Chateau d’Arsac Margaux Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau d’Arsac Margaux with wine tasting notes and wine with food pairing tips. Learn the best vintages, a history of the property, information on the vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

Chateau d’Arsac History, Overview

Chateau d’Arsac is one of the older properties in the Medoc as it has a history dating back almost 1,000 years to the 12th century. The previous chateau was destroyed during the French Revolution. The current chateau was built in the 1830s. The estate takes its name from the commune of Arsac, where the vineyards are located.

After its heyday in the mid-1800s, the property fell into a state of disrepair. At one point in time, the total vineyard was close to 180 hectares. However, sales over the years reduced the vineyard’s size. Following the depression, the property was essentially abandoned and for a period of time, operated as a farm that raised chickens.

The modern era for Chateau d’Arsac could be said to begin in 1986 when the large estate was purchased by Philippe Raoux. Once the purchase was finalized, Philippe Raoux began an extensive renovation and modernization of Chateau d’Arsac from top to bottom.

He brought in Patrick Hernandez as the architect who in his redesign brought in modern elements and a lot of bright, cobalt blue paint into the design while retaining the chateau’s true, old French charms. The modern sculpture garden is famous in the region.

Chateau d’Arsac Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 54 hectare vineyard of Chateau d’Arsac is planted to 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot for their red wine grapes. 4 hectares of vines are used for Sauvignon Blanc.

In total, Chateau d’Arsac has 112 hectares under vine. But as of 1995, 54 hectares of their vines became classified as being part of the Margaux appellation.

It appears that the decision of the INAO to allow all of those 54 hectares of vines to be classified as being part of the Margaux appellation was not without controversy, as a portion of those vines possess a different terroir than you can find at any other Margaux estate.

The remainder of their vineyard is located in the Haut Medoc appellation. The vines are young as they are maintained at an average of 20 years of age. The terroir is small gravel stones, sand, and clay soil. The vineyards are harvested by machine.

The wine of Chateau d’Arsac is vinified in large stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation takes place in vat. The wine is aged in a combination of new and used, French oak barrels for 12 months before bottling.

There are 2 second wines, Ruban Bleu d’Arsac and Baronne d’Arsac. They also make a dry white Bordeaux from a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon from a specific 4-hectare parcel of vines. Additionally, they produce wine from their 54 hectares of vines in the Haut Medoc appellation, Le Monteil d’Arsac.

The large estate has an annual production that averages close to 20,000 cases of wine per year at Chateau d’Arsac.

The best vintages of Chateau d’Arsac are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009 and 2005.

When to Drink Chateau d’Arsac, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau d’Arsac can be enjoyed on the young side with decanting. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 1 hour, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Chateau d’Arsac is usually better with at least 5-8 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau d’Arsac offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 8-15 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau d’Arsac, with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau d’Arsac is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

The red wine of Chateau d’Arsac is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau d’Arsac is a perfect match with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta as well as cheese.

The white wine of Chateau d’Arsac is a perfect wine to serve with shellfish, sashimi, sushi, all types of seafood, chicken, veal, and cheese.

It was the idea of Philippe Raoux to begin making a small amount of wine on a yearly basis using a different winemaker for each vintage to produce “The Winemakers Collection,” starting with the 2005 vintage.

Michel Rolland was the first winemaker chosen to produce the debut vintage. From there you have: Denis Dubourdieu, Vini Franchetti, Stephane Derenoncourt, Eric Boissenot, Zelma Long, Susana Balbo, Ntsiki Biyela, Dany Rolland and Hubert de Bouard, with more to follow.

In 2007, the owners added La Winery to their massive estate. La Winery is focused on wine tourism and includes parkland, space for picnics in the vineyards, an amphitheater for concerts, restaurants, and wine tasting rooms.

http://chateau-arsac.com