CHÂTEAU DUHART MILON ROTHSCHILD

A brilliant wine to seek out to showcase how Duhart is being skilfully worked to deepen its flavour profile and beef up its mid palate, and to soften up tannins that can be austere when young. Here you find a tenderness and a velvety quality to the structure, along with cool blue and black fruits. Still unmistakably Pauillac, majoring on cassis, pencil lead and cedar wood, all standing to attention and confident of giving you many years of service. Very good quality, delivering on its En Primeur promise. Drinking range: 2026 - 2044 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jan 2022)

Racy and mineral-driven, with a chalky thread that runs from start to finish, adding a perfumed elegance to a core of steeped black currant and blackberry fruit flavors. This has a lushness to the fruit, with dark tobacco, steeped black tea and singed alder notes, but there's plenty of range, detail and textural nuance as well. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2024 through 2040.—J.M. Rating: 94 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Jan 2022)

The 2019 Duhart-Milon was picked from 18 September to 4 October and raised in 50% new oak. Of course, this comes from one of the coldest terroirs in Pauillac due to the orientation of the vineyard and less proportion of clay, which has become an advantage in warmer growing seasons such as this. The 70% Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the aromatics with dense black fruit, pencil shavings and tobacco aromas, traces of dark chocolate in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with spicy black fruits on the entry. This is quintessential Duhart: a bit broody, conservative in a non-pejorative use of the word, harmonious and quite sturdy towards the finish. I like this. Whilst it has no intention of being the most flamboyant Pauillac on the gravel terrace, it is imbued with nobility. Drinking range: 2026 - 2052 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)

The 2019 Duhart-Milon is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, harvested from the 19th of September to the 4th of October. Deep garnet-purple in color, it springs from the glass with vivacious notes of plums preserves, black raspberries and blackcurrant pastilles with suggestions of menthol, dark chocolate, pencil lead and woodsmoke plus a touch of garrigue. Medium-bodied, the palate is spritely and refreshing, with bags of juicy, mint-laced black fruits and an approachable, plush texture, finishing long and lively. “The terroir at Duhart-Milon can be very arid,” technical director Eric Kohler reminded me. “Our Cabernet Sauvignon vines seem to have better anticipated the heat this year, preventing them from shutting down in July despite the heat wave. In 2018, I felt that the alcohol was maybe a bit high. I like the balance better of this 2019.” I feel the 2018 vintage of Duhart-Milon is hard to beat. The generosity of fruit and plushness of the tannins that year were off the charts. This said, while at this stage it’s just a hair behind the beguiling 2018, this 2019 is a remarkable beauty, seeming to confirm that this estate has well and truly turned a corner in terms of quality. Rating: 92-94 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Jun 2020)

This one might sneak up on you, confirming the rise of this wine in recent years. Clear depth of fruit, and above all clear Pauillac character. This feels strict and confident, with beautiful balance and restraint. Duhart is one of the later-ripening and cooler Pauillac terroirs which is why in the past it could be overly austere when young, but it is benefitting from recent hot summers in terms of its fruit ripeness. Pencil lead is prominent here, along with cassis and bilberry. Very precise, very elegant, with a creaminess to the fruit through the mid palate, and overall this is an excellent Duhart. Drinking range: 2028 - 2042 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2020)

A very balanced, refined Duhart with ever so fine tannins and currant, tobacco and cedar aromas and flavors. Medium to fine tannins. It’s extremely long and polished. Direct. You already want to drink this. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2020)