Chateau Arnauld 2000
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Pair with Sirloin steak with mushrooms Bordelaise, small game birds, venison in wine sauce.
Other Vintages
2018- Decanter
-
Wong
Wilfred -
Suckling
James
Chateau Arnauld is a top performing Cru Bourgeoise property located in the Haut Médoc region of Bordeaux. Since 1976 it has been owned by the Theil Roger family (of Château Poujeaux fame) and today it is run by François Theil. Its 27 hectares of vineyards are located just outside the village of Arcins, north of the commune of Margaux in the Haut-Médoc. The wine is typically a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. The grapes are fermented in a combination of concrete and stainless steel tanks and the wine is matured in small oak barrels (40% new) for 12 months. The wines are aromatically rich on the nose and tend to be medium-bodied with ripe tannins and good levels of ripe black fruits on the palate. It can be drunk young but generally shows at its bets after 5 years of bottle ageing.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
One of the most—if not the most—famous red wine regions of the world, the Medoc reaches from the city of Bordeaux northwest along the left bank of the Gironde River almost all the way to the Atlantic. Its vineyards climb along a band of flatlands, sandwiched between the coastal river marshes and the pine forests in the west. The entire region can only claim to be three to eight miles wide (at its widest), but it is about 50 miles long.
While the Medoc encompasses the Haut Medoc, and thus most of the classed-growth villages (Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, St-Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe) it is really only those wines produced in the Bas-Medoc that use the Medoc appellation name. The ones farther down the river, and on marginally higher ground, are eligible to claim the Haut Medoc appellation, or their village or cru status.
While the region can’t boast a particularly dramatic landscape, impressive chateaux disperse themselves among the magically well-drained gravel soils that define the area. This optimal soil draining capacity is completely necessary and ideal in the Medoc's damp, maritime climate. These gravels also serve well to store heat in cooler years.