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Armailhac 2009

Pauillac, Fifth Growth

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  • GBP Price: £355.00  per Case
  • Action: [Add to shopping basket]
  • Size: Bottle (75cl)
  • Quantities:2  Cases -  0  Bottle
  • Units: 24
Scores:
Wine Advocate Wine Spectator Burghound Jancis Robinson.com International Wine Cellar
92 91 - 94 - 16 - 17 90 - 93
Tasting Notes:

The finest d’Armailhac I have tasted to date, the 2009 is largely Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) blended with a big wallop of Merlot (25%) and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Its dense purple color is followed by a big, sweet kiss of asphalt, black currants, mocha, barbecue smoke, cedar and spice. This medium to full-bodied, well-made, impressively endowed Pauillac should drink well for 20+ years.

Score: 92 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2012-2032

Love the minty, floral and dark berry aromas to this young wine. Full-bodied, with supe fine and polished tannins. Long and racy. Wonderful texture. Perhaps the best d'Armailhac ever. 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 24 percent Merlot, 14 percent Cabernet Franc and 2 percent Petit Verdot.

Score: 91 - 94 James Suckling, Wine Spectator

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Picked 23 Sep – 6 Oct. Very dark crimson. Inky and fragrant with just a hint of farmyard. Black cherries for the first time on the left bank! Less obviously ripe and supple than many 2009s on the nose but then on the palate there’s a sweet start and then a pretty chewy, slightly sinewy finish. Sweet and polished – not too much soul but an awful lot of effective artifice! Reasonably complete. More traditional tannin management than some. Fairly chunky. (16.5+ points)

Score: 16 - 17 Jancis Robinson MW, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2017-2030

(a blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 24% merlot, 14% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot; pH 3.78; 13.2% alcohol) Deep red with purple highlights. The pretty, spicy, perfumed aromas of blackcurrants and raspberries leap from the glass. Light and fragrant on the palate, with excellent balance between the lively acids and the pretty red fruit and mineral flavors. This smoothly tannic midweight improves considerably with air, gaining in complexity and finishing with intense, very pure red and black cherry flavors. To my mind, the best Armailhac ever, and one that shows a very recognizable and pristine cabernet franc presence. Readers who enjoy classically styled Bordeaux may want to think about this gloriously restrained and refined wine, which is less obviously ripe than many other '09s and should age spectacularly well.

Score: 90 - 93 Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar

Wonderful aromas of blackberries, blueberries and bramble berries. Full-bodied, with ripe tannins and wonderful fruit. There is really a gourmand style to it. So delicious. Fruity and velvety. So much flavor. Why wait? But will improve for years.

Score: 93 James Suckling Maturity: 2012+