CHÂTEAU DUHART MILON ROTHSCHILD
2019 4ème Cru Classé Pauillac
A dark nose full of intent. Pencil lead and firm fruit - follows to the palate. Broad and intense but neatly contained. Quite firm for now, quite 'rock-like' - not monolithic but big and brawny with impeccable fruit. Black cherry and blackberries hold the attention. This is loaded with everything it will need to become a delicious glass of proper Pauillac - but of the set here it is the least showy for now. Impressive though.L&S (Jun 2020)
* 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 2019 Duhart-Milon has a straightforward nose with touches of oxtail infusing the red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, quite grippy tannins, nicely balanced with a pleasing off-dry, tobacco-infused finish. I feel that this bottle is not the freshest that I have encountered and so will defer scoring it. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Rating: 0 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
The 2019 Duhart-Milon is bold, juicy and explosive, but also a bit hard in its tannin. I thought some of that austerity would start to resolve with élevage, but it has not, at least not yet. Dark macerated cherry, spice, tobacco and strong Cabernet Sauvignon inflections power through to the finish. Drinking range: 2025 - 2029 Rating: 92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
The 2019 Duhart-Milon, matured in 50% new oak and bottled in April 2021, has a simply gorgeous bouquet of extremely pure blackberry, raspberry, tobacco and graphite scents. There’s also a light floral note that was not discernible when I tasted from barrel (via a sample sent to my home due to lockdown). The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, plenty of black fruit mixed with allspice and graphite, and just a touch of salted licorice that lends salinity toward the persistent finish. This is slightly less conservative than before and should age with style and grace. Drinking range: 2026 - 2052 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
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)
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 on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at 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 £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
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). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.