The fifth classification of St.-Émilion wine, announced in September 2006 and comprising 15
Premiers grands crus classés and 46
Grands crus classés, was challenged by four dissatisfied producers that had been demoted -
La Tour du Pin Figeac,
Cadet Bon,
Guadet and
Château de la Marzelle - and has resulted in several confusing legal turns during 2007 and 2008 that currently mean that the 2006 classification is invalid and the 1996 classification is applied instead. The legal dispute centered on the fact that several members of the panel involved in assessing the wines had vested interests (e.g. as
négociants with business dealings with some of the châteaux), and thus could be suspected of not being impartial. Initially, an administrative tribunal in Bordeaux declared the classification temporarily suspended in March 2007, after which a Bordeaux court suspended the classification indefinitely by denying a motion to lift the initial suspension. After that the
Conseil d'État, the French supreme administrative court, on November 12, 2007, overturned the suspension of the 2006 classification, thereby reinstating it. However, this ruling was not final, and only decided that the case of the four demoted châteaux did not merit a suspension of the entire classification. The matter was returned to a Bordeaux court to assess if the complaining châteaux had been fairly treated. On July 1, 2008, this court ruled that the wine tasting mechanism used in the 2006 classification was not impartial, thus again making the entire classification invalid. Immediately after the ruling, it was estimated that a further appeals process aiming at reinstating the classification could take about two years, and would have an uncertain result. This led the French regulatory body for wine,
INAO, to request the French Government to use emergency powers to reinstate St.-Émilion classification, which it did on July 11, 2008. This decision extended the validity of the 1996 classification to the vintages 2006 to 2009. Thus, the complaining demoted châteaux were able to keep their classification, but those who were newly promoted were not. The reaction among the estates who had their promotions retracted, such as
Grand Corbin-Despagne,
Monbousquet,
Pavie-Macquin and
Troplong Mondot, was one of despair, who beyond facing financial consequences stated the decision was unjust, and damaging to the image and community of St.-Émilion. Xavier Pariente of Troplong-Mondot said, "That's almost 20 years of hard work and investment by all the personnel here wiped out at the stroke of a pen. It frightens me and it revolts me". In December 2008, the French senate had allowed the 8 demoted estates to regain their previous status, with Pavie-Macquin and Troplong Mondot returning to
Premiers grands crus classés, while Bellefond-Belcier, Destieux, Fleur-Cardinale, Grand Corbin, Grand Corbin-Despagne, and Monbousquet again to become classified as
Grands crus classés, as a result of several months of lobbying. However, in January 2009 this proposal was thrown out by the French government constitutional council. In March 2009, it was stated that the French Court of Appeal had made a final ruling, that the 2006 Saint-Émilion classification will not stand, although the ultimate outcome was the opposite. A law passed on May 13, 2009, contained a footnote clarifying that the six chateaux promoted to Grand Cru Classe in 2006 would be able to keep their status with immediate effect, and date it back to the date of the classification, therefore the status of the classified estates of 1996, plus the eight chateaux promoted in 2006, was mandated by law until 2011, two years beyond what was previously scheduled. == The 2012 classification ==