Chateau d’Armailhac 2018
Country
France
bottle size
750 ml
Wine Type
Red Wine
Wine Region
Bordeaux, Bordeaux - Pauillac
Grape Variety
Blended
vintage
2018 [**VINTAGE MAY CHANGE]
characteristics
Body
Full
Full
Full
Acidity
High
High
High
Tannin
High
High
High
2018 [**VINTAGE MAY CHANGE]
Product Description
The wines are intensely coloured and have excellent tannic structures. They are remarkably dense and smooth, with a rare concentration of aroma and flavour. Yields were smaller because of the drought, but the vintage can already be reckoned one of the great successes.
Awards.
95 point : James Suckling
94 point : Decanter
93 point : Wine Spectator
93 point : Jeb Dunnuck
93 point : Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
93 point : Wine Enthusiast
93 point : Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
wine score
93 points Wine Enthusiast
"A ripe, juicy wine with great freshness and swathes of black-currant fruits, this is already delicious. Plenty of tannins back up the fruits and push the wine towards a rich future, but the balance is already there. Drink this wine from the Mouton-Rothschild stable from 2025."
93 points Wine Advocate
"Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 D’Armailhac (a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot) hits the ground running with wonderfully open-knit, flamboyant scents of Morello cherries, black raspberries, blackcurrant jelly and rose oil, leading to an undercurrent of cinnamon toast, aniseed and mossy tree bark. The medium to full-bodied palate is charged with energy and expressiveness, delivering red and black berry layers with loads of spicy sparks, framed by plush tannins, finishing long and fragrant."
93 points Wine Spectator
"The core of ripe cassis, plum sauce and raspberry purée flavors have a succulent feel, while licorice snap, graphite and singed alder notes play along the edges. Nice glycerine feel through the focused and fine-grained finish. Tempting now, but time will bring more nuance. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2022 through 2035."
95 points James Suckling
"Complex aromas of blackcurrant, black olive, clove, oyster shell, pencil lead and tobacco. It’s full-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Concentrated and focused with a very long, spice and mineral finish. Fantastic bottle. Try from 2026."
Profile
Grape Blended
55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot
Palate
The powerful and well-structured attack reveals peppery and slightly minty flavours, leading into a mid-palate underpinned by elegant and dense tannins on roasted coffee-bean and liquorice notes.
Colour
The wine has a deep colour with a garnet hue.
Aroma
The rich, packed nose opens on aromas of blackberry and marzipan. With airing, the initial fruit is complemented by an array of spice and dark chocolate notes.
Palate
The powerful and well-structured attack reveals peppery and slightly minty flavours, leading into a mid-palate underpinned by elegant and dense tannins on roasted coffee-bean and liquorice notes.
Wine Pairing
:Beef
:Lamb
:Hard Cheese
Product details
Chateau d’Armailhac 2018
The first half of 2018 was marked by heavy rainfall and severe hailstorms during the winter, followed by a much milder spring.
Cool temperatures in March were followed by a warm spell in April which favoured vegetation growth and brought the vines into flower slightly earlier than usual. This trend was confirmed from June onwards as hot and sunny weather resulted in the vine cycle being 5 days ahead of average.
In July, high humidity coupled with the summer heat made it difficult to keep the vines healthy, but constant care from our growers ensured that all the qualities of the vineyard were preserved. Fortunately, hot and dry weather then set in for three months, with temperatures sometimes reaching more than 30°C, ending the mildew attacks.
Although conditions in the first half of the year did not herald a great harvest, the record-breaking temperatures, low rainfall and relative drought that followed in the summer months rectified the situation. The grapes were small but outstandingly rich in sugar and tannins.
The advance in the vine cycle and the hot, dry summer meant that the harvest began in late August for the white grapes and early September for the red grapes.
At Château d’Armailhac, picking started with the Merlot on 12 September and ended with the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot on 3 October.
The wines are intensely coloured and have excellent tannic structures. They are remarkably dense and smooth, with a rare concentration of aroma and flavour. Yields were smaller because of the drought, but the vintage can already be reckoned one of the great successes.
Brand
