Château d'ARCHE

Primeurs of Château d'Arche

webmaster — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:21:00 +0200

Grand cru classé de Sauternes

The Château d'Arche vineyard expands over the hillsides surrounding the Sauternes village. This unique location close to the Ciron river, allows our vines to benefit from a particularly favorable micro-climate. In Autum, thick morning mists cover the Sauternes valley and are then dispersed by the afternoon sun.

This enable. This the development of Botrytis Cinerea, this delicate "noble rot" essential for the growth of outstanding Sauternes wines.

Covering over 40 hectares, the Château d'Arche vineyard is planted on a variety of soils composed of 70% gravel, 20% clay and 10 % limestone. Each soil type expresses itself differently contributing to the harmonious balance of Château d'Arche wines. The gravel soil provides structure and strength while the clay-limestone soils help develop delicate aromas. The North-South plantation axis of the vineyard ensures the grapes a maximum amount of sunshine throughout the day.

Primeurs

webmaster — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:03:00 +0200

> PRIMEUR (PDF English)

Vineyard and cellar in february

webmaster — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:46:00 +0100

Outside: The vineyard

Winter temperatures are very low, but growers are in the vineyards!
Winter is the season when we prune our vines in order to properly prepare for the future harvest and to ensure the good quality of our future vintages.. Sauternes and Chateau d'Arche, in particular, make no exception, quite the contrary! To date, we have made good progress. We only have about 6 hectares out of 50 left to prune. We expect to have finished the entire vineyard in mid-February. As usual, we started by cutting the oldest vines that are more resistant to frost than the younger vines. We finish with the younger vines in order to delay budding and thus the risk of eventual frost damage. These are little tricks of the trade that allow us obtain very good Sauternes!

Cellar side: The evolution of vintages 2009 and 2010

We currently pampering the 2009 and 2010 vintages in our barrels. We closely monitor their progress to know just the right time to bottle. Deciding when to bottle is a very important step for the grower, a bit like when parents let their children move out. For now, our vintages are not quite ready, but are headed in a very good direction. A real group effort, the tasting at Chateau d'Arche is done by the director Jerome Cosson, the winemaker and cellar master Audrey Fargues.

Here is some of the most recent commentary:
”Regarding the 2009 vintage, we are on a very classic Sauternes, a wine that will seduce the Sauternes lovers. Extremely pure and aromatic, this vintage is round and thick, providing richness and a very nice structure. Still in barrels, we will let ripen until late summer.
As for the 2010 vintage, one mustn’t be fooled by its young age. The 2010 is already very smooth-quite rare for a wine so young. This vintage is very different from its predecessor. More mineral, it is lively and just waiting to evolve. Only time will tell how our youngest vintage will mature but it’s certain is that this wine has a lot of potential!

Family and Social Events

Nicole — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:54:00 +0200

The Relais du Château d’Arche is an ideal venue for celebrating all family and social events…..

Our Lafaurie reception hall can seat up to 150 people. For events including more than 150 guests, a tent can be set up in the Chai courtyard to accommodate up to 300 people. The hall can also be separated to accommodate groups of 20-40 people. Our Prieuré room is also available for more intimate dinners or can be used as a children’s playroom, dining room or dormitory.

Tables and chairs for 120 people are included in the rental fee as well as access to the hotel and chai courtyards, parking lot and kitchen.

We can also help organise a catering service adapted to your specific needs.

Rental rates

120 € - 2050 €

Rental Rate includes:

Tables and chairs for 120 people
Lafaurie reception hall (160m²) and Prieuré room (20m²)
Catering kitchen
Parking
Hotel courtyard
Chai courtyard

Surrounding Restaurants

Nicole — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:37:00 +0200

Chez Cyril

Blending Workshop: The Secrets of Wine Making

webmaster — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 18:00:00 +0200

The Château d’Arche invites you to discover one of the most important steps in winemaking: blending.

A wine professional from Château d’Arche will guide you through the steps to fabricating the final product through a hands-on activity.

After tasting several wine samples, each participant will blend his/her own wine. Each participant will then do a blind tasting of each wine.

This activity lasts about 1 hour

Fee: 30€ per person (minimum 8 people)

Please contact us for reservation information.

Le Vignoble au fil des saisons

webmaster — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:59:00 +0200

La saison dʼhiver est lʼune des meilleures pour découvrir l'opération la plus importante de l'année : la taille. La taille va déterminer l'évolution de la vigne au fil des années et la qualité des raisins de chaque millésime. La taille de la vigne est une opération minutieuse, technique, de la plus haute importance pour la qualité de la récolte et pour la pérennité de la vigne. Le Château d'Arche vous propose une activité ludique qui vous permet de découvrir cette tache essentielle à la vie du vignoble.

La taille de Janvier à Mars sur demande

En vous mettant en situation pratique, vous allez :

Découvrir la taille en respectant les règles de bases de lʼappellation de Sauternes
Apprendre les techniques
Analyser les difficultés rencontrées et trouver les solutions

La séance se déroulera en 2 parties : découverte de la vigne et de la taille à Sauternes et initiation à la taille. (Environ 2h)
Voici le programme de votre « initiation » :

Accueil au Château dʼArche & présentation PowerPoint sur lʼimportance de la taille et les méthodes
Atelier de la taille par petit groupe
Dégustation des vins du Château dʼArche

Tarif 2009 tour opérateur & Agence

Atelier de la taille: 10 € TTC par personne

Ce prix comprend :

La séance taille animée par un membre de lʼéquipe du Château dʼ Arche
Dégustation de 3 vins

Ce prix ne comprend pas

Le transport

Options :

Bouteille « cadeau » de Sauternes 5 € par personne
Déjeuner/cocktail sur place par traiteur. Menu repas complet entrée, plat, dessert, café, vin à partir de 25 €

Food and Wine Pairing

webmaster — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:43:00 +0200

Discover the Château d’Arche through a guided tour of the vineyard and chai, followed by a food pairing and tasting of Château d’Arche’s best wines.

Tour and wine pairing session lasts 1 ½ to 2 hours

Prices

18 € per person (minimum 8 people)

Please contact us for réservation information

Vertical Tasting and Tour

webmaster — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:43:00 +0200

Discover the Château d’Arche with a guided tour of the vineyard and our chais, followed by a vertical wine tasting.

Prices :

16 €/person

(An 8 person minimum is required for all visits)

Please contact us for reservation information.

chateaudarche@wanadoo.fr

Château d'Arche Vineyard Tour and Tasting

webmaster — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:41:00 +0200

Discover the Château d’Arche through a guided tour of the vineyard and chai, followed by a tasting of Château d’Arche’s best wines.

This guided tour includes a visit of the vineyard with an explanation of the Sauternes appellation and cultivation methods. Moving into the chai, your guide will take you through the transformation of juice into wine. The tour ends in the barrel chai, where visitors can see the whole Château d’Arche production. And of course – no tour is complete without a tasting of the final product!

The tour and tasting lasts about 1 hour.

Please contact us for further information or to book

Weddings

webmaster — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:42:00 +0100

The Relais du Château d’Arche offers the perfect setting to celebrate your wedding day…..

Our Lafaurie reception hall can seat up to 150 people. For wedding of more than 150 guests, a tent can be set up in the Chai courtyard to accommodate up to 300 people. Our Prieuré room is also a smaller room next to the reception hall that can be used as a children’s playroom, dining room or dormitory.

Tables and chairs for 120 people are included in the rental fee as well as access to the hotel and chai courtyards, parking lot and kitchen.

There is a 48 hour rental period - for Saturday weddings, the hall is available from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. The same conditions apply to weekday weddings.

Our reception hall is available for weddings all year round.

Rental rates

May – September 2 285 € October –April 1 525 €

Rental Rate includes:

Tables and chairs for 120 people
Lafaurie reception hall (160m²) and Prieuré room (20m²)
Catering kitchen
Parking
Hotel courtyard
Chai courtyard

Room Rates

webmaster — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:40:00 +0100

The Relais du Château d’Arche offers 9 superbly charming guest rooms that reflect the cozy « at home » atmosphere of Château d’Arche.

All of our rooms offer breathtaking views overlooking the world renowned Sauternes vineyard and beautifully furnished with stunning bathrooms.

Each room is equipped with a king size bed (or two twin beds upon request), a stunning bathroom, hair dryer, personal safe, television and free internet access.

The Master Suite – 160€ 1 Master Suite 50m2 Located on first floor Semi-private seating area Large bathroom with separate sinks, bathrobes and slippers, separate WC

Junior Suites – 150€ 3 Junior Suites 35 – 42m2 Located in each of the three towers of the chateau Semi-private seating area Large bathroom with bathrobes and slippers

Superior Double Room – 140€ 3 Superior Double Rooms 35m2 Located on ground floor

Standard Double Room – 120€ 2 Standard Double Rooms 20-25m2 Corner room located on ground floor

Additional bed 15€

Continental French breakfast 10€

A d'Arche Red

webmaster — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:52:00 +0100

Graves rouge

The vines for this wine are located in the small region of Léogats adjacent to the Sauternes perimeter. The two plots of land are situated on the summit of a hillside and the earth is gravel.

2008

Deep purple in color, this wine has a very expressive fruity nose of red current, raspberries and blackcurrant. We find the same red fruits on the palate with mellow tannins and an attractive freshness for an elegant finish.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SURFACE 1 hectare

SOIL TYPES 100% gravels

VINE TYPE 100% Merlot

AVERAGE VINEYARD AGE 10 years

CULTIVATION METHOD Classical, "la lutte raisonnée"

AVERAGE OUTPUT 40 hectolitres per hectare (average of the last 10 years)

PLANTATION DENSITY 6000

WINE MAKING PROCESS Cold pre-fermentation maceration for one week. Cap punching during alcoholic fermentation. Malolactic fermentation in barrels.

MATURING Aging in barrels for 12 months

OENOLOGUE Henry BOYER from OENOCONSEIL laboratory.

A d'Arche White

webmaster — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:47:00 +0100

Bordeaux blanc sec

The vines used to produce this dry white wine are situated in the heart of the Château d’Arche vineyards. We decided to produce the dry whites since the light clay-limestone, light earth allows us to craft wines that are fresh and fruity. The north-south plantation axis of the vines assures the grapes a maximum exposure to the sun throughout the day.

2009

This dry white wine, pale in color, gives of aromas of white flowers with a touch of basswood honey. A lively attack on the palate bursting with orange zests and fresh almonds. The tannins melt into subtle hints of smoked vanilla giving this wine a deep structure. A long silky finish leaving a satisfying sensation.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SURFACE 1 hectare

SOIL TYPES Sablo-Limoneux

VINE TYPE 50 % Sauvignon blanc, 25 % Sémillon, 25 % Muscadelle

AVERAGE VINEYARD AGE 10 years

CULTIVATION METHOD Classical, "la lutte raisonnée"

AVERAGE OUTPUT 25 hectolitres per hectare (average of the last 10 years)

PLANTATION DENSITY 1,5m x 1m (6600 vineheads per hectare)

VINIFICATION Vinified in barrels. the

MATURING Aged for 8 months in barrels. Lees are stirred for the first six months of maturing.

OENOLOGUE Henry BOYER from OENOCONSEIL laboratory

Prieuré d'Arche

webmaster — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:01:00 +0100

Second vin

The Prieuré d'Arche wine is essentially sourced from young semillon vines from the Château d'Arche property that are under ten years old. We also have a small plot of our Sauvignon-Blanc grapes that are specifically dedicated to making Prieuré d'Arche.

This wine is generally fresh and crisp, which can accompany en entire meal. It marries well with white meats.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SURFACE 10 hectares

SOIL TYPES types gravel, clay and limestone

VINE TYPES 70 % Sémillon, 30 % Sauvignon blanc

AVERAGE VINEYARD AGE 15 years

CULTIVATION METHOD Classical, use of lutte raisonnée

AVERAGE OUTPUT 18 hectolitres per hectare (average over the last 10 years)

PLANTATION DENSITY 1,5m x 1m (6600 vineheads per ha)

VINIFICATION Pressing is done in vertical wine presses dating from 1935. Vinification in stainless steel vats with 40 hectoliters per vat.

MATURING Part of the wine matures in barrels.

OENOLOGUE Henry BOYER from OENOCONSEIL Laboratory

Arche Lafaurie

webmaster — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:56:00 +0100

Arche Lafaurie is a reserve wine produced on well exposed vines that produce exceptional grapes. Powerful and extremely complex with a high residual sugar concentration and refined aromatic components. These full bodied wines are smooth and extremely long on the palate.

Chateau d'Arche Lafaurie is a wine that can be aged for many years.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SURFACE 2 hectares

SOIL TYPES gravel, clay and limestone

VINE TYPE 90 % Sémillon, 10 % Sauvignon blanc

AVERAGE VINEYARD AGE + 60 years

CULTIVATION METHOD Classical, use of la lutte raisonnée

AVERAGE OUTPUT10 hectolitres per hectare (average over the last 10 years)

PLANTATION DENSITY1,5m x 1m (6600 vineheads per ha)

VINIFICATIONPressing is done in vertical wine presses dating from 1935. Vinified in 100% new oak barrels.

MATURING100% oak barrels for 24 months

OENOLOGUEHenry BOYER from OENOCONSEIL Laboratory

Seminars and Corporate Meetings

webmaster — Wed, 06 May 2009 20:46:00 +0100

The Relais du Château d’Arche is the location for hosting professional seminars and corporate meetings. Our Lafaurie reception hall can accommodate large seminars and our Prieuré salon is ideal for smaller more intimate business meetings. The Lafaurie reception room can be divided into various sections according to the number of participants or work groups. The seminar rooms are furnished with tables, chairs and accessories according to your particular needs.

Business meetings sessions can be interchanged with wine tasting courses, gastronomic meals or visits to the most prestigious sites in the Bordeaux region.

Château d'ARCHE

webmaster — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:31:00 +0100

Grand Cru Classé SAUTERNES

1998

Attractive golden appearance, delicate, mellow, smooth and harmonious, woody and vanilla nose.

2000

Concentrated honey nose, rich, vigorous, golden appearance, generous and powerful, attractive candied fruit flavor.

2002

Attractive golden shade with a refreshingly clean taste. Candied fruit and roasted almond flavor with an elegant finishing touch.

2003

A rich amber color with a rare clarity and sheen. Orange, melon, marmalade, ginger and vanilla aromas. A rich, powerful and complex wine.

2004

Rich in flavor, with dominant notes of apricot, orange, pineapple and melon, in addition to a hint of spice and caramel. On the palate the 2004 is dense and complex with a refreshing touch of elegance. The finish is long and distinguished.

2005

An elegant and concentrated vintage. The nose is both complex and harmonious with a dominance of apricot, orange peel and exotic fruit. On the palate, this wine is very expressive with notes of candied fruit, apricot, melon jam and grilled almonds.

A very “pure” wine with light wood. The originality of this vintage comes from a great freshness and an abundant mineral backbone that balances out the concentration.

2006

Splendid aromatic expression with a very open nose. Notes of fresh fig, melon preserves, caramel and a hint of ginger, bring freshness to the wine. A smooth, fresh attack on the palate with a snappy evolution, accompanied by a superb burst of mineral and toffee aromas.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SURFACE 27 hectares Château d'Arche - 3 hectares Arche Lafaurie - 10 hectares Prieuré d'Arche

SOIL TYPES 80 % gravels and 20 % clay and limestone

VINE TYPE 90 % Sémillon, 10 % Sauvignon

AVERAGE VINEYARD AGE 45 years

CULTIVATION METHOD Classical, use of lutte raisonnée

AVERAGE OUTPUT 17 hectolitres per hectare (average over the last 10 years)

PLANTATION DENSITY 1,5m x 1m (6600 vineheads per ha)

VINIFICATION Pressing is done in vertical wine presses dating from 1935. Vinified in oak barrels for the mail part of the harvest.

MATURING 30 % new oak barrels. Each batch is monitored individually from the harvest until the final blending.

OENOLOGUE Henry BOYER from OENOCONSEIL laboratory

Wine-Food pairings

webmaster — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:21:00 +0100

A refined aperitif

Sauternes remains a delicious aperitif wine. Served with Roquefort cheese or melon Sauternes is a prestigious wine to be enjoyed amongst friends.

Delicious with Asian cuisine

Sauternes wines blend very well with spicy dishes, combining well with aromas such as ginger, citronella and other eastern flavors.

Ideal throughout the meal

Sweet and Savory! Sauternes can be served throughout the meal with foie gras, shellfish, white meats (roasted or in sauce), exquisite with fish, seasoned cheeses.

Serving and storage recommendations

Sauternes wines should be stored horizontally and served chilled between 10° and 12°C (50°-54°F). An opened bottle can be kept for several days in the refrigerator without altering the quality or aroma of the wine.

The vineyard

webmaster — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:20:00 +0100

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOIL

Southern exposition
Row plantation axis : North / South
Soil types :
70 % gravels
25% clay and limestone
5% silts

The vineyard soil is composed of gravely hilltops, clay on hillsides and silts downhill.

Each soil type has a specific affect on the grape vine that in turn, produce different characteristics in finished wines. Strength from the gravels, aroma from the clays and delicacy from the silts. The North to South plantation axis provides the grapes with maximum sunlight all day long.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VINE

The property counts 88 ac. of which 71 are classified.
90% Sémillon
9% Sauvignon
1% Muscadelle
Average vineyard age : 45 years
Plantation density : 6600 vine heads per Ha.
Average output (10 last years) : 17 hl./ha

The age of the vineyard is an important factor in producing high quality wines. Older vines produce grapes with complex aromas and exceptionally elevated concentration levels.