For the record, three châteaux challenged the decisions of the INAO classification commission and the ministerial decree approving the 2012 classification.

On December 17, 2015, the Bordeaux Administrative Court ruled on the legality of the 2012 classification, deeming the criticisms made by the petitioners unfounded.

On April 12, 2019, the Bordeaux Administrative Court of Appeal, ruled the three petitions inadmissible as out of time.

On February 12, 2021, the Conseil d'Etat, without calling into question the 2012 classification and without addressing the merits of the dispute, annulled the decisions of the Bordeaux Administrative Court of Appeal, and referred the case back to the latter.

On February 15, 2022, the public rapporteur proposed that the three châteaux' petitions be rejected by the Bordeaux Administrative Court of Appeal.

This day, in three particularly well-reasoned rulings, the Bordeaux Administrative Court of Appeal rejects the three petitions. It thus confirms the decisions of the Administrative Court in December 2015, which already recognized the soundness of the approach followed, the reliability of the examination procedure put in place, the rigor with which it was applied and the respect for high standards of transparency and equal treatment between candidates.

The INAO, strengthened by these rulings, is continuing work on the next classification in 2022, the architecture of which has changed little compared to the 2012 classification procedure.

It should be noted that these rulings are subject to appeal by applicants within two months.