d'Armailhac 2016

Fifth Growth Pauillac from the Mouton Rothschild stable — in the legendary 2016 vintage, a wine Robert Parker argued deserves promotion.

Château d'Armailhac sits just south of Mouton Rothschild and is farmed by the same team — the most overlooked jewel in that royal Pauillac lineup. 2016 was one of the great modern Left Bank vintages, and it shows here: a classic, layered, thoroughly serious Pauillac that punches far above its classification.

This is the Rothschild touch at a Rothschild-adjacent price. James Suckling scored the 2016 a 95 → first-growth Pauillac from the same vintage runs into four figures → at $114.99 this is classed-growth Pauillac from a benchmark year and a legendary house.

• 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
• Fifth Growth, Pauillac — farmed by the Mouton Rothschild team
• 18 months in French oak, 50% new
• The historic, thrilling 2016 Left Bank vintage

"Blackcurrants and fruit tea with hints of bark… full-bodied, very firm and structured with a long and powerful finish." — James Suckling. Translation: crème de cassis, violets and graphite over a rock-solid tannic frame built to age two decades.

A great house, a great vintage, a fifth-growth price. This is how you put real Pauillac pedigree in the cellar without paying first-growth money.