d'Armailhac

Château d'Armailhac

Classification: Fifth Growth (5ème Cru)
Château d'Armailhac adjoins Château Pontet Canet to the west and south and Château Mouton Rothschild to the north and east. Château d'Armailhac dates back to the 1680s and one famous member of the d'Armailhac family – Armand - wrote a learned treatise on vine growing and wine making in the Médoc. He was an instrumental figure in improving quality at Château d'Armailhac, and across Bordeaux in general. He advocated the use of Cabernet Sauvignon above the other varietals and pushed for modern practices to be implemented. In the 1930s the Château had a small wine trading business, the Societé Vinicole de Pauillac, which was the forerunner of what was to become the Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA. The Baron bought the Château in 1933 and it became inseparable from Château Mouton Rothschild. Its vast outbuildings were used for both Châteaux and today it represents one of Pauillac's shrewdest buys.

The vines of Château d'Armailhac stretch over 124 acres and are divided into 3 principle vineyards: Plateau des Levantines et de L'Obélisque which lie on a gravel plateau (which must have been home to an ancient standing stone given its name), Plateau de Petit Pibran, which has soils of sand and chalk over limestone bedrock and Le Croupe de Béhéré, which is comprised of light gravel up to 3 deep in places. They are planted 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

Wine Style
Château d'Armailhac's wines are full, firm and expressive with aromas of smoky redcurrant, cherries and cranberry. It's a medium bodied wine with a mineral character , is deep ruby in colour – almost purple and develops a blackcurrant, coffee and liquorice flavours with age. It's a classic wine and has much potential.

Owner: Baroness Philippine de Rothschild (also owns Châteaux Mouton Rothschild and Clerc Milon)
Château Website: www.bpdr.com
Oeonologist: Ph Dhalluin