Château Duhart-Milon
The vintage
A disappointing June with relatively cool temperatures and damp weather was fortunately followed by exceptional conditions that enabled the grapes to reach a satisfactory degree of ripeness. The 1988 harvest was characterized by red grapes with very thick skins, rich in colouring matter and tannins.
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.
Tasting
Beautiful ruby colour.
The nose is expressive, characterized by aromas of black fruit.
The palate reveals a structured, very expressive wine. This wine has good density supported by an excellent tannic structure.
Alcohol content
13
Grapes
Cabernet sauvignon
: 66 %
Merlot
: 20 %
Cabernet franc
: 14 %