Armailhac - Pauillac 2023

Vinous

93

byNeal Martinthe2/1/2026

The 2023 d'Armailhac has a delightful bouquet, beautifully defined with pure black fruit laced with graphite. The oak is seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, laden with (again) graphite-infused black fruit that render this Pauillac through and through. Great precision on the finish, this is a superb d'Armailhac that should age supremely well in bottle.

Yvesbeck.wine

94-95

byYves Beckthe5/14/2024

D'Armailhac beginnt mit dem Hinweis, dass er jung ist und sich in der Reifung befindet. Er weiß offensichtlich, was er kann, aber er hat nicht unbedingt Lust, dies sofort mitzuteilen. Er ist ein Teenager, der gerade eine Prüfung ablegt, und lässt sich nicht so leicht aus der Ruhe bringen. Wobei er sich schließlich dazu herablässt, einige Facetten zu offenbaren. Der Wein ist eher schlank im Auftakt, gewinnt aber dank der wertvollen Tannine und der strukturierenden Säure schnell an Dimension. Das Ergebnis ist ein tänzerischer, fast hüpfender Wein, aber mit der Agilität und Eleganz eines "Danseur-Etoile"! Die Säurestruktur ist vielleicht die Komponente, die ihn ein wenig einrahmt, mit einer unheimlich effizienten Wirkung. Ein vielversprechender Wein!

Jeb DUNNUCK

92-94

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/13/2024

Including slightly more Cabernet Sauvignon than usual, the 2023 Château D'Armailhac is based on 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, aging in 50% new oak. It's a ripe, medium to full-bodied, spicy, impressive Pauillac that has both red and black fruits, ripe, round, velvety tannins, the fresher, vibrant style of the vintage, and some classy tobacco and lead pencil aromatics. It's going to need at least 4-5 years of bottle age to come together, but it’s beautiful wine in the making. The alcohol is 13.5%, and it has a pH of 3.75.

The Drinks Business

91-93

byColin Haythe5/7/2024

D’Armailhac (Pauillac; 70% Cabernet Sauvignon; 15% Merlot; 13% Cabernet Franc; 2% Petit Verdot; pH 3.75; 13.7% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and then at Clerc-Milon with Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy). Smokier and more ferrous and saline in its minerality than Clerc-Milon, it is also more red-fruited and a little less sumptuous in texture. Redcurrant and blackcurrant. Tense, with the tension almost of a white wine if you shut you eyes and project. This is fresh and vibrantly energetic, but the acidity is much more noticeable and it’s not, for me, quite at the level of the rest of the Mouton flight, texturally ethereal though the tannins are. The fruit feels just a little stretched over the frame. 

The Wine Cellar Insider

92-94

byJeff Levethe5/6/2024

Flowers, cedar, black raspberries, and currants fill the perfume. The palate is packed with dark cherries, spice, herbs, and currants. Soft, and inviting, with a spicy, minty edge to the fruit in the crisp finish, give it a few years of aging, and it will reward your patience. The wine blends 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. This is the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon used in the blend in the history of the estate. 13.5% ABV, 3.75 pH. Harvesting took place on September 7-September 30. Drink from 2028-2045. 92-94 Pts.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

94

byJane Ansonthe5/6/2024

High Cabernet, as is the story of the vintage on the Left Bank. A wine that also continues the new story of Armailhac following serious investment in vineyards and cellar, and technical director Lucie Lauilhé. Bright and vivid from the first moment, layered cassis, crushed mint, liqourice root, crushed rocks, an excellently precise, structed and textured Armailhac. Love it. Harvest September 7 to 30. 80ha in production, 50% new oak barrels for ageing.

Vinous

90-92

byAntonio Gallonithe4/30/2024

The 2023 d’Armailhac is a plump, juicy wine that very much captures the generous side of the year. Succulent red plum, spice, new leather, rose petal and pomegranate are nicely amplified. Armailhac can have a slight edginess in its tannin profile, but today, that is not especially evident. This is a very sexy, almost opulent d'Armailhac, despite having the most Cabernet Sauvignon ever in the blend.

Vinous

91-93

byNeal Martinthe4/29/2024

The 2023 d'Armailhac was picked from September 7 to 30 and aged in 50% new oak. It contains the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon to date. Its tightly wound bouquet demands encouragement from the glass, perhaps just missing the panache that elevated the previous vintage. You could argue that this seems more “serious.” The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and a firm backbone. It’s a little pepperier than previous vintages, closing with a streamlined finish. Give this two or three years in bottle.

The Wine Independent

93-95

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/28/2024

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 d'Armailhac sings of black raspberries, wild strawberries, and tilled soil with hints of dried herbs and wet slate. The medium-bodied palate is lively and elegantly styled, with plush tannins supporting delicate red and black fruit layers, culminating in a well-sustained finish. Very impressive! The blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon (the highest ever percentage for d'Armailhac), 15% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, with pH 3.75. The alcohol is 13.5%.

Alexandre Ma

93-94

byAlexandre Mathe4/28/2024

Wine Advocate

92-93

byWilliam Kelleythe4/26/2024

The 2023 d'Armailhac is an attractive effort, bursting with aromas of cherries, raspberries, licorice and cigar wrapper. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and succulent, with a pretty core of fruit, sweet powdery tannins and lively acids, it's a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot—which is a rather high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon for this address.

Jamessuckling.com

93-94

byJames Sucklingthe4/25/2024

There’s a powdery and open texture to this red. Full-bodied and layered with a pretty and weightless texture. Blackcurrants and blueberries and an orange-peel undertone. Velvety texture at the end. 70% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot, 13% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot.

Vertdevin

94

byJonathan Chicheportichethe4/24/2024