Château d'Armailhac Pauillac AOC 2010

Located adjacent to Château Mouton Rothschild to the north, Château d’Armailhac dates back to 1680, when a local land register lists two brothers, Dominique et Guilhem Armailhacq, as the owners of parcels of land in Pauillac. A register in 1750 notes Dominique Armailhac has “planted with vines” the family estate, joining the planting boom that was then raging throughout the Médoc. By the late 1700s the vineyard had expanded to cover about 52 hectares between Brane-Mouton in the north and Pibran in the south, and was then known as Mouton d’Armailhacq. The deep gravel soils of the Plateau des Levantines and the Plateau de l’Obélisque, are ideal conditions for cabernet sauvignon, a grape whose prevalence in the Médoc is closely associated with the Château, as then owner Armand d’Armailhacq, along with Baron Hector de Brane, introduced and promoted the variety in the region. The Château’s 2010 bottling lives up to such storied heritage: an inky, intense blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 23% merlot, 15% cabernet franc, and 2% petit verdot, it opens with deep notes of black cherry, blackberry, and cassis, with roasted, toasted overtones lending warmth and intrigue. On the palate, this cuvée is powerful and focused, with rounded, defined tannic structure and concentrated dark fruit notes mingling with hints of vanilla, espresso, and roasted nuts over a lengthy, elegant finish.