Château d'Arche Grand Cru Classé

The history of the estate

The history of Château d'Arche has its roots in 1611, when Etienne d'Arche, 8th generation of the family, settled in the Bordeaux region and developed a passion for wine following the purchase of the estate. In 1733, his great-grandson François d'Arche bought the Cru de Braneyre 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 held 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, meeting 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 region, 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 afternoons, the wine's aromas are concentrated and botrytis cinerea, a 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 passages 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 bring a little depth and structure to the wine.

The wine

Château d'Arche is known for its flagship cuvée, its grand cru classé en 1855, vinified under the Sauternes AOC: Le Château d'Arche. This wine is recognized every year for its elegance, racy character and the typicity of its terroir, which it conveys: roundness, fruitiness, florality and empyreumatic notes are all characteristics.