Château Duhart-Milon
The vintage
Duhart-Milon 2020 is probably one of the best vintages of the last thirty years. However, the outcome was far from certain, and our teams had to overcome challenging conditions. The warm, rainy spring resulted in a battle against mildew, from which we eventually emerged victorious.
In the north-east of the appellation’s drier gravelly areas, there was some miraculous rain in mid-August, enabling the grapes to reach perfect maturity. The whole vineyard, even the youngest vines, remained healthy and active for the entire growth cycle. In the end, there was just the right amount of water stress for an ideal harvest.
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, intense colour with glints of black and violet.
The still reserved nose reveals great aromatic potential which will gradually develop with bottle ageing. Ripe, fresh fruit aromas dominate, with notes of blackcurrant and menthol.
On the palate, the wine presents terrific freshness accompanied by plenty of volume. Well-defined, sound tannins maintain their elegance as they gradually fill the mouth. We are in Pauillac. The finish, with marked notes of graphite, is very characteristic of the terroir. Remarkably long, lingering on the plate almost endlessly.
Alcohol content
12.5
Grapes
Cabernet sauvignon
: 72 %
Merlot
: 28 %