Château Duhart-Milon

The Rothschild family acquired Château Duhart-Milon, a “4ème Cru Classé” in the 1855 classification, from the Castejas of Pauillac, in 1962. The property was named after the Sieur of Duhart, gun-runner to Louis XIV, who originally owned the property, and from the name of the little hamlet of Milon which separates the Duhart-Milon vineyard from Château Lafite.

At Duhart-Milon, the ideal moment to start harvesting our Merlot planted on gravelly soil arrived on 19 September. Those growing on clay were ready a little later. Once again this year, there was excellent complementarity between the Merlot grapes from the gravel plots (riper) and those from the clay plots (fresher and later ripening). This enabled us to obtain plenty of maturity for this grape variety, which accounts for a third of the blend, while at the same time preserving the freshness of the fruit. Our Cabernet Sauvignon vines seemed to be better prepared for the heat this year; the ripening process was not checked in July despite the heatwave, and there was then a progressive evolution of the berries during the more temperate weather in August. A little rain in mid-September was very beneficial for the end of ripening stage on Duhart-Milon’s gravelly soil, which is more arid than the Lafite plateau.

Château Duhart-Milon is made according to traditional Bordeaux methods. The grapes are carefully sorted and placed in concrete or stainless-steel vats depending on their provenance for alcoholic fermentation. Gentle pumping over is carried out during fermentation to optimize extraction. Total maceration time is about 20 days before racking. Once the wines have undergone malolactic fermentation, they are transferred to French oak barrels (50% new), made by the Tonnellerie des Domaines in Pauillac. Each barrel is tasted individually in December in order to determine which ones will be selected for the grand vin.

Beautiful dark red color. The nose reveals superb roasted notes. These are followed by aromas of ripe red fruit, particularly fresh cherries. Depth, complexity, and oaky notes are already perfectly integrated. On the palate, the attack is soft and silky. Then, gradually, with the same softness, the wine invades the mouth, slowly revealing its fresh character, typical of Duhart-Milon’s late-ripening terroir. A very dense wine with tight, delicate tannins creating excellent length on the palate.