Château d'Armailhac 2018

The core of ripe cassis, plum sauce and raspberry purée flavors has a succulent feel, while licorice snap, graphite and singed alder notes play along the edges. Nice glycerine feel through the focused, fine-grained finish. Tempting now, but time will bring more nuance. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2022 through 2035.

Armailhac has held its success from en primeur and has further gained in weight during ageing. This wine is shifting slightly in style, deepening in profile and increasing new oak for ageing from 30% to 50% (and staying in barrel a little longer). Unusually high alcohol for this corner of Pauillac, likely from the concentration that occurred in September on the Armailhac gravels (there is less clay in the soil at this spot). It shows in a rich mouthfeel, chewy tannins, and chocolate-covered damson fruit. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Bottled mid-May. New winery underway.

Complex aromas of blackcurrant, black olive, clove, oyster shell, pencil lead and tobacco. It’s full-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Concentrated and focused with a very long, spicy and mineral finish. Fantastic bottle. Try from 2026.

Dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, subtle brightening at the rim. Delicate tobacco, a touch of vanilla, cassis, dark sweet cherry, blackberry, fine herbal savouriness, candied grapefruit pith, subtle mint. Juicy, forest fruit confit, elegant and freshly structured, ripe, round tannins, cassis also on the finish, dark nougat, very good persistence, very good ageing potential. (2020-2045)

Dense garnet ruby. Spicy bouquet with peppercorns, Brazilian tobacco and blackcurrants, followed by rosemary and cocoa powder. Mid-palate supported by tannins, finely austere, delicate astringency, powerful body. In the focused finish, the wine seems somewhat closed and shows a fine crumbly texture. Currently closed, needs time!

Kunz barrel sample 19: (55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot) Fresh, dense, velvety, elegant bouquet, cassis, black cherries, fine woods, subtle toasted notes, a touch of licorice. Dense, creamy, powerful palate with plenty of fine tannins, a velvety structure, pronounced aromatics, and a full finish.

(55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot) Fresh, dense, velvety, elegant bouquet, cassis, black cherries, fine woods, subtle roasted notes, delicate licorice. Dense, creamy, powerful palate with plenty of fine tannins, velvety texture, pronounced aromatics, full finish. 18/20 2026 - 2040

A blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2018 d’Armailhac has a deep garnet color, with a touch of purple. It charges out of the gate with notes of crème de cassis, blueberry pie, and fruitcake, with hints of Chinese five spice, rose oil, and sandalwood. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers bags of rich, opulent fruit with just enough freshness and velvety tannins, finishing very long.

Wonderful finesse. Length, delicacy, class. The best vintage of the cru in a very long time…

The 2018 is a truly seductive wine, a charming and well-built pauillac, structured by notes of black fruit. Refined and voluptuous, it continues a fine run of very successful vintages here.

Delicate, complex bouquet with floral notes and a hint of coffee and caramel. Lovely fruit expression. Slightly creamy on the palate. The wine is elegant, gourmand and perfectly balanced. It combines finesse and precision thanks to precise tannins with beautiful fine grain. A charming wine that can already be approached in its youth, yet also offers good potential.

The darkest vintage of d'Armailhac I have ever seen; from the first swirl and sniff, you know it’s a new level for this chateau. On the nose, you find smoke, tobacco leaf, blackberries, plums, wet earth, and thyme. On the palate, the wine is lush, round, and deep, with layers of sweet, dark, ripe fruit, soft, round tannins, herbs, pepper, dark chocolate, spice, and a burst of black and dark red fruits on the finish. Give this a decade in the cellar and it will really start to strut its stuff. The wine is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot.

A ripe, juicy wine with great freshness and swathes of black-currant fruits, this is already delicious. Plenty of tannins back up the fruits and push the wine towards a rich future, but the balance is already there. Drink this wine from the Mouton-Rothschild stable from 2025.