Château d'Arche
Encyclopedia
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
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 which were to be on display for visitors from around the world...

. Belonging to the Sauternes
Sauternes (wine)
Sauternes is a French sweet wine from the Sauternais region of the Graves section in Bordeaux. Sauternes is made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes that have been affected by Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot. This causes the grapes to become partially raisined,...

 appellation
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...

 in Gironde
Gironde
For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...

, in the region of Graves
Graves
Graves is an important subregion of the Bordeaux wine region. Graves is situated on the left bank of the Garonne river, in the upstream part of the region, southeast of the city Bordeaux and stretch over...

, 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
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

, and the subsequent drop in quality from the level of the 1780s.

In 1981 the property was leased by INAO
Institut National des Appellations d'Origine
The Institut National des Appellations d'Origine is the French organization charged with regulating French agricultural products with Protected Designations of Origin . Controlled by the French government, it forms part of the Ministry of Agriculture...

 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
Second wine 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...

 d'Arche-Lafaurie ceased, bearing the name of former share-owner Lafaurie of Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey
Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey
Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey is a Premier Cru Classé Sauternes wine from the Sauternes appellation. The winery is located in the southern part of France’s Bordeaux wine region in the district of Graves in the commune of Bommes, and its château is situated on a hill top facing Sauternes' highest...

.

In 2009, d'Arche began a campaign
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...

 of bottling wine in a 100ml test-tube shaped bottle, in an effort to target young drinkers in nightclubs.

Production

The vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...

s measure 40 hectares (98.8 acre), with a grape variety distribution of 90% Sémillon
Sémillon
Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, most notably in France and Australia.-History:The origin of the Sémillon grape is hard to determine. It is known that it first arrived in Australia in the early 19th century and by the 1820s the grape covered over 90 percent...

, 10% Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...

.

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.

External links

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