2020 Château Duhart-Milon

Château Duhart Milon is located in the Pauillac appellation, on the west side of Château Lafite-Rothschild. The château currently has more than 70 hectares of vineyard. The soil is very typical of the region and contains a mixture of fine gravel, sand and lime. In combination with the mild climate, this is an ideal place for the cabernet sauvignon, which is the main grape here. In addition, the château uses merlot and cabernet franc. The average age of the vines is over 30 years.

The close cooperation with neighboring Château Lafite-Rothschild has led to an enormous quality boost. Typical characteristics are: low yields, manual harvesting, classic vinification and great sensitivity to the individual character of a vintage. This leads to very high-quality wines that reflect the special character of the Pauillac appellate: a combination of strength, elegance and a unique ability to mature. The wine matures in oak barrels from its own cooperage. The vinification for this wine takes place through controlled fermentation in tanks before aging in barriques. Depending on the vintage, this maturation takes 10 to 18 months.

The Duhart-Milion is a blend of the typical Pauillac composition of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Merlot and is deep purple red in color, changing to garnet to brown red in color. It has a powerful, richly variegated scent with notes of black cherry, blackberry and cedar and a nice touch of wood. Full, firm attack, very cool texture and a complex fruity taste with earthy notes, playful tannins, freshness of the Cabernet and an impressive length. The wine is at its best when the Merlot has become fully ripe because then the wines get those Merlot tannins, acids and vegetable notes that give the extra complexity. The vineyard is adjacent to that of Château Lafite Rothschild (same owners) and Lafite's refined elegance is almost always present in Duhart-Milon, along with spicy woody, vanilla and tobacco notes. The cellars are located at the quay of Pauillac. Of the barrels used there, 33% to 40% are new.