Armailhac 2009

Pauillac, Fifth Growth

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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, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2012-2032 01 March 2012
This may be the finest d’Armailhac I have ever tasted. Made in a textured, full-bodied, sumptuous style, it is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and the balance primarily Cabernet Franc with a tiny dosage of Petit Verdot. It exhibits a deep ruby/purple hue along with floral, red and black currant, cedar, and spice characteristics. Deep, medium to full-bodied, and impressively pure as well as long, it should drink well for 25 years. (Tasted three times.) Score: 90 - 93 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2010-2035 01 April 2010
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+ 15 February 2012
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 01 April 2010
(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 01 May 2010
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 01 April 2010
60CS 24M 14CF 2PV. Gentle strawberry and red cherry fruit, very perfumed accessible nose. Lots of vanilla and cappuccino character. Midweight and soft in the mouth with no hard edges. Very chocolatey and charming followed by a firmly tannic finish. Score: 91 - 93 Albany Vintners, - 01 April 2010
Tasted at Château Mouton-Rothschild and at a negociant. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. This has a fragrant, perfumed nose with a Margaux-like personality. Taut blackberry and bilberry fruit, good definition, coiled up aromatics, becoming stonier with aeration, good minerality coming through, perhaps stricter than recent vintages of d’Armailhac. The palate has a very smooth entry, supple tannins, citric acidity, very pure and generous, lovely sense of refinement towards the tannic, blackberry, stony finish. Perhaps a little more conservative at this stage, the oak is bound to buff it up by time of bottling. Tasted March 2010. Score: 91 - 93 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 30 March 2010

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, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2012-2032 01 March 2012

This may be the finest d’Armailhac I have ever tasted. Made in a textured, full-bodied, sumptuous style, it is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and the balance primarily Cabernet Franc with a tiny dosage of Petit Verdot. It exhibits a deep ruby/purple hue along with floral, red and black currant, cedar, and spice characteristics. Deep, medium to full-bodied, and impressively pure as well as long, it should drink well for 25 years. (Tasted three times.)

Score: 90 - 93

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2010-2035 01 April 2010

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+ 15 February 2012

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 01 April 2010

(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 01 May 2010

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 01 April 2010

60CS 24M 14CF 2PV. Gentle strawberry and red cherry fruit, very perfumed accessible nose. Lots of vanilla and cappuccino character. Midweight and soft in the mouth with no hard edges. Very chocolatey and charming followed by a firmly tannic finish.

Score: 91 - 93

Albany Vintners, - 01 April 2010

Tasted at Château Mouton-Rothschild and at a negociant. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. This has a fragrant, perfumed nose with a Margaux-like personality. Taut blackberry and bilberry fruit, good definition, coiled up aromatics, becoming stonier with aeration, good minerality coming through, perhaps stricter than recent vintages of d’Armailhac. The palate has a very smooth entry, supple tannins, citric acidity, very pure and generous, lovely sense of refinement towards the tannic, blackberry, stony finish. Perhaps a little more conservative at this stage, the oak is bound to buff it up by time of bottling. Tasted March 2010.

Score: 91 - 93

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 30 March 2010

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