Wine Advisor
D'Armailhac 2005
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
D’Armailhac’s 2005 offers notes of cedar wood, forest floor, black and red currants, spice box and earth. It is medium-bodied, relatively soft for a 2005, and best drunk over the next 12-15 years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Abundant tannin in addition to a deep ruby/purple hue, superb purity, and a lovely texture are found in this delicious Pauillac. One of the finest d’Armailhacs I have ever tasted, it is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that achieved an amazing 13.3% natural alcohol. Aromas of black currants, creamy oak, and earth emerge from this medium to full-bodied effort. It should be drinkable in 4-5 years, and will last for two decades or more.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A tight plummy nose, quite precocious and harmonious. Good definition. The palate is very pure, plummy with some cassis towards the finish. Very focused and lush, but those tannins are well disguised, because you can feel them in the mouth long after the wine is expelled. Excellent this year. Tasted April 2005.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
I think the 2005 d’Armailhac may turn out even better than its stable mate, Clerc-Milon. This combination of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot achieved 13.3% alcohol. Revealing lovely creme de cassis-like notes, a beautiful texture, brightness, and sweet tannin, it is an impressively endowed, medium to full-bodied, relatively approachable 2005, although it will undoubtedly display more tannin after bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020+.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at BBR’s 2005/2009 tasting in London. Here, the d’Armailhac is ripe and ebullient on the nose with glossy red-berried fruit, tobacco, graphite and just a touch of soy. Full ‘o beans indeed! The palate is medium bodied with chunky tannins, a little rough round the edges with a tannic, saline finish with touches of boysenberry and Hoi Sin. Very fine. Tasted July 2011.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This powerful, tannic, structured effort from Mouton-Rothschild’s stable is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by an earthy nose dominated by black currants and toasty, smoky oak. Medium to full-bodied with relatively high tannin, decent acidity, and a fine finish, it should be at its best between 2014-2030.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Château d’Armailhac 2005 has a very typical d’Armailhac nose with ebullient red and black fruit, cedar and mint coming through with a light black olive scent. The palate is medium-bodied, very well balanced, supple in the mouth and therefore, one of the more approachable Pauillac ’05s. There are hints of bay leaf and clove emerging on towards the finish that fans out with panache, a savory tincture lingering on the finish. Enjoy this over the next decade.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted single blind at Southwold. This has a gorgeous, ripe nose with blackberry, bilberry and a touch of plum. Good definition and nice lift. The palate is ripe, chewy tannins, nice depth, clean on the finish. Fresh and lively, quite feminine and a nice grippy finish. Full ‘o beans! Drink 2010-2030. Tasted January 2009.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2005 d'Armailhac is in a gorgeous spot today. Early signs of aromatic nuance have started to develop, but the 2005 has at least a handful of years of fine drinking ahead of it. Quite frankly, I am surprised how fresh the 2005 is. Dried flowers, cedar, mint, pipe tobacco and sweet red toned fruit are all very nicely delineated. Readers looking for an affordable, mature Claret to drink now will find much to like.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright ruby-red. Blueberry, chocolate and leather on the nose, which suggests a wider range of ripeness than the 2006. Unusually sweet and lush for this wine but in a youthfully sullen stage, hinting at sexy oak tones and some leafy high notes. Densely packed but tight and tannic today, with its structure dominating. This needs patience.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Deep red-ruby. Currant, blueberry, leather, graphite and nutty oak on the nose. Silky-sweet and large-scaled for this wine, with perfectly integrated acidity and a deep minerality leavening the wine's volume. This boasts terrific volume and finishes with sweet tannins and excellent racy length. Getting better and better in barrel.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(60% cabernet sauvignon, 29% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot; 25% new oak) Ruby-red. Cassis aroma lifted by flowers and sweet oak scents. Supple, sweet and full, with expressive flavors of currant, espresso and spicy oak; perhaps a bit less smoky than recent vintages. Unusually silky and suave for this wine, finishing with firm but pliant tannins. This should be approachable within three or four years.
About the Producer
The existence of Château d’Armailhac dates back to the late 17th century, as evidenced in a land register from 1680 which mentions the brothers Dominique and Guilhem Armailhacq, owners of parcels of land in Pauillac. Another land register from 1750 notes that their descendants have “planted with vines” the family estate, covering 15 to 16 hectares (37-39 acres). By the end of the 18th century the estate has grown to 52 hectares (128 acres) but the brokers of the time describe its wine as “disappointingly thin”. Throughout the following century, Mouton d’Armailhacq’s owners work unceasingly to improve its quality, using techniques such as topping-up, running-off, barrel disinfection and fining. Their efforts are rewarded in 1831, when the wines of Mouton d’Armailhacq sell for twice as much as their more highly reputed neighbours. The ultimate recompense, Château Mouton d’Armailhacq is given Fifth Growth status in the 1855 Classification – the same one which made Château Mouton Rothschild “First of the Seconds”. The “first wine”, the only one authorised to bear the growth’s name, is distinguished from the “second wine”, less rich and sold for consumption in local taverns. In 1931, the young Baron Philippe de Rothschild became a minority shareholder of the Société Anonyme du Domaine de Mouton d’Armailhacq, then in 1933 acquired all the shares from the Comte de Ferrand in return for a life annuity. A year later, on the Comte de Ferrand’s death, he became the effective owner of the estate. The Mouton d’Armailhacq portfolio included the Société Vinicole de Pauillac, forerunner of what is now Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA. Inseparable from Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Mouton d’Armailhacq houses all the technical and agricultural equipment for the two estates in its extensive outbuildings. From 1956 to 1988, the wine was called Mouton Baron Philippe, then Mouton Baronne Philippe. A Fifth Growth of acknowledged quality, its original identity as Château d’Armailhac was patly restored in 1989.
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Package Size
1 x 5L12 x 37.5cl
