Château Duhart-Milon
The vintage
The climatic year was varied: after a very wet winter with very warm temperatures, the bud burst occurred early and the flowering was consistent. A few problems of coulure were encountered on the Merlots. Summer changed from hot to cloudy periods all the way up to the harvests. The ‘veraison’ took place a week later than usual, and the maturation of the grapes was quite varied which meant that extra attention was required during the harvest. The first Merlots were picked on 3 October and soon after the rest of the crops were picked until 12 October. In the end, only very little rain fell in Pauillac during the harvests.
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. Following this rigorous selection, the wine is blended and transferred to oak barrels (50% new).
Tasting
The early tastings showed a wine with a refined spiciness and aromas of ripe black fruit.
The mouth is structured with elegant tannins and great length.
Alcohol content
12.6
Grapes
Cabernet sauvignon
: 87 %
Merlot
: 13 %