Winegrower Côtes du Rhône
Maison Arnoux in Vacqueyras,
in the Côtes du Rhône Appellation
A legacy preserved
and an expanding business
1717, is far more than just a date on the label of a prestige cuvee. It is a truly historic date for the Arnoux family. It indicates the year when Comte François de Castellanne, de Lauris, de Vassadel, de Gérard, Chevalier Marquis d’Ampuis, de Langneroux wrote in his last will and testament his wish to bequeath a plot of vines to Pierre Bovis, founding ancestor of a marvellous lineage of winemakers. Almost three centuries marked by the determination to be innovators, without ever betraying this superb Vaucluse terroir.
To the north, the chain of mountains named les Dentelles de Montmirail, slightly to the east, the Mont Ventoux. In this setting of awe-inspiring natural beauty flourishes the Vacqueyras winegrowing area. At the top of the village, shaded by ramparts and the bell tower, on this day in September the Arnoux family are supervising the arrival of the grapes at the vat house. The harvests are in full swing here on the 40 hectares that now constitute the estate belonging to the heirs of Pierre Bovis. Marc, the oenologist and Jean-François, responsible for sales, carefully observe each detail at this crucial period of the year. “Our main objective is to treat our terroirs with great care and preserve the characteristics of these wines. We want them to be extremely expressive, fruity, with a touch of elegance. We are not seeking extraction at all costs, even if some our wines have plenty of powerfulness” both men point out.
The character of the Vacqueyras terroir in bottles
On the subject of wines, they mention with legitimate pride 2005, quite simply named 1717 (70% Grenache, 30% Syrah), the legendary date. “It is a tribute we are paying to the history of our family. We use very old vines, some of which were planted before the First World War. With yields of 20 hectolitres per hectare we obtain a wine where fruitiness is combined with very tightly-knit tannins, which become softer during a period of maturation in new oak barrels lasting 12 months, before ageing for at least another year in our underground cellars.”
Andreas Larsson, the ‘World’s Best Sommelier’ 2007 made no mistake in choosing the first vintage of 1717 as one of his favourites and by describing it in this way: “wonderful complexity, tremendously long on the palate. An elegant, sophisticated wine...”
The other clear advantage this firm possesses is the fact that it can present for tasting other wines largely considered as being some of the best in the Vacqueyras appellation, which has benefited from the status of ‘growth’ since 1990. The cuvees Jean-Marie Arnoux,
Le Vieux Clocher or Seigneur de Lauris are primarily references of quality, before being part of a range.
Moreover, Robert Parker showed his interest in these wines by giving enviable ratings for the 2005 vintage. The Vacqueyras Vieux Clocher (70% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre) was awarded 88/100, whereas Seigneur de Lauris (70% Grenache, 30% Syrah) received a remarkable 90/100.
Winemakers and wine merchants too
The two brothers use attentive methods and are determined not to betray the terroir by ensuring they preserve all the features of its character; they continue this same approach when they take on their role of wine merchant. They are following in the footsteps of Aimé, their grandfather who celebrated the arrival of paid holidays by developing his business in a significant way. “He began to establish partnerships with other winegrowers in the Rhône Valley in order to extend the selection presented to his customers. By buying grapes, he added Beaumes-de-Venise, Gigondas, Cairanne and Châteauneuf-du-Pape to his range. Nowadays, this winemaking role represents a volume of 6 000 hectolitres, which we sell mainly in France, but we export a certain amount too, to Denmark, the United States and to Benelux countries. We are currently developing trade with the United Kingdom and Germany. Not forgetting China, where some very interesting opportunities are beginning to take shape.”
A wine trade activity also enables the Maison Arnoux to strengthen its renown from the Saint-Joseph, Crozes and Hermitage appellations to Tavel and the Côteaux d’Aix. “But we have another special feature too” conclude Jean-François and Marc ‘We deal with winemaking for more than a dozen small domains of this appellation. We receive their grapes, make the wine and then blend it. Afterwards we return the finished product.”
Such a wide range of activities enables this Vaucluse firm to employ
13 members of permanent staff and generate an annual turnover of approximately 10 million Euros. Pierre Bovis’ legacy, a few acres of vines in 1717, has certainly developed over the years.
J. Bernard
Arnoux et fils
Cave du Vieux Clocher
84190 Vacqueyras
Tel.: 04 90 65 48 18
www.arnoux-vins.com
E-mail
