Bordeaux, particularly the Left Bank, has a long history of fortunes gained, then lost, with new fortunes emerging again. The d’Armailhac (original spelling) family controlled the property for most of the 18th and 19th centuries and their bright shining moment was achieving Fifth Growth distinction in the famous 1855 Bordeaux classification. However, the family’s ultimate financial demise was punctuated by the period beginning with their phylloxera ravaged vineyards, the unbearable toll of WWI, and finally, the Great Depression. Enter First Growth magnate and next-door neighbor (literally) Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Mouton Rothschild, who exercised his pre-arranged, “first-rights” agreement to purchase the property in 1933. Under Philippe’s direction, the château was renovated, the vineyards were re-planted, and the two-story chai was rebuilt. Today, the estate remains in the hands of the Rothschilds and is managed by the same team that looks after the Château Mouton-Rothschild vineyards and winery.

The 70 hectares of d'Armailhac’s vineyards are all situated to the north and west of the town of Pauillac and sandwiched between those of Château Mouton-Rothschild to the north and Château Pontet-Canet to the south. Talk about prime Pauillac real estate! The terroir, in general, is the famous gravel of the left bank communes, home to the world’s most coveted Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, their main Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard sits on the Carruades croupe, which is essentially a physical extension of Mouton-Rothschild! All vineyard and harvest work is carried out by hand and after sorting and de-stemming, the fruit is fermented in temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats with maceration lasting up to 20 days. The wine is then pressed into new and used barrels (that previously held Mouton-Rothschild juice!) for roughly 16 months before bottling.  

With polished Bordeaux stems, a 65-degree service temperature, and a 30-minute decant, there’s no other way to describe this Bordeaux: it’s a sexy, generous, and explosively perfumed 2009 Pauillac. The nose erupts with the purest cassis on earth, followed by black plum, black cherry, purple flowers, star anise, pencil lead, pipe tobacco, baking spice, tar, and cacao. The palate is refined and polished with a dark core of ripe berries that’s propelled by crushed earth and spice. Ultra-fine tannins allow each fruit-studded layer to glide seamlessly into a 30-second finish. Definitely enjoy one now but know this: It won’t be slowing down for a long time. Cheers!