Really young to drink now. Took 3 hours of decant and still it tight. Kept some for next day and it is drinkable but the window shuts in 30 mins. It has glimpses of a great wine and need a lot more time in the bottle. Do not rush this. Another 4-5 years will revisit it.
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Decanted 6hrs. Is there a more reliable Left Bank that scratches the classical claret itch that hovers around $50 – $70? If I’m being honest, why yes there are lots of fine contenders for this pageant: SM, Cantermerle, Lafon Rochet easily come to mind just to name a few, but I seem to purchase d’Armailhac more often than not. The 19 does nothing to buck what I love about this Chateau. The dark yet to be defined fruit seems a reserved, which surprised me given the vintage. Very clean acidity, and the overall balance seem in alignment. Worth the proverbial early look, but clearly better days are ahead and should be relatively long aged if one was so inclined.
Tasted over two days, alongside the same vintage Duhart-Milon and Pontet-Canet.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this delivered the most rusticity of the three. It offers blackcurrant in waves (with blueberry and blackberry accents), along with Cabernet Sauvignon markers, live herbs, blackstrap molasses and complex, exceedingly funky, terroir.
Edgy (in very good ways), gritty, and precise. This wine of the earth offers fruit as secondary, behind abundant earth and mineral substance. Consistently one of the most Old School offerings, this vintage certainly brings brings the funky stuff! Powerful structure, gripping finish!
It ran stride-for-stride with the Duhart-Milon over both days, for very different reasons. I appreciated both, but preferred this wine. Neither equaled the Pontet-Canet.
Time, no less than a decade, will serve it well. Likely to hold through 2045 or so.
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Château d'Armailhac's 2019 iteration is an opaque ruby blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. This particular bottle was decanted through a Vinturi aerator and allowed three hours in carafe prior to serially tasting over the ensuing two hours. Intensely aromatic with classic Pauillac "perfume," it serves up an olfactory package of cassis, blackberries, pencil shavings, tobacco, licorice and violets. Full-bodied and with beautiful freshness, it delivers flavors mirroring the nose, adding savory herbal notes. The alcohol (listed as 13.5%) and oak are seamless, while the medium-weight tannins are close to being fully approachable. Dense in the middle and lengthy on the back end, this is a well-crafted Pauillac that will benefit from short-term cellaring. Thereafter, it should easily reach its twenty-fifth birthday. Drink 2025-2044.
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Always a pleasure to sit with d'Armailhac, as the house has largely resisted trending toward modernity.
The perfume features violets, blackcurrant, and blackberry, with wafting Crème de cassis hints...then it turns rustic and funky, delightfully so! My friend, Purple Tooth, has described this terroir as 'savage'. I agree!
Tight and gritty, a long while in the glass allowed the wine to reveal its depth. Decidedly more substantive than the flashy Clerc Milon and more reticent than the Duhart-Milon, initially, the longer it breathed the greater range it revealed. Powerfully structured and strikingly tannic, it strengthened from front to back, revealing its long-term upside through a finish with no quit.
This appears to be headed toward full lock down...probably for several years. Likely best to hold for a while. Improvement all but certain. 94-95.
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Almost baked fruit with a real dusty backing. Tannins are again a bit astringent which seems like a marker for '19. The broad acidity really stands out after some air. Intermingled notes of wood. In many ways this made me think of a classically styled, mature Sonoma Cab. The way it floats along on the acidity sets it apart from that region. By the second night it had really shut down, showing a puff of purple fruits up front and nothing after. That allowed me to set it aside for a third night. Now it's showing a very strong note of new oak on the nose. The palate is still woody. Clearly this needs some time and is likely not far from shutting down for a bit. A decent value if you can get in on some of the Costco $40 blowouts. At the $80 I'm seeing at retail I think you can do a lot better for just a bit more money.
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Dark garnet in color. Full, fragrant & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & cassis with overtones of earthy/dusty & floral notes, spices, tobacco, graphite, herbs & a hint of cedar in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, lush, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & cassis with spices, herbs, minerals & a hint of oak/vanilla. Long lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & extended airing but will develop further with additional aging at which time it may merit a higher score (93+).
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Nose: Musty earth, ripe dark raspberries, great depth, sweet tobacco. Palate: ripe cassis, dried blueberries, ripe papaya, leather, dense and drying tannins, mouthwatering acidity. On day two, a bit of oak bitterness peeks through, but contributes nicely to the weighty and thick mouthfeel; this is a big wine that's delicious now, but has all the necessary components for the long haul.
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Ten 2019 Left Bank Offerings: Healthy Coravin pour, left to breathe for a few hours. Tasted alongside the same vintage Duhart-Milon.
Always a pleasure to cross paths with a Left Bank offering that delivers such terroir-driven substance.
Air allowed terroir to come forward in expressive waves. Blackcurrant, with blackberry accents, violets, cut tobacco, long since discarded railroad tie, covered by sous-bois and moss. Hell Yes!!!
And...it gets better!!! This wine brings it...a whole lot of it!!! The juicy and bracing middle grips and holds on. All this substance reaches a crescendo at the back, with fully ripe, gritty tannins showing prominently. Wholly compelling finish of un-clockable length.
This exceeded expectations. After the same vintage Pontet-Canet, the second highest quality Left Bank wine tasted to date. Notably more substantive than the Duhart-Milon.
A wine to cellar for at least fifteen years. 94-95.
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Union des Grands Crus: This shows a fresh nose of blackcurrant and bay leaf. This seems more easygoing than profound with fleshy texture, medium tannin, and a short-ish finish. 90-92
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I preferred this to the Clerc Milon, in that it shows more of the rustic, earthy chocolatey side of the appellation. This is always made in an old school style that is dear to my heart. It will never be a neck bender, but in 10 years, it will be another overlooked bargain. Stock up and HOLD...a solid year for Armailhac.
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Medium-bodied, soft, fresh, crisp and vibrant, the wine is packed with dark currants, freshness, tobacco wrapper, forest leaf, blackberries and peppery spices. Soft, lifted, balanced and fresh, the wine finishes with blackberries, currants, spice and a light touch of savory herbs. Drink from 2026-2044.
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94 vvPunkte (Verkostet im November 2021 in Zürich, 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot): Zurückhaltend, kühl, nobel, mit roten und dunklen Beeren, Gräsern. Im Gaumen saftig und frisch, zeigt Druck und Eleganz, hervorragende Tanninqualität, top Balance. Im Abgang rotfruchtig, feinwürzig. Zeigt Rasse und Klasse. 2027-2044+ vvWine.ch
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Felt very classic to me, showing great restraint in this rich vintage. Cool coal/tar notes frame very attractive, fragrant cassis fruit - the nose is compact, yet strangely open (to an extent), elegant with a sense of breadth. A little more savoury, and leaner on the palate than the nose (and other 19s) suggested... right up my street!
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The nose, with its floral, cedar chest, tobacco leaf, blackberry and cassis aromatic profile is inviting. Medium-bodied, soft, round and fruity, the finish, with its soft-textured, elegantly-styled blackberry endnote lets you know this needs about 5 years or so in the cellar before it starts letting loose. The wine was made from blending 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc. 92-94 Pts
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4/11/2024 - beatles wrote: 92 Points
Dry, elegant, vertical - and too young. Blachberries, tobacco, all the fixers. Give it time. 92+
#d'Angleterre#Mouton
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2/4/2024 - Solidgold Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really young to drink now. Took 3 hours of decant and still it tight. Kept some for next day and it is drinkable but the window shuts in 30 mins. It has glimpses of a great wine and need a lot more time in the bottle. Do not rush this. Another 4-5 years will revisit it.
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12/17/2023 - Dale M wrote:
Decanted 6hrs. Is there a more reliable Left Bank that scratches the classical claret itch that hovers around $50 – $70? If I’m being honest, why yes there are lots of fine contenders for this pageant: SM, Cantermerle, Lafon Rochet easily come to mind just to name a few, but I seem to purchase d’Armailhac more often than not. The 19 does nothing to buck what I love about this Chateau. The dark yet to be defined fruit seems a reserved, which surprised me given the vintage. Very clean acidity, and the overall balance seem in alignment. Worth the proverbial early look, but clearly better days are ahead and should be relatively long aged if one was so inclined.
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10/31/2023 - kostaslonis wrote:
2019 Bordeaux Tasting, MW tasting (Vintner's Hall, London): 62% CS 27% Mer 69% CF 2% PV, 14.50%
juicy fruit, elegant, smooth tannins, simple, soft, easy to drink now, med to full body, med finish
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10/5/2023 - ayalao3 wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful nose, firm tannins, good value. May need 5 years but already approachable.
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9/21/2023 - Motz wrote: 94 Points
Tasted over two days, alongside the same vintage Duhart-Milon and Pontet-Canet.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this delivered the most rusticity of the three. It offers blackcurrant in waves (with blueberry and blackberry accents), along with Cabernet Sauvignon markers, live herbs, blackstrap molasses and complex, exceedingly funky, terroir.
Edgy (in very good ways), gritty, and precise. This wine of the earth offers fruit as secondary, behind abundant earth and mineral substance. Consistently one of the most Old School offerings, this vintage certainly brings brings the funky stuff! Powerful structure, gripping finish!
It ran stride-for-stride with the Duhart-Milon over both days, for very different reasons. I appreciated both, but preferred this wine. Neither equaled the Pontet-Canet.
Time, no less than a decade, will serve it well. Likely to hold through 2045 or so.
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7/10/2023 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 92 Points
Château d'Armailhac's 2019 iteration is an opaque ruby blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. This particular bottle was decanted through a Vinturi aerator and allowed three hours in carafe prior to serially tasting over the ensuing two hours. Intensely aromatic with classic Pauillac "perfume," it serves up an olfactory package of cassis, blackberries, pencil shavings, tobacco, licorice and violets. Full-bodied and with beautiful freshness, it delivers flavors mirroring the nose, adding savory herbal notes. The alcohol (listed as 13.5%) and oak are seamless, while the medium-weight tannins are close to being fully approachable. Dense in the middle and lengthy on the back end, this is a well-crafted Pauillac that will benefit from short-term cellaring. Thereafter, it should easily reach its twenty-fifth birthday. Drink 2025-2044.
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7/1/2023 - Motz wrote: 94 Points
Always a pleasure to sit with d'Armailhac, as the house has largely resisted trending toward modernity.
The perfume features violets, blackcurrant, and blackberry, with wafting Crème de cassis hints...then it turns rustic and funky, delightfully so! My friend, Purple Tooth, has described this terroir as 'savage'. I agree!
Tight and gritty, a long while in the glass allowed the wine to reveal its depth. Decidedly more substantive than the flashy Clerc Milon and more reticent than the Duhart-Milon, initially, the longer it breathed the greater range it revealed. Powerfully structured and strikingly tannic, it strengthened from front to back, revealing its long-term upside through a finish with no quit.
This appears to be headed toward full lock down...probably for several years. Likely best to hold for a while. Improvement all but certain. 94-95.
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6/15/2023 - WetRock wrote:
Almost baked fruit with a real dusty backing. Tannins are again a bit astringent which seems like a marker for '19. The broad acidity really stands out after some air. Intermingled notes of wood. In many ways this made me think of a classically styled, mature Sonoma Cab. The way it floats along on the acidity sets it apart from that region. By the second night it had really shut down, showing a puff of purple fruits up front and nothing after. That allowed me to set it aside for a third night. Now it's showing a very strong note of new oak on the nose. The palate is still woody. Clearly this needs some time and is likely not far from shutting down for a bit. A decent value if you can get in on some of the Costco $40 blowouts. At the $80 I'm seeing at retail I think you can do a lot better for just a bit more money.
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6/8/2023 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark garnet in color. Full, fragrant & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & cassis with overtones of earthy/dusty & floral notes, spices, tobacco, graphite, herbs & a hint of cedar in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, lush, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & cassis with spices, herbs, minerals & a hint of oak/vanilla. Long lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & extended airing but will develop further with additional aging at which time it may merit a higher score (93+).
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5/18/2023 - ayalao3 wrote: 93 Points
93 with some notes of complexity that may merit 94 in the future. Beautiful wine drinking well.
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4/6/2023 - stamperb Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose: Musty earth, ripe dark raspberries, great depth, sweet tobacco. Palate: ripe cassis, dried blueberries, ripe papaya, leather, dense and drying tannins, mouthwatering acidity. On day two, a bit of oak bitterness peeks through, but contributes nicely to the weighty and thick mouthfeel; this is a big wine that's delicious now, but has all the necessary components for the long haul.
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4/5/2023 - Wine G Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really solid left bank paulliac, and delivering good quality at its price point. Day 1 and 2 was excellent, started to fall off day 3.
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4/2/2023 - Motz wrote: 95 Points
Ten 2019 Left Bank Offerings: Healthy Coravin pour, left to breathe for a few hours. Tasted alongside the same vintage Duhart-Milon.
Always a pleasure to cross paths with a Left Bank offering that delivers such terroir-driven substance.
Air allowed terroir to come forward in expressive waves. Blackcurrant, with blackberry accents, violets, cut tobacco, long since discarded railroad tie, covered by sous-bois and moss. Hell Yes!!!
And...it gets better!!! This wine brings it...a whole lot of it!!! The juicy and bracing middle grips and holds on. All this substance reaches a crescendo at the back, with fully ripe, gritty tannins showing prominently. Wholly compelling finish of un-clockable length.
This exceeded expectations. After the same vintage Pontet-Canet, the second highest quality Left Bank wine tasted to date. Notably more substantive than the Duhart-Milon.
A wine to cellar for at least fifteen years. 94-95.
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2/24/2023 - Aprilleigh1974 wrote:
Smooth and ALMOST sweet but not sweet. Very nice
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2/21/2023 - racerchris Likes this wine:
Nice wine right now.
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2/1/2023 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 91 Points
Another fine Armailhac. Never profound, but always satisfying. Lighter and more open-knit in texture than the 2018, with lots of cedar and cigar box.
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12/3/2022 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 92 Points
UGC 2019 Singapore (Singapore): Medium body. Wood well integrated. Not particularly aromatic but solid length
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12/1/2022 - remyworldpeace wrote:
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2019 Vintage Tasting, Singapore: Tasted at UGC Bordeaux 2019 tasting in Singapore.
Nice and perfumed. Floral and vibrant red fruit. This doesn't have profound depth but is tasting well and good potential.
Too young to score but anticipated range 90-93.
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12/1/2022 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quite smoke with tobacco note, ripe black and red fruits. Bell pepper, liquorice, graphite. Mid weight.
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7/4/2022 - englishman's claret wrote: 91 Points
Union des Grands Crus: This shows a fresh nose of blackcurrant and bay leaf. This seems more easygoing than profound with fleshy texture, medium tannin, and a short-ish finish. 90-92
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7/1/2022 - Purple Tooth wrote: 93 Points
I preferred this to the Clerc Milon, in that it shows more of the rustic, earthy chocolatey side of the appellation. This is always made in an old school style that is dear to my heart. It will never be a neck bender, but in 10 years, it will be another overlooked bargain. Stock up and HOLD...a solid year for Armailhac.
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6/30/2022 - Roger Patterson wrote: 87 Points
Ripe, red fruit understated, stony. Rough tannins, medium body. At LA UGC.
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6/25/2022 - RussK wrote: 91 Points
Russk liked from the Union Des Grands Crus De Bordeaux Tasting. In my top 5. Already showing some earthy notes. 91+
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3/29/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Medium-bodied, soft, fresh, crisp and vibrant, the wine is packed with dark currants, freshness, tobacco wrapper, forest leaf, blackberries and peppery spices. Soft, lifted, balanced and fresh, the wine finishes with blackberries, currants, spice and a light touch of savory herbs. Drink from 2026-2044.
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3/15/2022 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
UGCB 2019 tasting (Amsterdam): Red and dark berries, luxurious oak and cedar, graphite, good acidity and firm, sticky tannin. 91 - 93
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3/15/2022 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
Amsterdam UGCB Tasting (Beurs van Berlage): Firm and tannic, dry and grippy, taut and muscular, lacks generosity. Or it needs a lot of time.
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1/13/2022 - vvWine.ch wrote: 94 Points
94 vvPunkte (Verkostet im November 2021 in Zürich, 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot): Zurückhaltend, kühl, nobel, mit roten und dunklen Beeren, Gräsern. Im Gaumen saftig und frisch, zeigt Druck und Eleganz, hervorragende Tanninqualität, top Balance. Im Abgang rotfruchtig, feinwürzig. Zeigt Rasse und Klasse. 2027-2044+ vvWine.ch
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6/22/2020 - Shrewsram Likes this wine: 93 Points
Felt very classic to me, showing great restraint in this rich vintage.
Cool coal/tar notes frame very attractive, fragrant cassis fruit - the nose is compact, yet strangely open (to an extent), elegant with a sense of breadth.
A little more savoury, and leaner on the palate than the nose (and other 19s) suggested... right up my street!
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6/8/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
The nose, with its floral, cedar chest, tobacco leaf, blackberry and cassis aromatic profile is inviting. Medium-bodied, soft, round and fruity, the finish, with its soft-textured, elegantly-styled blackberry endnote lets you know this needs about 5 years or so in the cellar before it starts letting loose. The wine was made from blending 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc. 92-94 Pts
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