Growers / France / Bordeaux / Left Bank / Cru d’Arche-Pugneau
Cru d'Arche Pugneau vineyard

Cru d’Arche-Pugneau

The domaine has been in the Daney family since 1923.


It’s a family (the Daney family) joke that the Cru d’Arche Pugneau has been an unclassified estate since 1855 despite the fact that its vineyards are encircled and touched and are otherwise and in all ways in the neighborhood of the most grand and fabled estates of Sauternes. The domaine has been in the Daney family since 1923. Louis-Gabriel Daney owned the estate and produced the wines until 1970 at which point he was followed by his son, Jean-Pierre, who held the reins until 1981. When Jean-Pierre Daney retired, his son, Francis, in turn took his place as the third generation of the Daney family to control the affairs at this beautifully situated domaine.

The domaine consists of 13 hectares, with many small parcels spread over four different communes within the Sauternais – Sauternes, Preignac, Bommes and Barsac – as is frequently the case in this appellation. The majority of the parcels are within the village of Boutoc, which lies in the heart of the AOC Sauternes. Daney’s holdings here are bordered by the vineyards of several of the most prestigious of the classified grands crus – Yquem, Suduiraut, Lafaurie-Peyraguey and Rabaud-Promis. You can see the d’Arche Pugneau vineyard holdings marked in green on the accompanying map which also indicates the location of several classified growth producers of Sauternes, including the grand Yquem. The vineyards are planted 75% to Semillon, 20% to Sauvignon and 5% to Muscadelle. The soil is sand and gravel-based, with layers of clay at varying depths. The Daney home and chai and a small parcel of the d’Arche Pugneau vineyards sit at the foot of the hill at the top of which stands Chateau d’Yquem.

Daney headshot textured background of dirt

The vineyards are planted 75% to Semillon, 20% to Sauvignon and 5% to Muscadelle.

Farming

Practicing organic

Treatments

Copper sulfate only

Ploughing

Annual ploughing to maintain vineyard health

Soils

Red Limestone-clay and sand toward Barsac, and sandy gravel atop deep gravel subsoils toward Sauternes.

Vines

Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle trained in Guyot, Sémillon trained in Cordon de Royat

Yields

Controlled through pruning and debudding, yields average 15 hl/ha.

Harvest

Traditional hand harvesting with successive passes through the vineyard to select individual botrytized berries

PURCHASING

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

Wines ferment spontaneously in 225-l neutral oak barrels.

Extraction

Bâtonnage only to counter reduction

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Vertical basket press

Malolactic Fermentation

Blocked by wines’ naturally high acidity

Élevage

Basic Sauternes spends 2 years in 225-l neutral oak barrels. Trie Exceptionelle spends 3 years in 225-l neutral oak barrels. L’Intemporel solera has been in barrel since 1997.

LEeS

Wines remain on their fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling

FINING & FILTRATION

Bentonite fining if necessary, plate filtration if necessary

SULFUR

Applied only at bottling, c. 10 mg/l free

Farming

Practicing organic

Treatments

Copper sulfate only

Ploughing

Annual ploughing to maintain vineyard health

Soils

Red Limestone-clay and sand toward Barsac, and sandy gravel atop deep gravel subsoils toward Sauternes.

Vines

Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle trained in Guyot, Sémillon trained in Cordon de Royat

Yields

Controlled through pruning and debudding, yields average 15 hl/ha.

Harvest

Traditional hand harvesting with successive passes through the vineyard to select individual botrytized berries

PURCHASING

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

Wines ferment spontaneously in 225-l neutral oak barrels.

Extraction

Bâtonnage only to counter reduction

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Vertical basket press

Malolactic Fermentation

Blocked by wines’ naturally high acidity

Élevage

Basic Sauternes spends 2 years in 225-l neutral oak barrels. Trie Exceptionelle spends 3 years in 225-l neutral oak barrels. L’Intemporel solera has been in barrel since 1997.

Lees

Wines remain on their fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling

Fining & Filtration

Bentonite fining if necessary, plate filtration if necessary

Sulfur

Applied only at bottling, c. 10 mg/l free

Growers