1999 Château d'Armailhac
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 1999 d’Armailhac is a wine that I have had a tepid reaction to for a number of years. The slightly herbaceous bouquet features light blackberry and bilberry notes and a touch of brine and mint. The palate is medium-bodied and quite bitter, with grainy, slightly dry tannin and a ferrous finish. This falls short of expectations. Tasted from an ex- château bottle at the estate.
Critic scores
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
It has been several years since I last tasted and rather lambasted the 1999 Château d'Armailhac. To be honest, I am still not convinced that this is a great vintage for the château, certainly when in this instance, compared to the 2009. It has a fresh, rather herbaceous bouquet that does not quite deliver the requisite fruit to suit this style. The palate is medium-bodied with sharp and rather angular tannin. It is open and ready to drink, but does not really rank next to the best vintages of this estate. Tasted August 2016.
Still some blue. Quite dense and chunky on the nose. Very, very sweet palate entry, then very youthful tannins. Relatively dramatic and still rough-edged. (JR)
Flowers, sweet tobacco and berries on the nose follow through to a full body, with silky tannins and a medium finish. Lovely mouthfeel. Lots of life ahead here, but delicious now. Still one of the best buys of the vintage.¿'89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Best after 2011. 16,000 cases made. James Suckling, Wine Spectator 2010.
About the producer
Ch. d’Armailhac is a Pauillac Fifth Growth owned by the Rothschilds, who also own Ch. Mouton Rothschild. Lavished with the same attention to detail and having benefitted from extensive investment in recent years, this estate can offer brilliant value in comparison to its First Growth sibling.