- “A splendid wine in the making”, according to Neal Martin.
- The wine is being offered for £396 (12×75) SEP.
- The 2016 presents a good in-bottle alternative with a similar price and score.
The 2020 Château d’Armailhac has been released for €32.4 per bottle ex-négociant, up 12.5% on the 2019 release.
The international trade is offering the wine for £396 per 12×75, 6.5% more than the current Market Price of the 2019.
This is the first vintage overseen by Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy, the new estate manager for Mouton Rothschild’s stable following the retirement of Philippe Dhalluin last year.
Critical opinion
Critics were largely uniform in their ratings of today’s release. The wine received a barrel range of 92-94 from Neal Martin (Vinous), Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider), Jeb Dunnuck and Falstaff, with Jane Anson (Decanter) rating it 93-points.
Martin found the 2020 d’Armailhac “less extravagant than previous vintages and more terroir-driven”. Martin liked the “very harmonious” finish and said that “this Château d’Armailhac is a splendid wine in the making, and one of the best examples from the estate that I have tasted out of barrel”.
For Dunnuck, it was also “beautifully done and should be drinkable with just 2-4 years of bottle age yet age just fine”.
James Suckling, who awarded a slightly higher barrel range of 93-94, described the wine as “full and beautiful”.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (The Wine Advocate) gave it 90-92. She spoke to Danjoy about the slightly lower alcohol levels (13.3%) this year, given the overall heat of the vintage, and the fresher style of the 2020 Armailhac.
Fair Value
Based on Benchmark Critic scores, today’s release offers relatively good value for money and falls in line with vintages like 2019 and 2016.
Prices for Armailhac, however, show stronger correlation with age than with critic scores.
They tend to rise with time. The 2008 offers the best value for money across older vintages, though it comes at 21% premium to today’s release. The 2016 and 2014 also look compelling at £390 per case.
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