Moulin de Duhart
Presentation
Château Duhart-Milon’s second wine is selected from vats of the "Grand Vin". In general, the grapes are from the youngest part of the vineyard. Moulin de Duhart has several characteristics similar to the fine wine, but with a lesser potential for ageing as its ageing in barrels is much shorter. It must be consumed younger than its more robust counterpart. The origin of the name comes from the former presence of a windmill on the Carruades, next to the Duhart-Milon vineyard.
The vintage
The vineyard cycle began with a cold, relatively wet winter, resulting in a slightly later bud-break than in 2009, in mid-April. Growth was then boosted by dry, sunny weather in April.
May and June were characterized by alternating periods of rain and sunshine. June began with a cold spell that complicated the flowering of the Merlot, resulting in flower abortion and uneven grape size.
Fortunately, July was very dry (less than 20 mm of rain) with relatively high temperatures, which helped the vines to catch up from the delays caused during flowering.
August and September were very dry, with beautiful daytime temperatures and cool nights creating ideal conditions for the grapes to slowly reach optimum ripeness.
Location
Pauillac is located on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, approximately 40km North of Bordeaux. With the tempering influence of the estuary and a great diversity of soils originated from both the Massif Central and the Pyrenees, Pauillac boasts exceptionnal climatic and geological conditions to make outstanding wines.
Terroir
Château Duhart-Milon’s vineyard consists of a single block of vines adjacent to Château Lafite Rothschild, on the hillside to the west of the Carruades plateau. The property has 76 hectares of vines. The soil consists of fine gravel mixed with aeolian sand on a tertiary limestone subsoil.
Winemaking
Moulin de Duhart is made in the traditional Bordeaux methods : grapes are destemmed and crushed before being placed in concrete or stainless steel tanks for fermentation. Fermentation is conducted at 30°c and followed by three weeks of maceration with regular pump over to ensure a gentle extraction of the tannins.
After malolactic fermentation, the wine is transfered into French oak barrels for 10 months in two-year-old barrels.
Grapes
Tasting
Bouquet of red fruit. A supple wine with plump, silky tannins.
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