That Which We Call a Rose: Château d’Armailhac, 1989 – 2023
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What’s Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face. O, be some other name
Belonging to a man.
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet.
– Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare (c.1595)
What’s in a name?
Shakespeare’s leading lady Juliet was famously unconcerned with names, dismissing Romeo’s surname as irrelevant, even though observers could see their names – Montague and Capulet – placed the star-crossed lovers on opposite sides of a vicious feud.
To Juliet, however, Montague was no more than a label, an artificial construct invented by man, and not inherent to the individual (unlike a hand, foot, arm or face). It could therefore be discarded, ignored or changed, without having any impact on Romeo’s character.
Romeo would still be the man she loved, even if under some other name.
A rose will still smell sweet, regardless of what name it goes by.
Ultimately, names don’t matter.
Although it seems the Rothschild family – prior generations, anyway – perhaps have different ideas. Château d’Armailhac – one of three estates they own in Pauillac – has undergone more changes of name than any other cru classé château in Bordeaux, in modern times at least. And yet, like Romeo and the rose, behind it all the estate was little changed. They were the same vineyards, the same cellars, the same team manning the press, the same wine in the barrels.
It has only been in more recent times, under the direction of the Rothschild siblings – Philippe, Julien and Camille, to be informal – who took on responsibility for the property after the passing of their mother Baroness Philippine (1933 – 2014) – that the estate has seen significant development in these areas. And these meaningful changes have all been conducted without once changing the name – Château d’Armailhac has now been Château d’Armailhac since 1989.
In this report on a vertical tasting of the wines of this property, I will put the estate’s very recent history – specifically the litany of confusing name changes and, more significantly, the recently rebuilt and re-equipped winemaking facilities – under the spotlight. As always, though, I must point out that this is a mere string of informative vignettes; Winedoctor has long been home to the most detailed and comprehensive Bordeaux châteaux profiles available online or in print, and there is no point in repeating my very detailed history of this property – which can be found in my Château d’Armailhac profile – in this report.
