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The ruling also rescinds the cru bourgeois superieur and cru bourgeois exceptionnel rankings, affecting 87 and nine chateaux respectively.

All Chateaux, including the 'exceptionnel' Chasse-Spleen, Poujeaux and Phélan Ségur, revert, along with the 444 chateaux of the 1932 classification, to a simple 'cru bourgeois' status.

The 2003 reclassification was the result of efforts to raise consumer confidence in the cru bourgeois label by eliminating poor quality wines through a more rigorous selection process. But the process – which saw the number of cru bourgeois reduced by nearly half – was marred by conflicts of interest.

In 2004, a group of 78 châteaux sought, and won, a partial repeal of the 2003 law, but appellants further demanded a total retraction.

Yesterday's decision, predicted by decanter.com earlier this month, was expected by producers and outside observers. One magistrate agreed with the appellants that it was not possible to bestow a new status on 78 chateaux without a re-evaluation of the entire list.

Those in favour of the 2003 reclassification – however problematic – are disappointed in the decision. Thierry Gardinier, of Château Phelan-Segur and president of the Alliance of Crus Bourgeois said the new ruling had sent 10 years of hard work down the drain.

Even those on the side of the appeal, led by Denis Hecquet, president of the Médoc winegrowers' union, said the affair had further tarnished the 'lustre' of the cru bourgeois name.

About Cru Bourgeois:
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The Cru Bourgeois classification lists some of the high quality wines from the Bordeaux region of France that were not included in the 1855 Classification of Classed Growths, or "Grand Crus Classés".

Since the classification of Classed Growths has only had one change since 1855, it is now generally regarded as being out of date, and most wine writers agree that there is considerable overlap in quality between the Classed Growths and the Cru Bourgeois.

The Cru Bourgeois classification was last revised in 2003. Under this system there are 243 wines classified in three tiers:

Nine châteaux in the highest category of Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnels:
Château Chasse-Spleen
Château Haut-Marbuzet
Château Labégorce Zédé
Château Les Ormes-de-Pez
Château de Pez
Château Phélan-Ségur
Château Potensac
Château Poujeaux
Château Siran
87 Crus Bourgeois Supérieurs,
151 Crus Bourgeois.
As with any such classification system, there is some controversy over these rankings, and some very highly regarded wines such as Château Gloria and Château Sociando Mallet did not apply for classification.

Additional References:

French wine guide web site
Cru Bourgeois Alliance web site

Source: “Cru bourgeois classification annulled,” Maggie Rosen, Decanter and Wikipedia, March 14, 2007