Wine Review: Chateau d’Arche Sauternes 2007

For today’s tasting Wine-Searcher’s Wine Director, David Allen MW, looks at a half bottle of mature Sauternes from the delicious 2007 vintage. The wine in question is Chateau d’Arche 2007. It is fair to say the wine exceeds his expectations.

Chateau d’Arche is a wine estate based in the sweet white wine producing commune of Sauternes, in southern Bordeaux. The estate was classified a Second Growth in the 1855 classification of Sauternes and Barsac.

The château and vineyards lie just north of Sauternes village, midway between Château La Tour Blanche, one kilometer (0.6 miles) to the northwest, and Château Guiraud, the same distance to the southeast.

The estate’s name dates back to the early 17th Century when a local noble, François d’Arche, purchased the so-called Cru de Braneyre (which was also the name of the estate’s second wine until the early 2000s).

As with most properties owned by the nobility, the estate was seized, divided and auctioned off in the French Revolution. It received Second Growth status in 1855 when it was owned by a Monsieur Lafaurie (the estate was, for many years known as Château d’Arche-Lafaurie).

The estate has seen numerous proprietors over the decades including, notably, the mayor of Sauternes, Armand Bastit-Saint-Martin, who consolidated the estate’s holdings in the mid-20th Century. Later proprietors include the Perromat family (Pierre Perromat headed up France’s INAO appellations authority from 1968 to 1983 as well as the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur Winegrowers’ Union) who sold the estate to an investor group in 2005.

The total vineyard area covered by the estate runs to 70 hectares (172 acres) with 30 hectares (74 acres) around d’Arche dedicated predominantly to botrytis-affected sweet white wine production. Much of the remainder – dry white, red and rosé wines – is used to produce wines under the Bordeaux appellation.

The vineyard’s used to produce d’Arche’s sweet wines are predominantly (90 percent) planted to Sémillon with Sauvignon Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle making up the remaining 10 percent.

A range of sweet white wines is produced, including the eponymous grand vin (Château d’Arche) a top cuvée (Arche Lafaurie) and a second wine (Perle d’Arche). As well as the dry wines, a sparkling Arche Perlée has also been made in the méthode traditionnelle style (a “blanc de blancs”, it is made from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc) since 2020.

To find out more about Chateau d’Arche 2007, Its pricing and where to buy it follow this link to the Wine-Searcher website: https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/d+arche+sauternes+bordeaux+france/2007

To find out more about the 2007 vintage in Sauternes follow this link to the Wine-Searcher encyclopaedia entry: https://www.wine-searcher.com/vintage-2007-sauternes

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