The Wine Advocate | RP 91
Published: Mar 16, 2020

Blended of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, the 2017 Duhart-Milon is deep garnet-purple colored and comes tumbling freely out of the glass with open, expressive black plums, Black Forest cake and blueberry compote notes plus savory wafts of woodsmoke, beef drippings, black olives and cumin seed with an emerging touch of cassis. Medium-bodied, the palate is jam-packed with juicy black plum flavors and a plush texture, lifted by seamless freshness, finishing spicy. Nicely done. 
Drink Date: 2020 - 2034

lafite.com

The vintage
After a rather mild winter, there were two nights of severe frost in the spring, on 26 and 27 April, which inflicted major damage on Bordeaux’s vineyards. Five hectares were affected among the colder areas of Duhart-Milon’s vineyard.
Conditions then became excellent, with higher than usual temperatures and balanced, well-spaced rainfall. Flowering was early, and by mid-June the fruit had set almost two weeks earlier than usual. After some quite heavy rain at the end of June, temperatures remained slightly below average for the rest of the summer. This enabled a slow, steady ripening of the grapes from “mi-véraison” (the middle of the period when the grapes change colour) to mid-September when the harvests began. A final rainy spell from 10 to 20 September disrupted the otherwise perfect weather, without impacting the quality of the grapes.
The wines confirmed great potential, revealing a fairly classic character.

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.
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
76 % Cabernet sauvignon
24 % Merlot

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.