Château d'Arsac
One of the oldest estate in Médoc

Regarded as one of the oldest wine estates of the Médoc region, Château d’Arsac has a rich and eventful history that can be traced back over nine hundred years. In the 12th century the property belonged to noble Sires. Then, in the 16th century, the domain was acquired by Thomas de Montaigne, the brother of the famous philosopher, Michel de Montaigne. Subsequently, the domain would become the property of the counts of Ségur and the Barons of Arsac.

It wasn’t until the 18th century that merlot and cabernet sauvignon vines were planted at Château d’Arsac. The exceptional gravel and sandy soil of the property produced fine and suave red wines which ravished palates and palaces throughout France and as far as England.

By the end of the 19th century, Chateau d’Arsac’s vineyard was one of the largest in the Médoc. The arrival of the phylloxera crisis at the turn of the 20th century and the slump in sales incited the proprietors to uproot the totality of the vines. So many vines were removed that Château d’Arsac was completely abandoned in the mid 1930’s and not even considered for the Margaux appellation, which was created in 1954. Unbelievably, the château’s actual winery became a chicken-coop from the end of the Second World War to the mid 1980’s.

Château d’Arsac was acquired by Mr. Philippe Raoux in 1986. After 10 years of intense renovations and legal procedures, Château d’Arsac rediscovered its wine-producing vocation as well as the AOC Margaux appellation for half of its vineyard.