grand cru classé; pl grands crus classés [grahn kroo klah-SAY]
1. French for “great classed growth.” 2. grand cru classé is the second highest category for the wines ranked in the saint-émilion classification as set forth in 1953 (later revised in 1969 and 1985). As of 1985, the sixty-three châteaux with this status may label their wines “Grand cru classé.” These wines DO not have the same prestige as the grand cru classé wines of the Médoc. 3. The second- through fifth-growth wines of the Médoc and Sauternes may use “Grand cru Classé” on their labels.
The New Wine Lovers Companion, 2nd Edition, by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Copyright © (1) 2003, 1995 by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational Series, Inc.