Winemakers in the St Emilion region of Bordeaux are celebrating as the appellation's new classification has finally been approved.

After four years of legal wrangling instigated by the chateaux that lost their status, the French appellations body INAO has approved the ten-year classification for the region's vineyards, Decanter reports.

A contract has now been put out to tender to find an independent organisation to monitor the classification and ensure the decision-making process is protected against any future legal challenges.

Chateau Angelus owner and former president of the appellation, Hubert de Bouard, told Decanter: "We are all happy to be nearing the end of this difficult episode, and we are committed to the importance of the classification.

"To ensure that everything is fully independent, we can't get too involved in the details."

The new classification will provide reassurance for those looking to buy St Emilion wines as an alternative to the big Bordeaux First Growths.

Wine Spectator recently noted that St Emilion's 2008 Chateau Moulin Haut-Laroque was a fine example of "the whole new world of Bordeaux" outside of Medoc.