Chateau d’Armailhac Pauillac, Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau d’Armailhac, Pauillac, Fifth Growth, with wine tasting notes, and wine with food pairing tips. Learn the best vintages, a history of the property, information on the vineyards, and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

Chateau d’Armailhac History, Overview

Chateau d’Armailhac was previously part of their massive vineyards that we know today as Chateau Mouton Rothschild. The name of the estate came from one of the first owners of the estate, Dominique d’Armailhacq.

During the late 1600s, the d’ Armailhacq brothers earned their living as riverboat captains on the Gironde estuary. It was at that point in time they began purchasing land in Pauillac.

By 1740, the wine was sold under the name of Mouton d’Armailhacq. While the vineyard was known for making Pauillac, it was not as popular or as well known as its neighbors, Chateau Pontet Canet or Chateau Brane Mouton. (Brane Mouton eventually became Chateau Mouton Rothschild)

The d’Armailhacq family, who got their start in the Bordeaux wine trade continued to own the estate until 1843 when the family had fallen deeply into debt and was forced to sell a portion of their property to satisfy their debt.

It was obvious to people in Pauillac at the time the owners of the estate, the d’Armailhacq family needed funds, all they had to do was look at the chateau. The family began to build the chateau in 1820. 10 years later, the slow construction ground to a halt as they could not afford to finish it.

For some unknown reason, which may have eventually turned into a tradition, the building was never completed, leaving only half the chateau completed, making what later became Chateau d’Armailhac, one of the more interesting chateaus to visit in modern times.

It is thought that Chateau d’Armailhac was one of the first producers to begin planting large portions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in their Left Bank vineyards. Eventually, the d’Armailhacq family sold the estate to the Ferrand family who in turn sold it to the young, and soon-to-be-famous Baron Rothschild.

For the Baron, this was an important purchase as Chateau d’Armailhac was located right next to Chateau Mouton Rothschild. This purchase allowed Mouton Rothschild to expand their holdings in Pauillac. As part of the deal, Count Ferrand was allowed to remain in residence at Chateau d’Armailhac for the remainder of his life, rent-free.

In reciprocity, Baron Philippe Rothschild also took over the Bordeaux trading arm of Chateau d’Armailhac, which allowed the Baron to begin producing and marketing this first branded wine, Mouton Cadet.

Chateau d’Armailhac The Modern Era

When the Medoc property was purchased by the Baron in 1934, it was known as Chateau Mouton d’Armailhacq. It was the Baron who changed the name to Chateau d’Armailhac.

In fact, this property has gone through numerous name changes over the years including; Chateau Mouton-Baron Philippe, (1956–1973), Mouton Baronne (1974–1978), and even Chateau Mouton-Baronne-Philippe from 1979 until 1988

To honor his recently deceased wife Pauline, in 1976, the label included “En hommage a Pauline”, for that single vintage. In 1989, the label was changed to the name we know the wine as today, Chateau d’Armailhac.

In 2006, Philippine de Rothschild added to their holdings with the purchase of 24 hectares of vines belonging to Chateau Colombier Monpelou was owned by Bernard Jugla. Part of the purchase agreement was that the technical team of Mouton Rothschild continue making the wine under the name of Chateau Colombier Monpelou until 2015.

From that point forward, it is expected that most of those vines will be added to the vineyards of Chateau d’Armailhac. Chateau d’Armailhac is not the only Fifth Growth Pauillac vineyard in the Rothschild family holdings. In 1970, they purchased Chateau Clerc Milon. In 2021, they completed construction on their new, state-of-the-art cellars, just in time for the 2021 vintage. The cellars, which are entirely gravity-fed allow for parcel-by-parcel vinification.

Chateau d’Armailhac Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 70-hectare vineyard is planted to 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36.6% Merlot, 8.1% Cabernet Franc and 2.3% Petit Verdot. This represents a change in the vineyard with more Merlot and less Cabernet Franc as well as a decrease in the Cabernet Sauvignon. Previously d’Armailha had one of the largest concentrations of Cabernet Franc in the Medoc. That is no longer the case today.

The majority of the Chateau d’Armailhac vineyard is shaped like a T, with a few scattered parcels in and around Chateau Pontet Canet and not too far from Chateau Mouton Rothschild. The terroir is mostly gravel with sand, clay, and limestone soils. Their best terroir is on the plateau, which is located close to the chateau.

The vineyard can be divided into two main parts, both of which are gravel ridges with about half the vines placed south of the chateau while the remaining vines sit due west, close to Chateau Mouton Rothschild. To the east, the vineyard abuts Chateau Pedesclaux. The vineyard has a vine density of 8,500 vines per hectare.

The vines are old. On average the vines are close to 50 years of age. However, it is important to note that some of the oldest vines in the Medoc are at Chateau d’Armailhac. In fact, close to 20% of their entire vineyard is more than 130 years of age with plantings dating back to 1890!

These are some of the oldest vines in all of Bordeaux. Many of those old vines are Cabernet Franc dating back to 1890! As those vines die, they are replaced with Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a better fit for their vineyard.

To produce the wine of Chateau d’Armailhac, the wine is vinified in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation takes place in tank. In 2021, the estate completed the construction of new cellars.

The wine of Chateau d’Armailhac is aged in 30% new, French oak barrels for an average of 16 months. The production of Chateau d’Armailhac is on average close to 18,000 cases per year.

Chateau d’Armailhac offers good value, drinks well young, and shows good, solid, Pauillac character. The original porcelain artwork used for the logo resides in the museum at Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

The best vintages of Chateau d’Armailhac are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2006, 2005, 2003 and 2000. Older vintages have not aged that well. I would probably not look for those wins today. Instead, I’d focus on the much better, younger, more interesting vintages.

Chateau d’Armailhac was for years thought of as a lighter-styled, early-drinking Bordeaux wine. Today, d’Armailhac expresses ample Pauillac character with a good concentration of flavor and supple textures. Hopefully, this trend to produce better Bordeaux wine at this property will continue.

2009 is the finest young vintage of Chateau d’Armailhac I’ve ever tasted. Although, while 2010 d’Armailhac is different in style, it is not that far from 2009 in terms of quality.

When to Drink Chateau d’Armailhac, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau d’Armailhac can be enjoyed on the young side with a few hours of air. But I find it too tannic to enjoy without cellaring. The wine is most often best at 8-15 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character.

In the best vintages, the wine will be at its best between 10-25 years of age after the vintage. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 2-3 hours, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Serving Chateau d’Armailhac with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau d’Armailhac is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau d’Armailhac is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau d’Armailhac is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, pasta, and a myriad of hard and soft cheeses.

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