Château d’Armailhac 2006 — A classic Pauillac blend (64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot) showing ripe red and blackcurrant fruit, silky tannins, and refined oak. Elegant and balanced, with notes of toast and vanilla, it offers depth, finesse, and a long, graceful finish.

James Suckling | JS 91
Published: Jun 8, 2021

This is shows lovely ripeness and roundness with pretty fruit and a rather creamy texture. Lead pencil and blackcurrants. Subtle yet flavorful finish. Touch of dryness at the end. Drink or hold.

The Wine Advocate | RP 90
Published: May 30, 2016
Drink: 2016-2030

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London.The 2006 Chateau d'Armailhac has a feisty bouquet with tobacco and sage-infused red berry fruit that seem open for business, unlike some of the other 2006 Pauillac wines. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, quite supple tannin. There is good weight in the mouth with mint-infused blackberry fruit, fine structure with admirable precision on the finish. All it lacks is the persistence of some of its peers, yet it still constitutes a very fine Pauillac that I probably under-rated out of barrel. Tasted January 2016.

Jancis Robinson | JR 16.5
Published: Apr 22, 2016
Drink: 2014-2027

Tasted blind. Dark crimson. Light and fresh on the nose. Very well balanced but in minor key. Very neat.

Chateau-darmailhac.com

Varietal mix
64% Cabernet Sauvignon
20% Merlot
15% Cabernet Franc
1% Petit Verdot

Harvest
From 20 September to 5 October

Tasting notes
2006 was a classic vintage, producing a beautifully coloured wine, deep red with a ruby tint, fresh in style and with a well-defined, solid structure.
The powerful nose displays a subtle mix of ripe red fruit mingled with perfectly integrated oak expressed in toast and vanilla notes.
Château d’Armailhac 2006 shows good construction on the palate, with a clean attack that leads into a body of good depth and considerable refinement. The tannins are silky, the overall impression one of great class, with attractive fruit set off by subtle oak, building to a long and elegant finish.

Weather conditions
2006 was a year of surprises, marked by unusual conditions that will remain in the memory.
Generally speaking the weather was hot and dry, with much higher temperatures than the seasonal average in June, July and September. Such untypical conditions at key times during the vine growth cycle had a far-reaching and beneficial effect on the future quality of the crop.
Heavy rain at the end of the winter was followed by a long spell of warm and dry weather in April, May and June, enabling the vegetation cycle to catch up after a relatively late start. Flowering took place early and evenly, starting in late May. Veraison likewise began very early, mid-veraison occurring four days ahead of the average, though very hot weather in the second half of July slowed the process.
A total of 459 mm of rain fell between 1 January and 31 August 2006, compared with an average of 517 mm.
The grapes started to ripen slowly in the cooler temperatures of August but subsequently accelerated in the exceptional conditions of the first half of September, with heatwave temperatures in the early part of the month. A period of high temperatures and humidity soon brought the Merlot to maturity and picking began on 20 September. The harvest lasted until 5 October in variable weather conditions, producing a crop of fully mature grapes in excellent condition.