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AOC Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

The vintage

After a fairly mild winter, there were two nights of severe frost in the spring, on 26 and 27 April, which caused major damage to Bordeaux’s vineyards. Five hectares were affected among the colder parts of Duhart-Milon’s vineyard.
Conditions then became excellent, with higher than usual temperatures, and balanced, well-spaced rainfall. Flowering was early, and by mid-June the fruit had set almost two weeks earlier than usual.
After some heavy rain at the end of June, temperatures remained lower than normal throughout the summer, without ever becoming cold.
This meant that the vines gradually returned to a normal calendar, and ripening was able to take place slowly in ideal conditions until mid-September, when the harvests began.
A rainy spell, from 10 to 20 September disrupted the otherwise perfect weather, causing more concern than actual damage.
Over the course of a conventional 20-day fermentation and maceration period, the wines quickly confirmed their potential and fairly traditional character.

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 originated from both the Massif Central and the Pyrenees, Pauillac boasts exceptionnal climatic and geological conditions to make 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 subsoil.

Winemaking

Moulin de Duhart is vinified using the traditional methods for the great Médoc wines, with destemming and crushing of the grapes before fermentation in concrete and stainless-steel vats. Fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature of 30°C, followed by maceration for about ten days. After malolactic fermentation, the wines are transferred to two-year-old French oak barrels and aged for 12 months.

Grapes

62 %
Merlot
38 %
Cabernet sauvignon

Tasting

Bright, deep red colour.
Expressive nose with notes of fruit underscored by a hint of caramel.
Good attack on the palate. Delicate and silky, this is a beautifully rounded, well-balanced wine.
Long, pleasantly uniform finish.

More about the domain

See Lafite’s website

Lafite.com

Meet the family on Instagram

Instagram

Château Duhart-Milon