PRESS KIT. The Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc unveils its new Official Selection, reinforces its identity and confirms its commercial value.

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1 PRESS KIT PUBLICATION OF THE 2012 OFFICIAL SELECTION OF THE CRUS BOURGEOIS DU MEDOC The Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc unveils its new Official Selection, reinforces its identity and confirms its commercial value. No further proof is needed of the success of the "new generation" Crus Bourgeois du Médoc. Five years after its relaunch and the establishment of a new system, our quality procedure and exacting standards are bearing fruit: demand for Crus Bourgeois du Médoc in the main markets continues to grow! Over the last five vintages, nearly 145 million bottles have been distributed in various markets, demonstrating the considerable commercial strength of this family of wines that shares the same values, thereby guaranteeing consumers a standard of quality for every bottle that proudly bears the "Cru Bourgeois" label. In a tough economic climate, our stable prices, consistent quality, rich history and ongoing commitment to offering consumers genuine value, are being recognized by buyers all over the world. Today we are proud to present the new Official Selection of the Crus Bourgeois for the 2012 vintage and to reaffirm our joint commitment to further increasing the value of the "Cru Bourgeois" label. Frédéric de Luze Président 1 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc

2 Contents Key figures for the 2012 vintage Announcement programme for the 2012 Official Selection A new Official Selection and a new visual The «Cru Bourgeois» quality procedure Authentication and quality guarantee: the «Cru Bourgeois» sticker Deep historical roots Tools for the consumer Our events partners Press Contact: Frédéric de Luze President Frédérique Dutheillet de Lamothe Director 12 rue d Enghien Bordeaux- France T. +33 (0) communication@crus-bourgeois.com 2 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc

3 Key figures for the 2012 vintage 267 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc 111 Crus Bourgeois in AOC Médoc, corresponding to about 14 million bottles 92 Crus Bourgeois in AOC Haut-Médoc, corresponding to about 11 million bottles 14 Crus Bourgeois in AOC Listrac-Médoc, corresponding to about bottles 15 Crus Bourgeois in AOC Moulis, corresponding to about bottles 9 Crus Bourgeois in AOC Margaux, corresponding to about bottles 5 Crus Bourgeois in AOC Pauillac, corresponding to about bottles 21 Crus Bourgeois in AOC Saint-Estèphe, corresponding to about 1,5 million bottles The Crus Bourgeois du Médoc produced approximately 29 million bottles in 2012, or about 30 % of the Médoc s production. 267 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc and 29 million bottles correspond to a combined area of about hectares (calculation based on the yields authorized by each AOC), representing 26 % of the Médoc s vineyards. The Crus Bourgeois du Médoc select the best from their production to ensure quality of each vintage; the quantities placed on the market therefore vary for each vintage. Reminder Previous Official Selections Crus Bourgeois du Médoc 25 million bottles Crus Bourgeois du Médoc 32 million bottles Crus Bourgeois du Médoc 32 million bottles Crus Bourgeois du Médoc 28 million bottles Corresponding to a total of 146 million bottles over five years, of which the quality has been guaranteed. Sources for figures on the Médoc: Conseil des Vins du Médoc - CVM 3 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc

4 Announcement programme for the 2012 Official Selection 19 September 2014, publication of the 2012 Official Selection. - First Tasting of the 2012 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc held in Bordeaux at the Palais de la Bourse for Place de Bordeaux Brokers and Merchants, and journalists. - Distribution of the 2012 Official Selection worldwide via social networks. 23 September in Paris, tasting of part of the 2012 Official Selection, and lunch paired with the wines, for the Parisian journalists. 25 September in London, tasting of the 2012 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc for journalists and the main buyers and opinion leaders in the United Kingdom at Carlton House Terrace. Other presentations and tastings of the 2012 vintage have also been scheduled: - At ArtCurial in partnership with the Le Figaro on 22 September - Hong Kong in November - Lille in November in partnership with Terre de Vins magazine - Brussels... Press tastings throughout the year for French and international specialized media Tastings for journalists of the 2012 Official Selection can be organized by the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc on request. 4 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc

5 A new Official Selection and a new visual About the artist Claire Boucl works with flower petals and environmental features to create site-specific installations using natural materials. During an artist residency in Australia in 2001, she was amazed to discover vast expanses of charred forests and to learn that regular fires are necessary to regenerate parts of the vegetation. Her work with flower petals draws inspiration from this phenomenon and from alternative medicine, which is widespread in Australian culture. She began covering the charred trunks with red petals, arranged and secured to one another with a glue made from natural substances, so as to represent the tree's "wound" and also its healing, through a natural balm and the time spent on its application. Since then, Claire has used petals in various environments as a metaphor for the relationship between man and nature. The petals' bright colours reveal and highlight the unique character of objects, architecture and landscapes that we do not necessarily take the time to look at. The patience required by this work stands in sharp contrast to the speed with which contemporary society moves. Most of her installations are transient or change relatively quickly with time: like us they are fragile, intriguing, living organisms. 5 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc

6 Some of the artist's previous works 2014 Creation of a natural stabilization technique for flower petals, developed from research started in La Vague ("The Wave"). This vast installation made out of branches was co-produced with the Centre for National Monuments. Domaine de Saint-Cloud Plant "lace" made from branches for the "Arte e Natura" path between Italy and France "Electro Petalization" monumental installation for the Electro Recycling event. Villette Main Hall in Paris HOLO tree, creation of a permanent installation for the Med Art Garden at the headquarters of Legambiante in Tuscany, Italy Petalization for the WWF Festival. Paris "Injured tree", a petalized tree created for the Floating Lands symposium. Queensland, Australia. Claire Boucl & the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc This collaboration between the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc and Claire Boucl developed via the Mona Lisa agency which specializes in relations between businesses and art. Claire Boucl, what link do you see between your work and the world of the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc? Well, obviously there is a shared love for the earth, and the way that nature changes through various cycles. Then there is the aspect of long, meticulous manual labour, that is necessary for the creation of quality, whether it is for the eyes or the mouth! A search for perfection: in the selection of flowers and wines. And of course the enjoyment of the good things in life! The inspiration for this piece was a lively harmony of bright, warm, silky colours. Can you tell us about the work you have created? I have reproduced the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc logo, using, for the first time, a marquetry technique with flower petals. The flower I have chosen is the rose: wild and prickly, it has to be worked so that it becomes soft and takes on the desired shapes. The rose, because apart from being beautiful to look at, it is a faithful and helpful companion for the winemaker. Roses were often planted in Bordeaux at the top of the rows of vines to provide an early warning of diseases. And in the old days the roses served as a signal to the horses, who would know to turn into the next row when they saw them. The rose and the vine: a beautiful couple who inspired me to make this visual for the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc. 6 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc

7 The "Cru Bourgeois" quality procedure An approved quality procedure Following the remarkable mobilisation of the wine producers of the Médoc in the formation of the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc, the traditional "Cru Bourgeois" designation, that had been in use for several centuries, was saved in Thanks to a totally innovative approach, the support of the French public authorities was obtained at the end of 2009 when it was approved with the decree of 20 October 2009 and the ministerial order of 16 November Every year, in September, the Official Selection of the new vintage is unveiled and brought to the attention of the general public. Independent and uncompromising The quality procedure is monitored by an independent body (Bureau Véritas) on the basis of a set of specifications. This independent body brings a fresh eye to the "Cru Bourgeois" quality assurance process and ensures impartiality at every stage. "Cru Bourgeois" quality assurance is open to all Médoc vineyards authorized to produce wine in one of the eight Médoc AOCs: Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Listrac-Médoc, Moulis, Margaux, Saint Julien, Pauillac and Saint Estèphe. Properties applying for recognition must undergo an eligibility visit. This eligibility is then checked on a random, ongoing basis. Once a property is eligible, it may present its wine at the tasting. A representative selection is determined in a blind tasting of samples provided by candidates which then serves as a reference for the vintage concerned. Each wine is then tasted and scored by a jury of experts, made up of professional tasters recognized in the industry, with six tasters per session. The independent body is responsible for the organisation of the tasting, the revealing of the identity of the wines and the results of the organoleptic assessment. Tasting is carried out on an individual basis with no conferring. The attribution of the traditional "Cru Bourgeois" designation is based on the arithmetic average of the scores given to a wine by the six professional tasters. This score allocated to a prospective château is compared to that of the representative sample for the vintage concerned. If the wine obtains a score greater than or equal to the representative sample, it is a "Cru Bourgeois". 7 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc

8 The "Cru Bourgeois" sticker provides a guarantee of authenticity and origin All bottles of Crus Bourgeois du Médoc now have a unique secure visual recognition system, embedded in a sticker. Recognizable thanks to the "Cru Bourgeois" logo, this sticker contains a unique, random code for each bottle. A guarantee of quality and security for professional buyers and consumers, the system enables: - The respect of volumes produced The quality tasted and recognized by the professional jury corresponds to the quality of the wine placed on the market for an authorised volume. - A guarantee of the origin and uniqueness of each "Cru Bourgeois" bottle when it is placed on the market A unique code is allocated to each bottle. - The protection of each bottle Several levels of security are incorporated into the "Cru Bourgeois" sticker The "Cru Bourgeois" procedure approves the quality of a given volume of wine and provides a guarantee of this quality to the consumer. Using their smartphone, consumers can scan the QR Code on the sticker. Connection to is immediate and provides direct access to all the information on the wines and châteaux in their dedicated spaces on the site. 8 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc

9 Deep historical roots The Crus Bourgeois are a legacy that dates back to the Middle Ages. The bourgeois were inhabitants of the "bourg" of Bordeaux, a town of merchants and craftsmen. During the period of English rule, they acquired rights and privileges, including exemption from taxes on the sale of the wines from their vineyards both locally (Guyenne) and abroad. By the fifteenth century, enriched by international commerce, the bourgeois of Bordeaux were able to acquire the finest properties in the region, which were initially referred to as the "Crus des Bourgeois" and then simply the "Crus Bourgeois". A text from 1740 contains the first selection and specifies the prices of the wines of the Médoc. The French Revolution resulted in the privileges granted to the Bourgeois being revoked and the Crus des Bourgeois were forced to adapt during this period of social turmoil. However, over the centuries they played an increasing role in the development of the Médoc vineyards through the export of their wines. In the early nineteenth century, the Crus Bourgeois (about 300) had re-established themselves with prices that were already higher than those of the Crus Artisans and Crus Paysans. After 1855, the authorities planned to create additional classes in the already famous existing classification with a view to incorporating some of the Crus Bourgeois. At that time, 248 Crus Bourgeois were listed. Mr. d'armailhac's book, published in 1858, lists 34 bourgeois supérieurs, 64 bons bourgeois and 150 bourgeois ordinaires. In the early twentieth century, the Crus Bourgeois developed further and took up an important place in export markets, notably Germany and Russia. The First World War brought an abrupt stop to this growth, and the situation became worse with the Great Depression of While the number of properties decreased, there were enough producers in the Médoc to keep the term "Cru Bourgeois" alive and in use. In 1932, the Bordeaux wine brokers, under the joint authority of the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and the Gironde Chamber of Agriculture designated 444 Crus Bourgeois. This list was registered with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry but was never submitted for ministerial approval, however, it was to serve as a reference for the use of the term for more than 70 years. In 1962, a union of the Crus Bourgeois was created. It organized an internal classification on two occasions in order to promote a competitive spirit within the Crus Bourgeois. In 1979, the European Community labelling regulations approved the traditional term of "Cru Bourgeois" provided that the conditions for its use were specified by French law. On 17 June 2003, a ministerial order finally approved the first official classification of the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc which recognized 247 châteaux out of 490 candidates. 9 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc

10 Some of the châteaux that were not included denounced this classification as unfair. The judging panel was composed of eighteen professionals including the President of the Union of the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc (in accordance with the procedure stated in the Decree of 30 November 2000). In 2007, the Administrative Court of Appeal of Bordeaux annulled the Decree of 17 June 2003 that had approved the classification of the Cru Bourgeois du Médoc. This decision was made on the basis that one cannot judge something in which one has an interest. In 2009, a new selective quality assurance procedure for the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc was approved by the French public authorities with the decree of 20 October and the ministerial order of 16 November saw the first implementation of the "Cru Bourgeois" quality procedure with the publication of the 2008 Official Selection. The publication of the Second Official Selection of the Cru Bourgeois du Médoc took place in 2011, for the 2009 vintage. The publication of the Third Official Selection of the Cru Bourgeois du Médoc took place in 2012, for the 2010 vintage. Today. A great family of wines. The Crus Bourgeois are part of Bordeaux's wine heritage. Some properties existed long before the creation of the 1855 classification and many are still here today in a demonstration of the strength of the traditional "Cru Bourgeois" description. The Crus Bourgeois form a big family that brings together vineyards with widely differing profiles, and very different terroirs (eight prestigious AOCs: Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Listrac-Médoc, Moulis en Médoc, Margaux, Saint Julien, Pauillac and Saint Estèphe), led by a variety of producers, many of whom have their origins in the Médoc, but who also come from other countries and regions, bringing dynamism and new ideas. This is the strength of this family: diversity in unity. The vineyards share the same region and the same history, but each has its own character and offers the consumer something different. This diversity can be found at every level: the appellation, winemaking techniques, flavour, price, reputation, marketing, approaches to wine tourism, communication, presence on social networks, etc. Ultimately, the members of this big family share the same ambition: the defence of the traditional "Cru Bourgeois" classification, in a world in which the preservation of traditions and expertise has become a symbol of luxury. As a result of their selection criteria and positioning in terms of price, the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc are well-suited to today's markets and the requirements of increasingly demanding consumers. 10 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc

11 The Château information sheets and wine tourism facilities Using a personal computer or a smartphone, consumers have access, in just a few clicks, to full details of all the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc. A detailed technical sheet, tasting notes, the property's history and its GPS coordinates are all available to help develop consumers' knowledge of the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc. A simple system of wine tourism symbols on each sheet enables consumers to organize their Crus Bourgeois visits in the Médoc region. The website and its features continue to be popular Site: bourgeois.com Over 75,000 unique visitors this year and a total of nearly 140,000 unique visitors since the site's launch. This represents an increase of more than 30% for The top five countries visiting the website are: France, China, Belgium, Germany & the USA. The introduction of the "Cru Bourgeois" sticker on all bottles has generated, among other things, an increase in traffic. The "Cru Bourgeois" ticker and QR Code Since its launch in September 2012, the "Cru Bourgeois" sticker now present on every bottle of Cru Bourgeois du Médoc has been scanned more than 100,000 times. This feature continued to be popular in the first half of 2014, with over 51,000 "Cru Bourgeois" stickers being scanned. This corresponds to the equivalent of half of all the consultations since the general launch of the "Cru Bourgeois" sticker in 2012, in just six months. 11 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc

12 Our events partners The Crus Bourgeois du Médoc works with well-established partners in the industry. Collaboration with our partners takes place in a spirit of mutual respect that enables our various initiatives to be carried out in a highly effective manner. Chef & Sommelier Abatilles Nadalié We are pleased to enjoy their confidence and trust. 12 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc