TwoMoreGlasses.com® Chateau Laniote 2012, St. Emillon (1x75cl) – 7856194257094

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru wines are produced under slightly tighter production restrictions than regular Saint-Émilion wines. As with other grand cru appellations, the intention behind this is to improve the quality, and to distinguish the area’s finer wines from the more everyday wines.

However the designation is distinct from that of Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé; confusingly for the non-expert, the top-tier wines from Saint-Émilion are not marked out by their grand cru status, but by their appearance in the Saint-Émilion Wine Classification, which confers grand cru classé (64 Châteaux in 2012) and premier grand cru classé status (14 classés “B” and, at the very top, 4 classés “A”). This works in a similar way to the classifications of the Médoc, Graves and Sauternes, but with one significant difference: it is periodically reviewed to keep it up-to-date and relevant. It was first drawn up in 1955, and (after a controversial review in 2006) was most recently updated in 2012.