Understanding a French Wine label

Understanding a French wine label almost requires a master's degree! Here are a few tips to help you understand the label before tasting what's behind it. 

1: Château Léoville Barton 

This is the name of the producer. In Bordeaux, most producers are called château. Follow this link for more details. 

2: 1991

This is the "vintage" of the wine or the year when the grapes were harvested.

3: Cru Classé en 1855 / Saint-Julien / Appellation Saint-Julien Contrôlée

Cru Classé en 1855: at the request of the French Emperor Napoleon III, a classification of the Bordeaux most famous wines  was established. This mention means that the wines of Château Léoville Barton were ranked in 1855 and are still part of the ranking. 

Saint-Julien:  Saint-Julien is a village of Médoc, a subregion of the Bordeaux Region. In the French wine system, the mention of a village or any geographical specification implies that the conditions of productions of the wine respect the requirements of the geographical indication, in this instance, Appellation Saint-Julien Contrôlée. 

Appellation Saint-Julien Contrôlée:  This is the true name of the wine. Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) stands for Controlled Terms of Origin. It is a mention that guarantees that the wine is made in Saint-Julien. Follow this link to read more about the French Appellation system. 

4: 12,5%

Alcohol content:  percentage of ethanol per liter of wine. 

5: 750 mL

Volume of wine in the bottle. Most bottles of French  wine contain 75 mL. Few notorious exceptions include Jura Vin Jaune bottles, known as Clavelin and which contain 620 mL. 

6: Mis en Bouteille au Château

Literally "Bottled on the Property":  most quality wines are bottled on the property, meaning by the owner of the property and not by a negociant who may have bought the wine in bulk from various producers.