Bordeaux's cru bourgeois wineries have announced an ambitious project to launch a new classification, seven years after the last attempt dissolved in acrimony and lawsuits.

The latest attempt to bring in a classification system for the 250-plus properties currently holding cru bourgeois status comes after five years of strict quality control and tireless promotion under the banner of the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Medoc.

"On September 16, we took a blind vote with our members during an extraordinary general meeting; there were 78.1 percent 'yes' votes," said Frederique Dutheillet de Lamothe, director of the alliance.

Their goal is to have the new classification in place by the time the 2014 vintage hits the stores, which means 2016 -just two years away, which Dutheillet de Lamothe admits is an ambitious target for a group with something of a history of disagreement.

But rather than demonstrating dissension in the alliance, the 'Non' votes appear to express caution.

"This means we still have some work to do to reassure everyone. It's not that they're against it, but they're worried," said Dutheillet de Lamothe.

Their trepidation is understandable. The 2003 Crus Bourgeois Classification, which included three tiers of quality -cru bourgeois, cru bourgeois superieur and cru bourgeois exceptionnel -took years to put in place and was well received by consumers and the trade. It not only eliminated the misuse of the term "cru bourgeois" but it validated an unofficial classification that had already existed for centuries. Unfortunately, the classification fell apart amid disappointment, infighting and legal action, and was finally cancelled by the courts in 2007.

Frederic de Luze, negociant and owner of cru bourgeois Chateau Paveil de Luze, emerged as the leader of the Medoc growers, and has worked tirelessly to create a new, reliable image for the crus bourgeois. They regrouped as the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois, and put in place an annual, single-tier quality label, scrupulously controlled by an impartial organization without direct ties to the wine business. Unfortunately, the alliance lost some of its luster when the most prestigious chateaux deserted, unwilling to share the same status as less-illustrious estates.

This year, the alliance announced that 267 chateaux had been awarded cru bourgeois status for the 2012 vintage being released for sale; last year, there were 256. The wines cost considerably less than from chateaux in the 1855 classification, making them particularly attractive to consumers looking for affordable wine.

Altogether, the crus bourgeois produced 29 million bottles of the 2012 vintage, which gives them a certain heft in the market -as long as they hang together.

The tentative plan for the proposed classification is to renew it every five years, but the wines would still undergo an annual quality control tests. The plan also calls for the gradual reintroduction of levels of merit. The first classification would most likely include two tiers. In the future, another tier would be introduced, recreating a three-tier quality classification.

Today, the crus bourgeois believe they have developed a system that guards against conflicts of interest in an increasingly litigious wine trade. The classification will not depend upon the INAO -the organisation in charge of administering AOC rules -which has caught criticism in the lawsuits plaguing the most recent Saint-Emilion classification.

"We've learned from our own past how to avoid conflicts of interest. We are going to keep doing what we're doing," said Dutheillet de Lamothe.

To seal their project, they will need the agreement of the French Economic and Agriculture ministers.

"We have met with them every year for five years to make sure everything is in order. They are open to this evolution for the crus bourgeois," said Dutheillet de Lamothe. "They know we're serious."