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 Exposition Universelle (1855), 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, when Emperor Napoleon III of France, Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordea ...
. Belonging to the
Sauternes appellation
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin of wine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, s ...
in
Gironde
Gironde ( , US usually , ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749. , in the region of
Graves, 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, 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 e ...
d'Arche-Lafaurie ceased,[ bearing the name of former share-owner Lafaurie of Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey.][Gibb, Rebecca, ''Decanter.com'' (July 30, 2009)]
Sauternes producer targets nightclub goers
/ref>
Production
The vineyard
A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...
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, Zante currant, currant, sultana (grape), sultana). For a complete list of all grape species, including those unimp ...
distribution of 90% Sémillon
Sémillon () is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, mostly in French wine, France and Australian wine, Australia. Its thin skin and susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea, botrytis make it dominate the sweet wine region S ...
, 10% Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon blanc () is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the city of Bordeaux in France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an ind ...
.
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