1859 Unal Serres / Dubergier Wine Cru Map of the Gironde (Bordeaux, Medoc)

Establishment of the Cru System.

This is an important 1859 Unal Serres and Dubergier thematic map of Bordeaux's (Gironde) official wine, following the Cru System established by the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. The map thus illustrates a pivotal moment in the development of global wine ranking models that retains enduring relevance. This is the first map to focus on wine classification.

A Closer Look

Coverage embraces the Department de la Gironde, France. The primary wine regions are highlighted: Médoc, Graves, Blayais, Fronsadais, Libournais, Entre Deux Mers, and Vins Blancs. Wine estates are noted throughout, with key estates that have received a Cru designation highlighted with a color system for both red and white wines. For reds: Premiers (red), Deuxièmes (yellow), Troisièmes (blue), Quatrièmes (green), and Cinquièmes (dark blue); and whites: Château d'Yquem (orange, special classification, now Premier Cru Supérieur), Premiers (red), and Deuxièmes (yellow). Inset submaps focus on the key estates of Médoc and the 'Grands Vins Blancs'. Estates are further broken down in a table prepared by the Chambre Syndicale des Courtiers in the lower left. Engraved vignette views illustrate Château Lafite (Pauillac), Château Margaux, and Château d'Yquem (Sauternes).

Bordeaux Wine Classification of 1855

The Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce established the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 (La Classification Officielle des Vins de Bordeaux de 1855) on the order of Emperor Napoleon III (r. 1852 - 1870) in anticipation of the Exposition Universelle de Paris (May 15 - November 15, 1855). The goal was to present Bordeaux's already world-famous wines in a clear hierarchy accessible to an international audience. Rather than conducting new tastings, the Chamber of Commerce relied on long-established market prices as a measure of quality and reputation, asking wine brokers (courtiers) to rank the leading estates of the Médoc - along with Château Haut-Brion from Graves - into five growth categories (crus), from Premier Cru (First Growth) to Cinquième Cru (Fifth Growth). The resulting list, published in April 1855, classified 61 red wine estates and, separately, the leading sweet white wines of Sauternes and Barsac into ranked tiers. Because the classification reflected decades of pricing history and commercial prestige, it proved remarkably enduring, with only minor revisions to this day, making it the most influential quality hierarchy in the global wine industry.

Publication History and Census

Cartography for this map was prepared by the Bordeaux surveyor Unal Serres, with viticultural data compiled by Lodi-Martin Duffour-Dubergier, then head of the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce. It was engraved and printed by the French firm Lemercier. The map was published by Bordeaux bookseller P. Chaumas. There are several editions, all of which are scarce, issued from 1856 to 1900.

Cartographers

Jean Maurille Unal-Serres (September 14, 1814 - 1858) was a French cartographer and surveyor active in Bordeaux in the middle part of the 19th century. Unal Serres, as he was known professionally, issued several maps of Bordeaux and the Gironde, the most significant being a series of Cartes vinicole depicting the department's legendary wineries.   Further Details...

Lodi-Martin Duffour-Dubergier (December 10, 1797 - April 7, 1860) was a French politician active in Bordeaux in the mid-19th century. Dubergier was born in Bordeaux, the son of shipowner and merchant Jean-Baptiste Duffour de Barte (1765 -1842). He served as Mayor of Bordeaux (1842 - 1848) and president of the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce. He was a well-known wine enthusiast and signatory of the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, a key and enduring development in wine classification. Today, there is a street named after him in the city of Bordeaux. Duffour-Dubergier was also the owner of Château Smith-Haut Lafitte, one of the region's oldest vineyards, from about 1842 to 1902.   Further Details...

Rose-Joseph Lemercier (June 29, 1803 - 1887) was a French photographer, lithographer, and printer. One of the most important Parisian lithographers of the 19th century, Lemercier was born in Paris into a family of seventeen children. His father was a basket maker, and he even began working as a basket maker at the age of fifteen, but Lemercier was drawn to lithography and printing and soon entered into an apprenticeship with Langlumé, where he worked from 1822 until 1825. After working for a handful of other printers, Lemercier started his own firm in 1828 at 2, rue Pierre Sarrazin with only one printing press. He subsequently moved a few more times before arriving at 57, rue de Seine, where he founded the printing firm Lemercier and Company. He created the firm Lemercier, Bénard and Company in 1837 with Jean François Bénard. Lemercier bought out Bénard's share in the firm in 1843 and, since his two sons died at a young age, he decided to bring his nephew Alfred into the business beginning in 1862, who would progressively take on more and more responsibility in running the firm. Between 1850 and 1870, Lemercier's firm was the largest lithographic company in Paris. The firm began to decline in prestige in the early 1870s, and, after Lemercier's death in 1887, its descent only quickened. It is unclear when the firm closed, but Alfred directed the firm until his death in 1901.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Dissected and mounted on fine linen. Original linen backing stable. Even overall toning.

References

OCLC 609631813.