Cru Classé (Classified Growth)

The 1855 Bordeaux Classification was created for the Paris Universal Exposition to rank the best Médoc red wine châteaux (and one Graves château — Haut-Brion) based on price and reputation. Sixty-one châteaux were classified into five "growths" from Premier Cru Classé (First Growth — the five most prestigious) to Cinquième Cru Classé (Fifth Growth).

The classification has remained almost entirely unchanged since 1855 — the only modification was the promotion of Château Mouton Rothschild from Second Growth to First Growth in 1973. This stability is controversial: the quality of individual châteaux has changed dramatically since 1855, but the classification has not kept pace.

Saint-Émilion has its own separate classification, revised approximately every decade, with "Premier Grand Cru Classé A" at the top (currently Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Angélus, and Pavie), then "Premier Grand Cru Classé B," then "Grand Cru Classé."

Pomerol — home to the world's most expensive Merlot, Pétrus — has no official classification.

At Level 3, candidates must know which classification applies to which Bordeaux regions (1855 for Médoc, Saint-Émilion has its own, Pomerol has none) and the hierarchy within the 1855 Classification.