Château d'Arche is a sweet white wine ranked as Second Cru Classé (French, “Second Growth”) in the original
Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855
The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 resulted from the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, when Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordeaux wines that were to be on display for visitors from ...
. Belonging to the
Sauternes appellation
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...
in
Gironde, in the region of
Graves
A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...
, the winery is located in the commune of
Sauternes.
History
One of three estates within the
Sauternes commune that was rated second growth in the Classification of 1855, situated on a favourable ridge location, Château d'Arche is named for the Comte d'Arche, owner of the estate from 1733 to 1789.
Under Comte d'Arche the estate held a high reputation, and its placement in the 1855 classification's second tier is considered due to the divisions of the estate that followed the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
, and the subsequent drop in quality from the level of the 1780s.
[
In 1981 the property was leased by INAO president Pierre Perromat, who sought to make improvements to the standard of production. With the arrival of Perromat, production of the formerly widely known ]second wine
Second wine or second label (French: ''Second vin'') is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from '' cuvee'' not selected for use in the ''Grand vin'' or first label. In some cases a third wine or ev ...
d'Arche-Lafaurie ceased,[ bearing the name of former share-owner Lafaurie of Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey.]campaign
Campaign or The Campaign may refer to:
Types of campaigns
* Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed
*Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme
* Bl ...
of bottling wine in a 100 ml test-tube shaped bottle, in an effort to target young drinkers in nightclubs.[Gibb, Rebecca, ''Decanter.com'' (July 30, 2009)]
Sauternes producer targets nightclub goers
/ref>
Production
The vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineya ...
s measure , with a grape variety
This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...
distribution of 90% Sémillon
Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, mostly in France and Australia. Its thin skin and susceptibility to botrytis make it dominate the sweet wine region Sauternes AOC and Barsac AOC.
History
The Sémil ...
, 10% Sauvignon blanc.
The estate produces the second wine, Prieuré d'Arche, a choice reserve wine, Chateau d'Arche Lafaurie, as well as dry white and red bottlings, A d'Arche Bordeaux blanc sec and A d'Arche Graves rouge.
References
*
;Footnotes
External links
Château d'Arche official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arche Chateau
Bordeaux wine producers