From the Rothschild family behind Château Lafite, the 2016 Duhart-Milon is a classic Pauillac from one of Bordeaux’s greatest modern vintages. At ten years old it is entering its prime, yet it has decades of life ahead.
Tasting NotesDeep garnet-purple in the glass, with a fragrant nose of blackcurrant, wild blueberry and plum, lifted by violets, cedar, graphite and a wisp of sweet tobacco. The palate is poised and elegant. Ripe black fruit sits on a backbone of fine-grained, silky tannins, with a slate-like minerality and lively freshness that keep it focused. The finish is long and savoury, with notes of blackcurrant leaf, tobacco and earth. A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot, matured in 50% new French oak.
About the WineryChâteau Duhart-Milon has belonged to Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) since 1962, and the Château Lafite team makes the wine. Its vineyards lie on the gravelly Milon hillsides right next to Lafite itself, on deep gravel over limestone. Ranked a Fourth Growth in the 1855 Classification, Duhart-Milon is often called the archetypal Pauillac: structured, refined and built to age. Collectors see it as one of the smartest ways to enjoy the Lafite style at a fraction of the price.
About the Vintage2016 is a legendary vintage for Bordeaux, and especially for the Left Bank. A wet spring was followed by a long, hot, dry summer, and well-timed September rain plus a sunny harvest season let the Cabernet Sauvignon ripen slowly and fully. The result is wines with rare balance: ripe, concentrated fruit with vibrant freshness and fine, polished tannins. Critics rank 2016 among the finest Médoc vintages in decades, and for many Pauillac estates it produced some of their best wines ever.
95 Points – Decanter“I remember how delicious this was at en primeur, and it remains a stately, elongated, perfectly poised Pauillac. It’s austere, certainly, but is also full of rich fruit pared down by a slate texture, the sense of minerality scraping along the palate as you approach the blackcurrant leaf and tobacco finish. It’s excellent quality, and clearly a vintage that suits the personality of Duhart – juicy but restrained. Matured in 50% new oak.”
94-95 Points – James Suckling“Enticing aromas of crushed berries, blackcurrants, sweet tobacco, hot stones and licorice follow through to a full body, chewy and dusty tannins and a long, flavorful finish. A juicy and savory young 2016. Try after 2024.”
94 Points – Jeb Dunnuck“Ranking with the finest vintages of this wine to date, the 2016 Château Duhart Milon shows how successful the Médoc was in 2016. About as pure class as it gets, with full-bodied notes of red and black currants, tobacco leaf, graphite, and leafy herbs, this beauty hits the palate with sweet tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and a layered, deep, powerful texture. It’s about as sexy as Pauillac can be and has 2-3 decades ahead of it.”
93 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate“Blended of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot, the 2016 Duhart-Milon has a deep garnet-purple color and features plums preserves, wild blueberries and cassis scents with touches of violets and underbrush with a waft of tobacco. Medium-bodied and elegant, with a backbone of finely grained tannins and oodles of freshness, it has a great core of perfumed black fruit, finishing on an earthy note.”
