The 2021 d'Armailhac is a refined and structured wine, with a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. The wine bursts with aromas of minty cassis, blackberries, pencil shavings, and sweet pipe tobacco, leading to a medium to full-bodied palate that is ample, polished, and seamless. It has a fleshy core of fruit and a licorice-inflected finish. The structure is elegant, with vibrant acidity and a crisp, mineral finish, making it a wine that will develop beautifully over time. A great wine for aging, it showcases a balance between freshness and complexity.

Decanter | D 94
Published: Dec 1, 2023

Smells heady, black bramble fruit on the nose, fragrant black cherries, a dusting of clove and cinnamon spice, orange peel - slightly bitter but juicy with a hint of toast too. Quite tight and lean, direct and focussed, this is streamlined - you can feel the cool blue fruit and slightly tense tannin structure, seamless but all held in one line in the centre of the wine. A little strict, but pure, precise and clean. There is lovely clarity to the expression, a silky texture with mouthwatering acidity. Tastes fresh and lively and so clean with that moreish salty and menthol tang that lingers on the tongue. Sleek with a really long finish. Really intense flavours that coat the mouth - cinnamon, clove, redcurrants, cherries, blueberries and blackcurrants. Cola and liquorice lingers on. Sleek and well delivered.
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 13.00%
Body: Medium
Grapes: 13% Cabernet Franc 63% Cabernet Sauvignon 22% Merlot

The Wine Advocate | RP 92
Published: Feb 08, 2024
Drink: 2026-2041

The 2021 d'Armailhac has turned out beautifully, bursting with attractive aromas of minty cassis and blackberries mingled with notions of pencil shavings and sweet pipe tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, ample and polished, it's supple and seamless, with a fleshy core of fruit and a licorice-inflected finish. En primeur, I compared this to a modern-day version of the estate's immensely charming 1999, and anyone who remembers the 1999 will find that the 2021 delivers just as wide a drinking window.

Jamessuckling.com | JS 92
Published: Apr 5, 2024

This fresh and vivid red has minerals and lead pencil with currants and berries. Some dried flowers. Medium body. Fine tannins and a lively finish. Crispy from bright acidity. Needs one or two years to soften slightly.

Chateau-darmailhac.com

Harvest: From 28 September to 8 October

Varietal mix
63% Cabernet Sauvignon
22% Merlot
13% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot

Tasting notes: 

The wine is a glittering ruby red.

The refined and elegant nose displays redcurrant and raspberry aromas combined with brioche and violet notes. On the attack, juicy, succulent fruit emerges from beneath rounded, well-integrated tannins.
The palate, nicely balanced by a fresh, mineral structure, reveals delicate chocolatey flavours enfolded in a smooth, silky texture.
The harmonious finish lingers on crisp, slightly sappy fruit.

Climatic conditions

After a mild and wetter-than-average winter, budbreak took place early and evenly in late March. This was followed by a very dry April, including a significant cold spell, fortunately without incidence on our vineyards thanks to the influence of the nearby Gironde estuary.

May brought cool and damp weather which slowed vine growth. Flowering consequently took place within the average dates and in excellent conditions resulting from a marked rise in temperature.

Unsettled and stormy conditions from mid-June to mid-July activated mildew, which remained virulent until the end of veraison. Fortunately, drought in August and early September halted the disease, while the resulting water stress improved the quality potential of the grapes grown on our gravel soils. This period was crucial for the maturity of the pips, the development of the tannic structure and the appearance of fruit aromas and flavours.

Despite a severe threat of disease at the approach of harvest, the quality of our terroir combined with an alert, responsive and cohesive team of pickers working at a sustained pace enabled us to bring in a healthy crop at optimum maturity.

The 2021 vintage, having matured in conditions more typical of northerly latitudes, shows a return to the classic equilibrium of vintages from a generation ago, yielding fresh, well-balanced and well-structured wines that will reveal their full complexity with time.