First Bordeaux Producers Certified Organic

The year 1855 turns out to have been a very green year for wine. Two Bordeaux estates that gained classification status that year are the first of the "Growth Estates" to gain 21st century organic certification.

First growth Chateaux Guiraud (Sauterne) and Fifth Growth Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) were each recognized by France's Agence Bio (AB) as certifiably organic producers, the former beginning with its 2011 vintage and the latter beginning with its 2010 wines.

Depending on the vintage, Guiraud's wines are priced from two to four digits per bottle, with an average across vintages of $45 to $121. With one exception, Pontet-Canet bottle prices have generally been in the triple digits with an average across vintages of $62 to $172.

The two venerable Bordeaux wine producers of the Gironde River area were inducted into the original 1855 Bordeaux classification under different names. In 1766, a merchant named Pierre Guiraud bought La Maison Noble du Bayle, which was the estate's name when it achieved First Growth status for white wine. Originally named Canet, Pontet-Canet was established in the early 18th century by Jean-François de Pontet, royal governor of the Médoc. Canet gained Fifth Growth status for red wine.