Chateau L'Arrosée was first listed in Le Feret among the Saint-Émilion premiers crus in 1868, when it belonged to Pierre Magne, Minister to Napoleon III. The outstanding situation and rich terroir could have ranked it among the Premiers Grand Crus Classés at the time of the 1955 classification.
However, it was ranked as a Grand Crus Classés as, at the time, it had neither vinification nor ageing facilities and the harvest was sold to the co-operative.
All of this changed when Francois Rodhain made a determined effort to vinify and age the wine at the chateau – with this hard work the fortunes of the vineyards soared along with the exceptional quality.
Since August 2002 Chateau L'Arrosée has been run by two talented proprietors with endless reserves of enthusiasm – Roger and Jean-Phillipe Caille. This new phase of ownership is already showing signs of boosting a wine that is already of tremendous quality.
In their own words:
“We were both passionately interested in the study of wine and wine-making and had spent ten years looking for a rare pearl in the Bordeaux area. We were immediately attracted by Chateau L'Arrosée, this small vineyard with its fabulous situation. We are going to make every effort to restore the status of this domain and its wine.” - Roger & Jean-Phillipe
With reviewers and the public at large becoming increasingly hooked by their wines it seems they’re well on their way to fulfilling their ambitions.
The terroir has two special features that contribute to the quality of the wine. Firstly, the domain is in the unusual position of having two different types of land on its hands. Part of the vineyard is located on the sheltered slope to the south west of Saint-Émilion – this provides generous lashings of sunshine. The result is that grapes are matured to perfection when harvested, while the chalky clay soil provides a healthy balance of minerals and water. The other part of the vineyard lies at the foot of the slope where it is hotter.
These two locations greatly increase the chances of producing a tremendous grape when compared to a uniform terroir.
Another favourable oddity is that the merlot grape variety is blended with 20 percent Cabernet Franc and, again unusually, 20 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon, the pre-eminent grape of the Médoc, is not usually planted on clay soils but flourishes on an unprecedented scale in this unique sun drenched terroir.
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