The vintages are selected according to their qualities. Very great vintages are rarely tested given the prohibitive cost of supply and the very long cellaring times required to reach maturity. Since 2006, the club has also gradually abandoned “small vintages” to finally focus on good years, rated between 14 and 16 out of 20.
The tasting campaigns generally take place over a period of two years. They begin with the eight Appellation finals and end with the B final, bringing together the best wines from the Appellation finals, then the A final. The A final includes the eight Super Grands Crus from Bordeaux (including the five First Growth), plus the first three or four of the B final.
Six Châteaux have won twice the Final A (by alphabetic order):
- Château Ausone (1976 and 2001)
- Château Brane Cantenac (1964 and 1999)
- Château Cheval Blanc (1984 and 1985)
- Château Figeac (1986 and 1988)
- Château Latour (1981 and 1998)
- Château Margaux (1977 and 2004)
Seven Châteaux have won once the Final A (by alphabetic order):
- Château Beychevelle (2003)
- Château Branaire Ducru (1980)
- Château Durfort Vivens (1983)
- Château Haut-Brion (1979)
- Château Lafite (1997)
- Château Mouton Rothschild (1987)
- Domaine de Chevalier (2008)
Here is below the ranking of victories by Appellation:
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- Saint-Emilion : 6
- Margaux : 5
- Pauillac : 4
- Saint-Julien : 2
- Pessac/Graves : 2
- Pomerol, Saint-Estèphe and Médoc : 0
See also: