(French): A term which translates into English as "classed growth". in 1855, 61 red wines of the Médoc (including one from graves: Chateau haut-Brion) were classified as "cru classé", which were divided inti five ranks determined by price (and therefore, in theory, quality), ranging from "premier cru" (first growth) down to "cinquième cru" (fifth growth). At the same time, the sweet white wines of Sauternes were divided into three categories: "premier grand cru, premier cru and deuxième cru", or first great growth, first growth and second growth. Although now hopelessly outdated, these classifications do still denote a lot of prestige to a property and its wines. In 1955, also in Bordeaux, the wines of St-Emilion were similarly classified into three ranks "premier grand cru classé, grand cru classé and grand cru", while "grand cru classé (without subdivisions) has also been used since 1953 for red wines of Graves and, since 1959, for white wines of that area.