Dark garnet red color showing the richness of this exceptional vintage. The complex and expressive bouquet is a harmonious mixture of dark red fruits aromas and very elegant oaky notes. It is a crisp and sappy wine which offers sweetness and richness on the palate The Cabernets add the necessary freshness to enhance the pleasant tannins of the Merlots. A wine with very good balance which offers a lot of pleasure after several years in the cellars.

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

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from 30 year old vines, hand picked with a rigorous selection. Fermented and macerated in stainless steel vat, then aged for 12-14 months in French oak (25% new).

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…