(Saint-Émilion) When the Saint-Émilion appellation rankings fall on Thursday, Jean-Luc Thunevin may see the value of his vineyard double. Or not, it all depends on the results of this competition, which is sometimes decried by local professionals.
Posted at 11:57 a.m.
“It’s the reward, or the non-reward, of your work”, considers this relative newcomer to the region, who started his operation in 1991, when others have centuries of history behind them.
Around him, the rows of vines, dolled up, are gorged with grapes, a few days before the harvest. “For me who is not of this world, neither heir nor the seraglio, the motivation is competition, it is to do as well as possible”, he adds.
The evaluation, which takes place every ten years, aims to encourage the production of vintages that make Saint-Émilion one of the most sought-after wines in the world. Some bottles fetch hundreds of euros each.
However, the competition criteria are disputed. Marketing, either having a luxury restaurant or a cellar designed by an architect, would count as much as the taste of the wine, deplore its critics.
Three of Saint-Émilion’s current top four estates — Angelus, Ausone and Cheval Blanc — have recently withdrawn from the rankings, to everyone’s surprise.
But if some of the best vintages are no longer listed, what is the use of a classification of Saint-Émilion? The system “has become more and more difficult to understand”, notes the British expert from Bordeaux Jane Anson. “At this point (he) doesn’t seem to appeal to anyone. »
Formula 1
The classification was set up in 1955 in Saint-Émilion, much later than in other French vineyards. In particular, an effort was required of the producers so that they favor less dense yields, in order to preserve the distinctive taste of the wine linked to its terroir.
Since then, estates can apply for three distinctive classifications: Grand Cru Classé, Premier Grand Cru Classé B, and, the crème de la crème, Premier Grand Cru Classé A.
Being there guarantees a reputation and allows you to set higher selling prices. Land prices are also rising in this area where the vineyards are already among the most coveted in the world.
“Dedicating a classification that is revised every 10 years” is “unique” and leads winegrowers to “permanent questioning”, believes Jean-François Galhaud, president of the Saint-Émilion Wine Council, for whom quality drink still matters as much.
“Reality is always in the glass,” he says.
Jean-Luc Thunevin, played him the game. In addition to efforts on his production, he built a hotel as well as a modern cellar surmounted by solar panels. His Château Valandraud has been classified Premier Grand cru B since 2012, which, he says, has changed his banker’s outlook.
“I had a lot of debt and now he knows that the money he lends me is based on value.”
Each of its nine hectares is estimated at 10 million euros per unit, “and if tomorrow I become Grand Cru A, I may be at 20 million per hectare”, he dreams. “We are in the Formula 1 of viticulture. »
“Family Matters”
As in motorsport, critics blame Saint-Émilion for the dominance of money deciding the wine: Cheval Blanc belongs to the luxury group LVMH, the Dassault family has its domain, as do insurance groups and more recently wealthy Chinese.
“It has become a refuge for billionaires and the rich who come to have fun, it’s dramatic,” sighs Nicolas DEspagne, whose family produces wine on the hill of Montagne-Saint-Émilion.
“Whoever has a family vintage, he does not have the means to fight against a billionaire who arrives and says: ‘How much is biodynamics: 1 million euros, 2, 3 , 5 or 10? Here you go, you make me biodynamics, you put trees everywhere, ”he laughs.
Château Croque-Michotte, which this year lost an appeal against the results of the 2012 competition, also renounced it, denouncing “a classification of companies and not a classification of wines, intended for investors and not consumers. “.
But while there were only 90 registered ten years ago, 140 domains will participate in the competition in 2022, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The president of the Saint-Émilion Wine Council, Jean-François Galhaud, regrets “a war of steeples”. “These legal adventures are a bit of a family story, of enemy brothers who are suing each other, he quips. It’s a little dallas in Saint-Emilion. »