Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
90-92 Barrel sample. Balanced, open wine, full of ripe blackcurrant fruits. It has a fine, rich density which shows well alongside the acidity of a young wine. It finishes with delicious black fruits.
Barrel Sample: 90-92 Points -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Although unevolved, the fresh, medium-bodied 2008 d’Armailhac is a more elegant, delicate take on this vintage than some of the more concentrated wines from the Medoc and the right bank. Fresh cranberry, sweet cherry, and spicy notes are present in this wine. While it does not appear to be one of the stars of the vintage, it possesses brilliant delineation as well as an exceptionally pretty style somewhat reminiscent of the 1996 vintage. The blend is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This wine may put on weight and flesh out given its late malolactic fermentation and retarded harvest. Range: 88-90
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
The leader on the Left Bank in number of first growth classified producers within its boundaries, Pauillac has more than any of the other appellations, at three of the five. Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild border St. Estephe on its northern end and Chateau Latour is at Pauillac’s southern end, bordering St. Julien.
While the first growths are certainly some of the better producers of the Left Bank, today they often compete with some of the “lower ranked” producers (second, third, fourth, fifth growth) in quality and value. The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification that goes back to 1855. The finest chateaux in that year were judged on the basis of reputation and trading price; changes in rank since then have been miniscule at best. Today producers such as Chateau Pontet-Canet, Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste, Chateau Lynch-Bages, among others (all fifth growth) offer some of the most outstanding wines in all of Bordeaux.
Defining characteristics of fine wines from Pauillac (i.e. Cabernet-based Bordeaux Blends) include inky and juicy blackcurrant, cedar or cigar box and plush or chalky tannins.
Layers of gravel in the Pauillac region are key to its wines’ character and quality. The layers offer excellent drainage in the relatively flat topography of the region allowing water to run off into “jalles” or streams, which subsequently flow off into the Gironde.