CHÂTEAU DUHART MILON ROTHSCHILD
2014 4ème Cru Classé Pauillac
Cabernet Sauvignon 55%, Merlot 45%. After the Carruades this has more weight and more gloss. A lovely feel. Dark nicely ripe fruit, whiff of dark bitter chocolate. Structure builds to quite a grippy, firm level. Good and imposing, multi-textured and lots to get your teeth into. Rating: 92 L&S (Apr 2015)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2014 Duhart-Milon has a refined bouquet with dark berry fruit, cedar and light graphite scents that gradually unfold in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid blackberry and bilberry notes. It's estuarine in style with a stocky and yet charming finish. This is a quietly impressive Pauillac. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2024)
The 2014 Duhart-Milon is a wine that performs shockingly well, far better than I would have expected given its showing just after bottling. Here, it has a detailed, focused bouquet with graphite infused black fruit, smoke and cedar aromas. Quintessential Pauillac. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit attired with a subtle marine influence, seaweed and oyster shell. I admire the crescendo of this Pauillac, the manner in which it builds in concentration with a precise and quite powerful finish, without losing any of its precision. Superb. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2020 - 2045 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2018)
Sweet, rather evolved nose for a charming wine that is for relatively early drinking. Dry tannins on the end but the fruit trumps them. Carefully sculpted. Drinking range: 2023 - 2040 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Feb 2018)
The 2014 Duhart-Milon is dark, powerful and sensual, largely because of the high %age of Merlot in this vintage. Black cherry, leather, smoke, licorice and mocha all run through the 2014. Even with all of its obvious up-front fruit, the wine needs time to settle down and shed some tannins. There is plenty here to like, though. Drinking range: 2020 - 2034 Rating: 90 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2017)
This is silky, plush, confidently extracted, a supremely elegant wine that you would really love to own. Am already salivating at the thought of opening one of these in six, eight, 20 years. Certainly a testament to how confident Duhart is today. (Anson's top buys from Duhart-Milon and Clerc Milon). Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 94 Decanter Magazine (Oct 2015)
The Château Duhart-Milon 2014 is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot that was picked from 29 until 10 October and 23 until 29 September respectively. It has a more fruit-driven nose than usual, a little less tertiary and austere than the Duhart's of old perhaps. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, quite sappy black fruit and well judged acidity. Nicely focused as usual here with a touch of salinity coming through on the finish. I feel that it is just missing the sense of dimension and authority that a great Duhart can possess, but it retains the aloofness that I admire so much. I will remain cautious for the time being and see how it fills out during its élevage. Drinking range: 2023 - 2038 Rating: 89-91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2015)
Striking nose of black fruits, riper than usual with 45% Merlot, but structure is there. A firm yet elegant Pauillac that has come to the fore with great clarity and depth. (Highly Recommended Pauillac, Decanter.) Drinking range: 2020 - 2035 Rating: 91 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2015)
The 2014 Duhart-Milon is a bit bombastic in this vintage. Scents of leather, smoke and tar meld into a core of intense dark fruit. Powerful and voluptuous on the palate, the 2014 shows the influence of a higher than normal percentage of Merlot in the blend. Firm yet well-integrated tannin carry the finish. The 2014 comes in at 12.8% alcohol, but feels richer and weightier than that. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot. Rating: 88-91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2015)
55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot. Mid crimson. Lightly floral nose. Then some real substance and palate weight. Masses of tannins well managed to make a pretty competent medium-weight claret. Nothing showy but well done. Very much in Lafite style. Bone-dry finish with some persistence. Drinking range: 2023 - 2035 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2015)
Rich black fruits the nose has a brooding depth the start of the palate rich with a mix of sweet ripe cassis and black plum. Lighter in the middle fresh fruit supported by fine tannins the freshness bringing out floral fragrances but it fills out at the back the finish rich and sweet fruited. Drinking range: 2026 - 2038 Rating: 89-92 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Apr 2015)
Sometimes regarded as the poor relation of the Lafite family, Duhart-Milon is very impressive in 2014, showing the restraint and low alcohol levels of the vintage. Stylishly oaked, silky tannins and a long, tapering finish with very pure blackcurrant and cedarwood notes and a refreshing finish. Drinking range: 2020 - 2028 Rating: 92 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2015)
This is very solid and muscular with dark berries and blueberries. More merlot than normal but shows a serious structure that underlines the excellence of the cabernet. Small production of cabernet here with 45% merlot in the blend. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2015)
Château Duhart Milon
Pauillac Quatrième cru 1855 Château Duhart Milon is owned by its very illustrious neighbour Château Lafite-Rothschild, with whom it shares a vineyard management and wine making team. Duhart is said to have been a pirate in the service of Loius XV who settled in the Médoc in his retirement. Indeed, the "pirate's house" stood by the Gironde until the 1950's and is pictured on the label. His vineyard was united with Mandavy-Milon in the 1830's by the Castéja family. Earning 4th Growth status was a high point for Duhart-Milon with the next 100+ years being a period of some decline. Vineyards were sold off (notably to the Batailleys) and the wines declined considerably in quality. By the time Baron Eric de Rothschild bought Duhart-Milon in 1962 it was in a very sorry state with barely 17ha under vine. Rothschild ownership saw the vineyards completely re-planted and the chais (and a chais is all there is, there never has been an actual château) renovated. Today the wines are made with the same meticulous care as Lafite, but sell at a fraction of the price, making Duhart-Milon a bit of a bargain. Château Duhart-Milon sits immediately west/inland of Château Lafite-Rothschild, facing Château Lafon-Rochet across the Jalle du Breuil in Saint Estèphe. The 73ha of vineyard are planted with 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot. The Grand Vin is aged in oak barrels made by the Rothschild cooperage for up to 18 months. The second wine is called Moulin de Duhart, and a lighter styled third wine called Baron de Milon.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.