Château d'Armailhac 2023

Gorgeous nose with clearly defined fruit and floral notes. On the palate, straight, crisp, fresh, slender in style, elegant, long, with a red-fruited finish.

Gorgeous fragrance, so floral and alive on the nose, minty and herbal as well as full of violet and cherry elements. Smells quite intense but fresh too. Bright and in focus, streamlined with a racy core—bright acidity and fine tannins, very harmonious if still strict and focused. It’s full and balanced in its own way with good structure and persistence from start to finish. Sleek, tangy, taut; I like the soft power, the slightly grippy tannins and the freshness throughout. Leaves a bitter grapefruit–orange peel tang on the finish. Highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. 62 IPT. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend.

70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Cask sample. Fresh and crunchy, the fruit zesty. Medium-bodied but lacks some depth. Powdery tannins on the finish that stick out just a little. (JL)

The 2023 d'Armailhac has a delightful bouquet, beautifully defined with pure black fruit laced with graphite. The oak is seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, laden with (again) graphite-infused black fruit that render this Pauillac through and through. Great precision on the finish, this is a superb d'Armailhac that should age supremely well in bottle.

The aromatic profile opens with cassis, black cherries, and cigar box note, which is the perfect introduction to the wine. The palate is packed with dark cherries, spice, herbs, and currants. Soft, and inviting, with a spicy, minty edge to the fruit in the crisp, vibrant finish, give it a few years of aging, and it will reward your patience. The wine blends 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. This is the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon used in the blend in the history of the estate. Drink from 2028-2050.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, brightening on the rim. Delicate notes of cranberries and cherries, fine herbal savouriness, tobacco nuances. Medium complexity, red-berried fruit, fine tannins, good freshness, mineral and accessible, a versatile food wine.

70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 13.5% ABV. Delicate, floral-blueberry bouquet, noble cassis spice, iris fragrance. On the complex palate with a silky texture, a tight-knit tannic framework and structured profile. In the focused, long finish, wild cherry, dark graphite and a majestic astringency. A feminine Armailhac, thanks to the perfect tannin structure. The tension is created by the Cabernet Franc, which always lengthens the wine, says Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy with a confident grin.

High Cabernet, as is the story of the vintage on the Left Bank. A wine that also continues the new story of Armailhac following serious investment in vineyards and cellar, and technical director Lucie Lauilhé. Bright and vivid from the first moment, layered cassis, crushed mint, liquorice root, crushed rocks; an excellently precise, structured and textured Armailhac. Love it. Harvest September 7 to 30. 80ha in production, 50% new oak barrels for ageing.

Score: 91–93. The nose conveys a sense of ease with notes of dark fruits and a hint of spice and charcoal. On the palate, the wine is bright and shimmering, with pure, juicy dark fruit, great precision, and a long, saline finish.

A lovely aromatic, spicy nose with fine concentration, a hint of toast, and an almost imperceptible Mediterranean touch in the background. It shows notes of black mulberry, dense small black fruits and, more lightly, graphite, with hints of elegant roasted red berries, as well as touches of pepper and a discreet hint of almost herbal aromatics. The palate is beautifully juicy, elegant, and gourmand, offering suppleness, smoothness, indulgence, and a pleasing, sapid, elongated profile—classically fresh and elegant. It reveals notes of juicy/fresh blackcurrant, fresh/dense small red fruits and, more lightly, graphite and mocha, with touches of toast, juicy/fresh red plum, as well as accents of racy minerality and a touch of toast, infusion in the background, and an imperceptible hint of almost herbal aromatics. Good length. Sapid and supple tannins, elegant, flavorful. A subtle powdery/soft note on the finish/retro. Very fresh, flavorful.

A terroir study in 2023 identified certain plots harvested and vinified separately: here, 70% Cabernet (a record), 13% old Franc, and 15% Merlot, keeping only those with lovely freshness. The nose is of great class—already velvety and deep—with very ripe, powerful, spicy Cabernets. The attack is broad, dense, and balanced. The palate surprises with its airy feel; everything is in place, with fine, abundant, clean tannins and a mineral, silky, elongated mid-palate.

93-95. Barrel Sample. This estate under the tutelage of the Baron Philippe de Rothschild family gets better and better. This vintage, with a high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon has dense juicy acidity that shows great ripeness as well as fine succulence. The wine should age well.