Style: Red Wine

Producer: Chateau d'Armailhac by Baron Philippe de Rothschild

Grapes: 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc & 2% Petit Verdot

Where: Pauillac, Bordeaux

Country: France

Taste: Expert tasting note: "This has fantastic color - deep, inky, purple-red. Aromas are dominated by cedary oak that integrates well on the palate with mulberry, dark plum - with cinnamon hints. Cassis cuts in strongly on the palate where it is lifted by fresh acidity. The wine has good depth, a rich velvety texture & mouth-coating tannins, all reflecting the ripeness of the vintage. Lovely long flavors develop in the mouth. Could be aged for 20 years."

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Additional Info: 

About the Wine: Undoubtedly, 2016 can be compared to some of the greatest vintages of the 21st century. This can be seen based on the density and mouth-feel of Armailhac's 2016. Harvested in between September 27th and October 14th.

About the Vintage: In 2016, there were two main trends in the weather as we experienced it in Pauillac:
- a very wet winter and spring: more than half of the annual rainfall came in the first four months of the year, including a record 240 mm in January;
- an extremely dry summer and autumn without any significant rainfall, resulting in a water deficit at the end of the year.

As a consequence of the summer drought, the grapes were numerous but remained rather small, making for density and concentration. High temperatures in August and September allowed for slow ripening and excellent maturity, so that the harvest started with the Merlot on 26 September and continued in perfect conditions until 14 October. In the vat house, each grape variety and each plot were, as usual, vinified separately in order to let their intrinsic character shine through.

About the Producer:

Cinquieme Grand Cru Classe in 1855. This wine was labeled as 'Chateau Mouton d’Armailhac' between 1750-1955, 'Château Mouton Baron Philippe' between 1956-1974, 'Château Mouton Baronne Philippe' between 1975-1988 and Château d’Armailhac since 1989. The Château d'Armailhac vineyard is adjacent to Château Mouton Rothschild to the north and covers 70 hectares (172 acres) in the northern part of Pauillac. An extension of the Carruades de Mouton plateau, the Plateau des Levantines et de l’Obélisque, made up of light and very deep gravelly soil, is the preferred terroir of Cabernet grapes. The deep gravelly soil of the Plateau de Pibran rests on a clay-limestone base, giving the Château d’Armailhac wines their characteristic refinement and elegance. The light gravelly soil of the Croupe de Béhéré is up to three metres deep.

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