Château Arnauton enjoys a unique and remarkable terroir, located on the southern slopes of the mound of the Château which dominates the entire Fronsac appellation. Benefitting from a unique clay and limestone soil, the wines of Chateau Arnauton are full bodied, elegant and have a subtle complexity achieved through ageing in French oak barrels for 12 months.
This wine is mature and elegant with velvety, dark plum aromas and flavours with a hint of coffee and dark chocolate. The palate is smooth with soft tannins and good length. Good acidity and fine balance. It has the subtle complexity and elegance that is appropriate for a mature wine. Pairs well with soft cheeses (eg Camembert, Brie etc), game and red meats (beef, lamb, veal).
We like this because it is rare to find such a good quality Bordeaux at this price point which is also mature and ready to drink.
Classified as a fourth growth, Château Branaire-Ducru is located in the Saint-Julien appellation of Bordeaux. It was acquired by a family enterprise in 1988 and Patrick Maroteaux, who manages the estate, has made considerable improvements to the property. This has given the wine wonderfully consistent quality.
The wine is made in an innovative and practical winery that relies on gravity, eliminating the need to use pumps with the harvested fruit and wine. There is a wide range of tanks of different sizes, which makes it possible to carry out a considered and thorough selection based on the varying characteristics of the different vineyard plots. Around a third of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in new oak barrels. The wines are aged traditionally for between 18 and 24 months in barrels made from French oak (50% of which are new). They are always fined using egg white.
Château Branaire Ducru is a wine with much complexity and it has the potential to age well over time. The 2008 has an attractive bouquet of ripe plums with densely packed red and black fruit aromas. The palate offers notes of forest, earth and cedar as well as tobacco and leafy notes. It has generous, dense tannins that will soften with age.