One of the Château Arnauld’s great vintages with a large percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. A deeply ruby red shot through with magnificent violet gleams. Aromas of dark fruit, notably blackberry, blueberry and black cherry, intermingle with intense notes of liquorice, sign of the lengthy and complete maturity of the Cabernet Sauvignons. The floral, violet character of the Petit Verdots is also discernible. Superb density in the mouth, with good volume and remarkable smoothness. Powerful in expression, but with a suavity and a grain of tannins of rare precision. The perfect balance.
A vintage of great class.
• Decanter : 93
• James Suckling : 92
• Wine Enthusiast : 91
• Jane Anson : 93
• Vinous Neal Martin : 90-92
• Forbes (Tom Mullen) : 96
• Alexandre MA : 93
• Yves Beck : 94
• Jean Marc Quarin : 92
• Chris Kissack : 91-93
• Jeff Leve : 90
• Mundus Vini : Gold medal
• Concours Mondial de Bruxelles : Gold medal
See all the awardsAPPELLATION: Haut-Médoc – Cru Bourgeois
CLASSEMENT: Exceptional Cru Bourgeois
VINEYARD:
– 17,95 hectares of vines
– Sols : a deep layer of Quaternary Gunzian gravel on the Arcins plateau, near the Gironde estuary, which moderates weather conditions here
– Planting density: 10 000 vines per hectare
– Average age of vines: 40 years old.
GRAPE VARIETIES:
– 36% Cabernet Sauvignon provides structure, aromas and fruitiness
– 55% Merlot roundness and richness
– 9% Petit Verdot that offers colour, structure and freshness.
FINAL BLEND:
– 53% Cabernet Sauvignon
– 34% Merlot
– 13% de Petit Verdot
HARVEST:
25th september to 11th october
VINIFICATION:
100% manual harvest with sorting on the vine and two sortings before destemming on harvest conveyor.
100% new barrel ageing for 16 to 18 months.
