2009 Château d'Armailhac
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Tasting notes
Critic scores
James Suckling
Decanter
More reviews and scores
The 2009 d’Armailhac has a lovely bouquet with ample blackberry, boysenberry, graphite and light mint aromas - very Pauillac and very well focused. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannin, moderate acidity, good depth and very grippy. It is not the most complex Pauillac in this group but there is fine persistence with pure black cherry and hints of cassis towards the finish. Fine. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.
The 2009 D'Armailhac has a medium to deep garnet color, and vibrant red and black fruit preserves, incense, earth and dried herbs all spring from the glass with a faint undercurrent of beef drippings. Medium-bodied, firm and chewy in the mouth, it has just enough maturing, savory fruit to fill the palate, with a lively line of freshness and an herbal lift on the finish.
Very firm with drive and Pauillac minerals – Mouton minerals indeed. Graphite and structure – good stuff! (JR)
About the producer
Ch. d’Armailhac is a Pauillac Fifth Growth owned by the Rothschilds, who also own Ch. Mouton Rothschild. Lavished with the same attention to detail and having benefitted from extensive investment in recent years, this estate can offer brilliant value in comparison to its First Growth sibling.