Château d’Armailhac

The estate

The estate was part of the feudal seigneury of Mouton before the d’Armailhacq family made it a property of its own and gave it their name. Baron Philippe de Rothschild bought it in 1933, and the Mouton branch of the family has held it since; Camille Sereys de Rothschild, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild own it today. The name tells the story of the family more than of the wine. Classified in 1855 as Château Mouton d’Armailhacq, it became Château Mouton Baron Philippe for the vintages of 1934 to 1974 and Château Mouton Baronne Philippine from 1975 to 1988, and went back to Château d’Armailhac in 1989. Through all of it the rank never moved.

Lucie Lauilhé has directed the estate since 2021; Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy is the winemaker for the family’s 3 Pauillac properties, Cédric Marc cellar master and Mathieu Maudet in charge of the vineyard, with a team of about 30. The vineyard runs to over 80 hectares on 4 gravel banks, each with its own ground and planting: Obélisque, deep gravel in clay and sand, in Cabernet Sauvignon; Levantines, washed gravel with little clay, in the 2 Cabernets; Pibran, gravel over clay, in Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot; and Béhéré, concreted gravel and clay, which adds Petit Verdot. The planting is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, with vines 40 years old on average and the Cabernet Franc at 60, which is why you can taste it in the wine. The vat house and barrel hall of 2021 hold 50 temperature-controlled vats of different sizes, filled by gravity from mobile hoppers, and 2 barrel halls on 2 floors, 1 vintage in each; the wine spends 18 months in French oak, half of it new.

Long overlooked beside its famous neighbors, d’Armailhac gives the pedigree without the price. The 2003, which I tasted in October 2025, wore the heat of that summer openly, with dark, jammy fruit, roasted notes, mushrooms and a supple texture: a fascinating bottle.

At a glance

Appellation

Pauillac

Commune

Pauillac, bordered to the north by Mouton Rothschild, with a park of 500 trees between the 2

Classification

Cinquième Cru Classé 1855, as Château Mouton d’Armailhacq

Owners

The Mouton branch of the Rothschild family, since 1933

Direction

Lucie Lauilhé, since 2021; Cédric Marc, cellar master; Mathieu Maudet, vineyard

Oenologist

Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy

Vineyard

Over 80 hectares on 4 gravel banks, Obélisque, Levantines, Pibran and Béhéré; vines 40 years old on average

Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon 52%, Merlot 38%, Cabernet Franc 8%, Petit Verdot 2%; the Cabernet Franc 60 years old on average

Cellar

Vat house and barrel hall of 2021; 50 vats filled by gravity; 18 months in French oak, half new

The name

Mouton d’Armailhacq to 1933; Mouton Baron Philippe, 1934 to 1974; Mouton Baronne Philippine, 1975 to 1988; d’Armailhac since 1989

Sources: Château d’Armailhac, the history · Château d’Armailhac, the terroir · Château d’Armailhac, the winery · Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Château d’Armailhac · Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, Château d’Armailhac · Guto Assumpção on Instagram, Château d’Armailhac 2003, October 6, 2025