Grand Mirande Berthonneau 2023, Saint Émilion Grand Cru

A Bordeaux label can say a great deal while meaning less than you might expect. This bottle reads “Grand Vin de Bordeaux” across the top and “Grand Cru” in the appellation line. Two references to grandeur, neither quite what they initially appear to be. “Grand Vin de Bordeaux” carries no legal meaning at all and can appear on virtually any Bordeaux label. And in Saint Émilion, “Grand Cru” sits at the base of the appellation’s quality hierarchy, below Grand Cru Classé and the two levels of Premier Grand Cru Classé.

None of this diminishes what is in the glass. It simply means that reading Bordeaux labels is its own discipline, where the language of prestige and the realities of classification do not always move together.