Cru Bourgeois vice-president’s wines excluded from 2011 selection

Cru Bourgeois vice-president Francois Nony says he wants to continue supporting the classification, despite his wines not being included in its 2011 vintage selection.

Nony, who is owner of Chateau Caronne Ste Gemme, confirmed to decanter.com that his wines have not featured among the 256 wines given Cru Bourgeois status for the 2011 vintage.

Any chateau in Medoc may apply to be a part of the Cru Bourgeois, which makes an annual selection of wines from the vintage two years prior to the present year. All wines are subject to blind tasting by independent experts, and the number of wines chosen varies in any given year.

Speaking at a Cru Bourgeois tasting in London this week, Nony said his 2011 wines became ‘ineligible’ for selection after he was forced to make a tough call on a potential sale.

‘When you start putting your wines into Cru Bourgeois [selection], you are not allowed to physically sell even one bottle of wine,’ Nony said. ‘We had an opportunity to make a sale in Asia. We had to deliver very early. From the moment of delivery of one bottle, you can’t be eligible any more.’

He said he discussed the decision with family members. The 2011 Bordeaux vintage has been a tough sell for many wineries and merchants, coming off the back of two consecutive stellar years for the region.

Nony said that he remains a strong supporter of the Cru Bourgeois classification. ‘We will be back in 2012,’ he said. ‘This does not change our positive view of the system.’

When questioned about his ability to remain one of two vice-presidents of the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois, Nony said the body’s board has discussed the issue, but he is confident that he will be able to continue in his role.

‘That’s why I am here, because I want to show my support,’ he said.

For the 2011 vintage, around 28m bottles of wine are expected to carry the Cru Bourgeois mark, accounting for approximately 30% of the Medoc’s production.

Written by Chris Mercer