This is like a baby Mouton this year with blackcurrant, flower, and orange aromas. Medium- to full-bodied with a tight and racy palate that shows persistence and verve. One to watch.

Another wine that showed beautifully on multiple occasions, the 2022 Château D'Armailhac checks in as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. This deep purple-hued beauty offers up a full-bodied, ripe, sexy profile that carries lots of blueberry, cherry, and cassis fruit, notes of spice, leafy herbs, and chocolate, velvety tannins, good acidity, and a great finish. It should have a broad, lengthy drink window.

The difference from a typical vintage colour is more marked in Armailhac than Clerc Milon, where we are more used to deep colours. This in contrast is an extremely intense Armailhac, really stepping into its Pauillac boots, a ton of deep plum, cassis and damson. Great expansion through the palate, beautiful depth of flavour, this is extremely impressive, with an edge of eucalyptus and graphite on the finish, and more grip than usual. Yields down to 26hl/h (there are more new plantings here so young vines). Second vintage with the new winery, and new technical director Lucille Lauilhé. Harvest September 8 to 27, 50% new oak, 3.83ph.

The 2022 Château d'Armailhac was picked from 8 to 27 September and matured in 50% new oak. This has a very pure and sensual bouquet with precocious black plum, cassis violet and espresso scents. The palate is medium-bodied with muscular tannins on the entry, though I find just a little more complexity compared to the Clerc Milon this year. There's a gentle and discrete crescendo toward its delineated and minerally finish. Excellent. This is more like the d'Armailhac that I was familiar with, say, ten years ago. It will surely be irresistible once it reaches its peak. You've been warned.

Deep aromas of raspberries, cherries, crushed mint and spices preface the 2022 d'Armailhac, a medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated wine that's deep, lively and seamless, framed by powdery tannins and concluding with a penetrating finish.

Aromas of cherries, blackberries, pencil shavings and creamy new oak introduce the 2022 d'Armailhac , a medium to full-bodied, sweet and dense wine that's rich and succulent, with a generous core of sun-kissed fruit, ripe tannins and an expansive finish.

The 2022 Armailhac is effusive and aromatic, with an extra kick of fruit intensity and richness from the warm, dry growing season, there’s no austerity at all in this young Armailhac. Hints of white pepper, blood orange and mint lend further brilliance. This is very nicely done. A sample presented at Mouton-Rothschild was five days old and oxidized.

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Very dark with a purple rim. Richer and sweeter on the nose than many. The fruit is all dark. Immense tannins but also immense finesse in the tannins. Stay away for some time. This is all savoury and mineral. Deep-fruited underneath. Massive wine that will reward patience. (JH)

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Cask sample. Expressive Cabernet nose. Juicy fruit on the palate. A little more power than in some years, the tannins ripe but firm. Plenty of lift and length on the finish. Gourmand as well. (JL)