History
In 1883, Sichel moved to Bordeaux and set up an office at 19 Quai de Bacalan – the group’s registered headquarters today – right at the heart of the legendary Chartrons district, the historic centre of activity of the Bordeaux wine merchants. At that time, the company was an acquisitions bureau which procured wines for the Sichel companies in Mainz, London and New York.
In 1938, Allan Sichel, a member of the British branch of the family, joined forces with three other families to buy the legendary – but at that time extremely dilapidated – Château Palmer. For more than 65 years, continuous, sustained investment has been made in the estate in the quest for greater quality, and it is this which has helped to build its reputation. Today, it is viewed as one of the flagship estates of the Médoc.
In 1961, Diana and Peter A. Sichel bought Château Angludet, AOC Margaux, where they went on to raise their six children. The major renovation work they carried out on the estate took more than 40 years to complete. Today, wine critics are unanimous in placing Château Angludet among the best estates in the Médoc.
In 1967. Maison Sichel became the first Bordeaux wine merchant to build its own winemaking facility. For more than forty years, Maison Sichel has cultivated close ties with its partner winegrowers who are stringently selected according to quality criteria. Each year, Maison Sichel buys in the grapes to supply to its winery; this means that it is able to control every stage of the winemaking process and produce its own brand wines.
In 1990, the Sichel family expanded its interests in the Corbières by buying Domaine du Trillol. The estate lies in a majestic setting at an altitude of 400m (1,312ft), surrounded by fragrant Mediterranean scrubland and overlooked by the castles of the Cathars. The property originally consisted of just six hectares of vines. After sustained investment for more than fifteen years, the vineyard has now grown to 40 hectares.
In 2002, Maison Sichel bought Château Salle d'Arche and renamed it Château d'Argadens in reference to the Saint Macaire family of nobles which owned it in the thirteenth century. It immediately began a major investment programme to restructure the vineyard, increase plantation density, modernise the winery and build an ageing cellar. Its ambition for the years ahead is to go on improving the quality of Château Argadens to get its wines recognised as some of the best in the Bordeaux Supérieur category.