Bordeaux

D'Armailhac's 1992 is a charming, straightforward, richly fruity wine with moderate to dark ruby color, and a spicy nose of roasted nuts and jammy blackcurrants. The attack offers lush, velvety-textured fruit that fades quickly. Nevertheless, this is a pure, attractive, elegant wine

W.S. 90 pts
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.

W.S. 90 pts
A dark ruby color is accompanied by crisp acids, sweet cranberry, black cherry, and darker fruit aromas, and a clean, pure, classically built, medium weight Pauillac. Still firm and tannic, this medium-bodied, elegantly wrought wine.

R.P. 90 pts.

Château d'Armailhac has a feisty bouquet with tobacco and sage-infused red berry fruit that seem open for business, unlike some of the other 2006 Pauillac wines. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, quite supple tannin. There is good weight in the mouth with mint-infused blackberry fruit, fine structure with admirable precision on the finish.

R.P. 90 pts.

It comes with a very comely, feminine and perfumed nose brandishing a whole bunch of rose petals in the glass. The palate is very well balanced, fleshy but still structured with fine grain tannin.

R.P. 96 pts.

The more serious grand vin twin, the 2005 d’Issan, has a stunning nose of spring flowers, blackcurrant and blue/black fruits galore, and an impressively opaque dark plum/purple color. With a rich, concentrated and pure mouthfeel, wonderfully sweet tannin, full-bodied density and richness.

R.P. 88 pts.

Its bigger sister, the 2011 d’Issan exhibits an attractive perfume of black cherries, earth and background loamy soil and oak notes. Although elegant, medium-bodied and well-made.