Contents
The history of the estate
The history of Château d’Arche dates back to 1611, when Etienne d’Arche, 8th generation of the family, settled in the Bordeaux region and developed a passion for wine after purchasing the estate. In 1733, his great-grandson François d’Arche bought the Braneyre cru and gave it his name. Seized during the French Revolution, the château was then sold as national property and divided between various families.
In 1855, on the occasion of the imperial classification of Gironde wines for the Universal Exhibition in Paris, Château d’Arche was designated 2nd Grand Cru Classé among the white wines. In 1925, Armand Bastit-Saint-Martin, mayor of Sauternes at the time, succeeded his father at the head of the estate and set about reunifying it.
After decades of perpetuating the Sauternes tradition and working to improve the wines produced, Château d’Arche opened the Hôtel du Château d’Arche in 2002, confirming its pioneering role in Sauternes in terms of wine tourism, encounters and sharing.
In 2019, a more innovative and eco-responsible winery is inaugurated, to further improve the quality of the wines produced, while respecting nature.
The terroir
Château d’Arche is located in the Sauternes region, 30km from Bordeaux. The Sauternes area, bordered by the Garonne and crossed by the Ciron, benefits from a misty microclimate due to the meeting of the cool waters of the Ciron and the warmer waters of the Garonne. Thanks to the dry, warm afternoon, the wine’s aromas are concentrated and botrytis cinerea, the noble rot, can develop perfectly following its appearance due to the fog.
Château d’Arche also benefits from a great diversity of soils, giving the wines their richness and typical taste. Gravel soils add power, clay adds aroma and silt adds finesse.
Unsurprisingly, 90% of the vineyard is planted with Sémillon, the emblematic Sauternes grape variety, which is highly conducive to the development of botrytis cinerea. The 10% Sauvignon Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle allow us to create blends with a fuller, more complex aromatic palette.
To obtain the purest wines, the grapes are harvested by hand and sorted over 4 to 5 passes to select the grapes with the best noble rot. Since 2016, the vines have been restructured to rejuvenate them, although some century-old vines have been kept to add depth and structure to the wine.
Commitments
The 70-hectare estate is in conversion to organic farming and inaugurated its new winery in 2019. It is at the cutting edge of sustainable development and symbolizes the owners’ commitment to reducing their ecological footprint. In the vineyard, as in the winery, innovation is at the heart of all our projects, with the aim of moving towards precision viticulture in line with our values: Purity, Naturalness and Ecology. With its hotel located in the heart of the 17th-century Carthusian monastery, Château d’Arche is a place to live and meet, a refuge that is both modern and historic, warm and intimate.
The wine
Château d’Arche is known for its flagship cuvée, its Grand Cru Classified in 1855, vinified under the Sauternes AOC: Le Château d’Arche. Every year, this wine is recognized for its elegance, its racy character and the typicality of its terroir, which it conveys: roundness, fruitiness, florality and empyreumatic notes are all characteristics. To make it an exceptional gift, Château d’Arche is systematically delivered in a gift box.
Photos : Château d’Arche
