The 2012 Château d'Armailhac is a polished and refined wine, offering an intense deep red color with a nose that combines red fruit and oak, evolving into richer aromas of roast coffee and spices. On the palate, it shows a well-structured body with velvety tannins and ripe fruit flavors, leading to a long, silky finish. This wine is a standout for its balance and expression of the Pauillac terroir. With moderate yields and ideal weather conditions, it is a powerful, full-bodied wine that can be enjoyed now or aged until 2030 and beyond.

Jamessuckling.com | JS 92
Published: Feb 8, 2015

This is very polished and refined with blackcurrant, raspberry and citrus-peel undertones. Full body, extremely fine texture and a long, long finish. 

The Wine Advocate | RP 91
Published: Apr 30, 2015
Drink: 2015-2040

Part of the empire of the Chateau Mouton Rothschild, this estate was once known as Mouton Baronne Philippe. This impressive, deep, opaque ruby/purple wine, with loads of charcoal, creme de cassis and a flowery-ness, this is rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured, quite pure, and avoids any of the astringency or hollowness that some Medocs possess in this vintage. The wine is complete and finishes authoritatively. The tannins are there, but ripe, integrated and velvety. This is a very impressive d'Armailhac to drink over the next 20-25 years.

Decanter | D 90
Drink: 2016-2030

Elegant, slightly spicy fruit with good vineyard ripeness and grip, good future.

Jancisrobinson.com | JR 16.5
Published: Mar 18, 2022
Drink: 2020-2038

Tasted blind. Dark crimson. Aromatic and very Cabernet on the nose. Very sweet and punchy. Sandpaper tannins but at least, unlike some others in this flight, this has real energy. Good stuff! Just slightly drying on the end.

Chateau-darmailhac.com

Harvest: 1st to 15 October 
Varietal mix: Cabernet Sauvignon 54% Merlot 29% Cabernet Franc 14% Petit Verdot 3%

Tasting notes
An attractively intense, deep and dark red.
The intense nose offers a subtle combination of red fruit and attractive oak, giving way to denser aromas of roast coffee and some slightly spicy notes.
The palate is well-structured, on expressive, velvety tannins mingled with a host of ripe fruit and toasted flavours.
A long and silky finish reveals excellent balance and fine expression of the terroir.

Climatic conditions
2012 was a year of contrasts. The winter was cold and very dry. The average temperature in February was the lowest for fifty years.
April brought cool weather and abundant rainfall, while the weather in May and June was in-between. The flowering and veraison dates were the same to the day as the average dates for all the vintages since 1962.
Exceptionally dry conditions prevailed from 20 July to 20 September, concentrating sugar and tannins in the grapes. The month of August was the fifth driest in the last fifty years. By the end of September, the aggregate amount of rainfall was 26% lower than the average since 1962 (435 mm compared with 589 mm).
Picking at Château d’Armailhac began on 1 October and ended on 15 October.
Moderate yields have given Château d’Armailhac a powerful, full-bodied wine that expresses all the character of the estate.