Pale yellow wine, green at the rim, displaying a crisp and powerful nose in which citrussy and floral aromas are subtly mingled with rose and passion fruit. The chewy, ample palate is underpinned by a hint of refreshing acidity. Harmonious, lingering finish.

The original name of this property, parts of which date back to the 12th and 16th centuries, was La Salle d’Argadens. It became Chateau Argadens in 2002, when it was bought by Maison Sichel. Covering 45 hectares of clay-limestone soil in a single plot, Argadens is superbly well situated on one of the highest hills of the rolling Entre-Deux-Mers region (one of the five highest points, in fact, of the Gironde). The vineyard is thus extremely well drained and extremely well exposed to the sun and the air. Sichel’s aim in acquiring Argadens was quite simply to see it express the full potential of its wonderful terroir and become one of the benchmark properties in the Bordeaux Superieur category. To achieve this, the company has invested heavily in terms of finance, time and technology and the resulting wines exhibit greater complexity and depth than ever before.

Technical notes

Produced in very small quantities, this blend Semillon and Sauvignon from 30 year old vines, harvested at optimal maturity. The musts are protected from oxidation by inert gas during prefermentation maceration and fermented in new oak barrels. The wines remain on full lees for 3-4 weeks with stirring two or three times weekly before being racked and held for two to three months on fine lees with weekly stirring. They are then racked again, blended, and fined and cold stabilized before being bottled.

Producer

Ever since it set up an acquisitions office in Bordeaux in 1883, Maison Sichel has remained a family business first and foremost. Since that time, six generations of the Sichel family have succeeded one another at the company’s helm. It was Peter A. Sichel who breathed new life into Maison Sichel by moving the business to Gironde’s capital city in 1961, enabling it to flourish and gain the international reputation which it enjoys today. Today, Allan, Charles, James, Benjamin and David continue the task of their ancestors, each in his own special field. They have undertaken the task of developing the company while remaining faithful to their father’s philosophy, with respect for quality and the authenticity of the different terroirs. Allan’s eldest son, Alexander Sichel joined the company’s sales team in September 2012 to do his bit in developing the Sichel brand. The future of this family company is assured…