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 beginning of the winter was mild and dry, and it was only at the end of January that beneficial colder temperatures arrived, accompanied by rain. Bud break began in early April as usual, and the vines then grew quickly, as they had ample reserves of water and the weather was mild. In June, flowering was early and uniform, which is always a promising sign.
The influence of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gironde estuary helped to reduce the effect of a somewhat hot summer with high temperatures. Water stress was high, but rain in August brought the freshness required for the grapes to change colour and then to ripen perfectly. Conditions were ideal during the harvests, enabling us to obtain optimal ripeness for each plot.

Harvests: Merlot, 17 to 23 September; Cabernet Sauvignon, 28 September to 6 October.

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.

Tasting

Tasted at bottling April 2017
Good, deep colour.
The nose already reveals beautiful notes of fresh fruit and tobacco.
The attack is fairly supple and delicate, but the wine then develops plenty of volume and is beginning to show good length.
Refined tannins present a pleasant sweetness.

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