Premier cru is a French language wine term corresponding to "First Growth", and which can be used to refer to classified vineyards, wineries and wines, with different meanings in different wine regions:
- For Bordeaux wine, the term is applied to classified wineries:
- In the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, Premier cru or Premier cru classé is the highest level of five within the "Grand cru classé" designation for red wines from the Médoc and Graves, and the second-highest of three in Sauternes where the highest is Premier Cru Supérieur (superior first growth). These wines are often referred to as First Growths in English.
- In the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine, the highest level is Premier grand cru classé A and the second-highest Premier grand cru classé B. The term Saint-Émilion Grand cru refers to wineries or wines below the overall Grand cru classé level, and is integrated within the appellation rules.
- For Burgundy wine, the term is applied to classified vineyards, with Premier cru being the second-highest classification level, below that of Grand cru and above the basic village AOCs. For Burgundy wines, the terms Premier Cru or 1er Cru are usually kept rather than being translated into English.
Read more about this topic: Cru (wine)