Château d’Armailhac 2016 is a Cabernet Sauvignon-led Pauillac from an estate classified in the historic 1855 Classification.

The 2016 blend brings together Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, delivering a wine of depth and concentration with ripe fruit, blackberry, roasted coffee, liquorice, refined oak and chocolate character.

Full and dense on the palate, it is supported by elegant, well-rounded tannins and finishes long on red fruit and chocolate notes.

• Cabernet Sauvignon: 62%
• Merlot: 28%
• Cabernet Franc: 8%
• Petit Verdot: 2%

Appearance

Dark and deep in colour with purple tints.

Nose

Intense and complex, showing perfectly ripe fruit followed with aeration by roasted coffee and blackberry.

Palate

Full and dense on entry, developing elegant, well-rounded tannins with liquorice and finely integrated oak.

Finish

Long and flavourful, lingering on red fruit and chocolate.

The 2016 growing season in Pauillac was marked by two sharply contrasting periods: an exceptionally wet winter and spring, followed by a very dry summer and autumn.

Summer drought kept the berries relatively small, contributing concentration, while warm conditions in August and September allowed the fruit to ripen slowly and reach excellent maturity.

The official vintage record gives the harvest period as 27 September to 14 October.

For the 2016 vintage, each grape variety and each individual plot was vinified separately in order to preserve and reveal its particular character before the final blend was assembled.

Château d’Armailhac's vineyard extends across more than 80 hectares on four gravel banks within the Pauillac appellation, immediately south of Château Mouton Rothschild.

Its varied gravel and clay-influenced soils provide distinct conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, contributing to the estate's combination of power, refinement and freshness.

Château d’Armailhac traces its vineyard history to the 14th century and was included in the historic 1855 Classification of Médoc and Sauternes Growths.

Baron Philippe de Rothschild acquired the estate in 1933. In 1989, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild restored its original Château d’Armailhac name.

• Producer: Château d’Armailhac
• Vintage: 2016
• Appellation: Pauillac
• Region: Bordeaux
• Country: France
• Classification: Grand Cru Classé en 1855
• Wine Type: Red Wine
• Blend: 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
• Harvest: 27 September–14 October 2016
• Company: Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A.

Serve in a generous Bordeaux glass. For a bottle opened now, careful decanting can help the wine reveal its ripe fruit, roasted coffee, liquorice and mature aromatic complexity.

Pair with roast beef, rib-eye steak, lamb, duck, venison, braised meats, mushroom dishes or mature hard cheeses.

Château d’Armailhac 2016 combines the density and concentration of a warm, dry second half of the growing season with the estate's characteristically refined tannic structure.

Blackberry, roasted coffee, liquorice, red fruit and chocolate give the wine aromatic complexity, while its Cabernet-led structure provides the classic Pauillac profile expected from this historic estate.