailly, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte.

Margaux: Chateau Giscours, Chateau Brane-Cantenac, Chateau Rauzan-Segla.

Pauillac: Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Chateau Lynch-Bages, Chateau Clerc Milon.

Pomerol: Chateau Clinet, Chateau Lafleur-Petrus, Chateau Trotanoy, Chateau L'Evangile, Chateau Le Pin.

Sauternais: Chateau Coutet, Chateau Sigalas Rabaud, Chateau Closiot, Chateau Rieussec, Chateau Suduiraut.

MICHELIN Selected (21 Estates)

Pauillac: Chateau d'Armailhac, Chateau Duhart-Milon, Chateau Pedesclaux.

Margaux: Chateau Lascombes, Chateau Cantenac Brown, Chateau Malescot Saint-Exupery.

Saint-Julien: Chateau Beychevelle, Chateau Gruaud Larose, Chateau Saint-Pierre, Chateau Talbot.

Saint-Emilion: Chateau Franc Mayne, Chateau Clos Fourtet, Chateau La Clotte, Chateau Larmande, Chateau Quintus, Chateau Rocheyron.

Pomerol: Chateau Bourgneuf, Chateau Nenin.

Saint-Estephe: Chateau Lafon-Rochet.

Sauternes: Chateau Guiraud, Chateau La Tour Blanche.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team