Chateau D`Armailhac 2022

JAMES SUCKLING: "This is like a baby Mouton this year with blackcurrant, flower, and orange aromas. Medium- to full-bodied with a tight and racy palate that shows persistence and verve. One to watch."

DECANTER: "Strongly scented and perfumed on the nose, dark fruits, lively and lithe, supple and smooth on the palate, richly concentrated in terms of fruit density but sleek and stylish on the palate with a burst of bright and fresh blackcurrants and black cherries. Has a tang to it, the acidity and liveliness fills the mid palate before the stony tannins come in towards the end and give this bite and focus. More tense and streamlined than Clerc Milon, but so poised and finessed. This has bite and tension, the Cabernet speaks with liquorice, tobacco and clove subtly giving the spice at the end, but also a fresh mintiness. You can taste the gravel and the clay, putting the terroir in the glass. Really quite profound with concentrated fruit, juiciness and mouthwatering acidity. Fresh and lifted on the finish, you want more of this, but it will take some time to be more charming given its serious nature right now. One to wait for and be glad you did. 3.83pH. 11.3% press wine - usually at 7-8% maximum. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. HVE3 certified. Tasted twice. 50% new barrels."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Another wine that showed beautifully on multiple occasions, the 2022 Château D'Armailhac checks in as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. This deep purple-hued beauty offers up a full-bodied, ripe, sexy profile that carries lots of blueberry, cherry, and cassis fruit, notes of spice, leafy herbs, and chocolate, velvety tannins, good acidity, and a great finish. It should have a broad, lengthy drink window."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Einladende schwarze Waldbeeren, Herzkirschen, etwas scheues Bukett, dezenter Edelholztouch. Saftig, schwarze Kirschen, mineralische Textur, feiner Säurebogen, feinwürzig dank des Cabernet-Franc-Anteils, gute Länge, etwas Nugat, sicheres Reifepotenzial."

WEINWISSER: "60 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 22 % Merlot, 16 % Cabernet Franc, 2 % Petit Verdot, pH 3.83, 14.5 Vol.-%. Verhaltener Beginn, zarte schwarzbeerige Konturen, Baumnuss, Holundergelee, Minze und Brasiltabak. Am tiefgründigen Gaumen mit cremiger Textur, engmaschigem Tanninkorsett, stützender Rasse und maskulinem Körper. Im konzentrierten, langanhaltenden Finale mit zupackendem Tannin, dunklem Graphit und feinmürber Adstringenz. Potenzialwertung für dieses Tanninmonster. Ist für Jean-Emmanuel dieses Jahr viel "vertikaler", d.h. er hat mehr Länge als sonst. 2029 – 2049."

VINUM: "Grossartig fruchtig, saftig und knackig, exzellentes Tannin, unglaublicher Rasse und Klasse, grosse Länge; kommt in diesem Jahr Mouton verblüffend nah: garantiert der beste d‘Armailhac aller Zeiten."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: „The 2022 d'Armailhac is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it slowly emerges from the glass with evocative blueberry pie, black raspberries, and warm cassis scents, giving way to hints of pencil lead, lilacs, and underbrush. The full-bodied palate delivers taut, muscular black fruit with beautifully rounded tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and spicy. This year represents a real step up. pH 3.83, TPI 75."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Black fruits, flowers, smoke Asian spice and tobacco leaf nuances mark the perfume, while the palate is awash in luxurious, plums, currants, licorice, black cherries and cocoa. Lush, plush and polished, with a long, creamy, mint-stained finish, this is going to age quite nicely. The wine blends 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. 14.5% ABV, 3.83 pH. Drink from 2025-2045."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Deep aromas of raspberries, cherries, crushed mint and spices preface the 2022 d'Armailhac, a medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated wine that's deep, lively and seamless, framed by powdery tannins and concluding with a penetrating finish."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Expressive Cabernet nose. Juicy fruit on the palate. A little more power than in some years, the tannins ripe but firm. Plenty of lift and length on the finish. Gourmand as well."