Armailhac 2019

Pauillac, Fifth Growth

Excel download

View All Vintages of this Wine

Units Size Case size GBP Price: Quantities Buy
Tasting Notes

The 2019 d'Armailhac is very perfumed, quite floral on the nose, touches of mint and cassis pinning this down as a Pauillac. The palate is medium-bodied with a slight bitterness on the entry. The tannins are rougher than its peers, yet balanced with a fresh saline, rather sinewy finish. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

Score: 90

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024-2034 01 February 2023

The 2019 d'Armailhac requires a few minutes to open up. It has an intense bouquet of blackberry and small black cherries, iodine and crushed violet, plus a faint hint of tobacco (less than last year). The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy black fruit, this 2019 having gained some backbone during its barrel maturation. Solid grip and flavors of black pepper and mint toward the chalky finish. This is excellent, but it will need longer in bottle than I originally envisaged.

Score: 93

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2048 01 February 2022

The 2019 d'Armailhac was the last vintage made in the old winery that has since been demolished to make way for a new gravity-fed facility that will be equipped with 50 smaller vats tailored to the parcels in the vineyard. It will provide greater space that will permit longer élevage if desired. It is fascinating to juxtapose again its Clerc Milon stablemate. There is more amplitude on the nose, it is more forthright with blackberry, wild hedgerow, tobacco and a subtle leather aroma. It comes across less high-toned than previous vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins and slightly more mid-palate depth/grip than the Clerc Milon. The crescendo here is wonderful, fanning out towards the finish with subtle black pepper, sage and mint notes. This is a delicious d'Armailhac in the making.

Score: 92 - 94

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024-2048 16 June 2020

The 2019 d'Armailhac was the last vintage made in the old winery that has since been demolished to make way for a new gravity-fed facility that will be equipped with 50 smaller vats tailored to the parcels in the vineyard. It will provide greater space that will permit longer élevage if desired. It is fascinating to juxtapose again its Clerc Milon stablemate. There is more amplitude on the nose, it is more forthright with blackberry, wild hedgerow, tobacco and a subtle leather aroma. It comes across less high-toned than previous vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins and slightly more mid-palate depth/grip than the Clerc Milon. The crescendo here is wonderful, fanning out towards the finish with subtle black pepper, sage and mint notes. This is a delicious d'Armailhac in the making.

Score: 92 - 94

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024-2048 01 June 2020

Deep ruby in colour, smoked oak on the nose, giving power and tannic frame without sacrificing the salinity and florality that is so present in Armailhac. Cassis, loganberry, cigar box, muscular tannins, cocoa bean, ash, a wine full of savour and character. 56% 1st wine. 50% new oak, and extended time in barrel for ageing, up to 18 months. Jean-Paul Voelert technical director.

Score: 94

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2022-2044 10 November 2022

Autumnal underbrush and blackberry aromatics, this has vertically tight tannins at this young stage. More structure, freshness and density than you would typically find in older vintages of Armailhac, but that means inevitably there is also a little more austerity. Huge potential, with violet and peony flowers teased out of the glass as things soften up, with beautifully balanced cassis and blackberry fruits. Harvest September 19 to October 9. Bottled in May. This is the last vintage made in the old cellars (with the new ones now totally finished as of the 2021 vintage).

Score: 93

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2025-2040 12 January 2022

Thoroughly enjoyable Armailhac, with concentration immediately apparent on the nose, more so than in many vintages of this wine. There's a pleasing austerity to the tannins giving a confident but not overbearing structure with lovely juiciness on the finish. Of the three Pauillac estates in the Mouton stable, this has the youngest vines as an average age (although also some of the oldest vines in the whole of the Médoc, dating back to the 1890s) which sometimes holds it back from reaching full complexity of expression, but that is not something you'll be complaining about here. Instead you get a fresh core, silkily textured blackberry and cassis fruits with good balance. This is the last vintage made in the old facilities, as they are about to re-do the cellars.

Score: 93

Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2028-2042 25 May 2020

The 2019 d'Armailhac is impeccable, just as it was from barrel. Sweet red cherry, blood orange, mint and cinnamon all run through the 2019, but it is brightness and energy I admire most. The purity of the fruit is compelling, as is the wine's balance. The 2019 was the last vintage made in the old facility. It will be fascinating to see where the Mouton takes d'Armailhac from here.

Score: 91

Antonio Galloni, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2026-2039 01 February 2022

The 2019 d'Armailhac is bright, punchy and full of character. The purity of the flavors is just striking. Sweet red cherry, white pepper, mint and citrus notes lend energy. In the glass, 2019 d'Armailhac sizzles with tension. If I didn't know this was from a warm year, I would never guess it. D'Armailhac is super classy in 2019. This is the last vintage made in the old cellars. Among other things, the new facility contains 50 fermentation tanks as opposed to the 22 in the current winery. The move towards smaller tanks and the ensuing precision that can be taken in the field is one of the major quality improvements in Bordeaux over the last generation. It will certainly be interesting to see what happens here.

Score: 89 - 91

Antonio Galloni, Inside Bordeaux 01 June 2020

I've always loved this château, and it offers lots of bang for the buck. The 2019 Château D'Armailhac reveals a dense purple hue to go with textbook Pauillac graphite and lead pencil notes as well as more cassis style fruits, background tobacco, and subtle oak. Medium to full-bodied and elegant on the palate, it's a seamless, balanced effort to drink over the coming two decades or more.

Score: 92 - 94

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2020 - 2040 11 June 2020

This year the blend is 62%Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, harvested from the 19th of September to the 9th of October. The 2019 D'Armailhac sports a medium to deep garnet-purple color and notes of warm plums, stewed cherries, mulberries and blackcurrant pastilles with touches of aniseed, wild thyme and chocolate box. The medium-bodied palate has a firm frame of fine-grained tannins and bold freshness supporting the expressive black and blue fruits, finishing with a provocative herbal lift.

Score: 91 - 93

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 09 June 2020

A polished, refined red with blueberries, blackberries and some dark chocolate and spice, such as cloves and black pepper. Full-bodied, round and ripe. Crisp and fresh at the end. Juicy and delicious already.

Score: 92 - 93

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 28 May 2020