Winemaker Notes
Blend: 55% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is dense with very pretty fruit and tannin balance. Blackberry, blueberry and stone undertones throughout. Well done for this estate.
Range: 91-92 -
Jeb Dunnuck
Located in Blanquefort, which is just north of the town of Bordeaux, Château d’Arcins has turned out a brilliant 2015 based on 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a great nose of ripe cherries, plums, spring flowers, licorice and toasted spice. This flows to a medium to full-bodied, ripe, rounded 2015 that has tons of personality. It’s just another hidden little gem in the vintage that I suspect sells for a song.
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.
While it claims the same basic landscape as the Medoc—only every so slightly elevated above river level—the Haut Medoc is home to all of the magnificent chateaux of the Left Bank of Bordeaux, creating no lack of beautiful sites to see.
These chateaux, residing over the classed-growth cru in the villages of Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, St-Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe are within the Haut Medoc appellation. Though within the confines of these villages, any classed-growth chateaux will most certainly claim village or cru status on their wine labels.
Interestingly, some classed-growth cru of the Haut Medoc fall outside of these more famous villages and can certainly be a source of some of the best values in Bordeaux. Deep in color, and concentrated in ripe fruit and tannins, these wines (typically Cabernet Sauvignon-based) often prove the same aging potential of the village classed-growths. Among these, the highest ranked chateaux are Chateau La Lagune and Chateau Cantemerle.