Château Duhart-Milon
The vintage
2016 was characterized in Bordeaux by a very uniform climate, resulting in a good quality vintage for the entire region. Bud break occurred around the normal time, although the spring was rather rainy and cold. June was particularly overcast and cool, but flowering nevertheless took place in good conditions. The summer was hot and very dry, almost too dry at the beginning of September, with ripening becoming hindered in some cases.
Thanks to its rather cold, late-ripening terroir, Duhart-Milon, coped perfectly with this period of water stress, until the very welcome rain in mid-September. From this point onwards it was plain sailing, and the grapes finished ripening in optimal conditions.
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 originating from both the Massif Central and the Pyrenees, Pauillac boasts exceptional climate and geological conditions for the production of 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.
Winemaking
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. Following this rigorous selection, the wine is blended and transferred to oak barrels (50% new).
Once the wines have undergone malolactic fermentation, they are transferred to French oak barrels 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.
Grapes
Tasting
Beautiful dark colour with glints of violet and black.
Very fine complex, delicate nose, despite the wine’s youth. The oak and toasted notes blend perfectly with the freshness, reflecting well-managed barrel-ageing.
On the palate the attack is pure and delicate. Initially slightly closed, the wine gradually invades the palate, evolving with substantial volume, but never becoming aggressive. This creates a sensation of both power and lightness. The Cabernet Sauvignon develops more density towards the end of the mid-palate.
The wine is very long and remains perfectly balanced throughout the finish.
Downloads
