Château Duhart-Milon
The vintage
In a world fond of superlatives, it is not too difficult to label 1997 as the most unique vintage Bordeaux has experienced in half a century. By the end of July, it was hailed as the vintage of the century, given the favourable conditions nature had provided. Early September, however, with the first grapes harvested, the outlook appeared grim. Moreover, no one could have imagined waiting another month, against all agricultural norms, to yield a high-quality harvest over four months after flowering! 1997 will be remembered as one of the virtuous vintages that reward the efforts of courageous producers who are willing to sacrifice a significant portion of their crop for the sake of quality.
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 originating from both the Massif Central and the Pyrenees, Pauillac boasts exceptional climate and geological conditions for the production of 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.
Winemaking
Château Duhart-Milon is made according to traditional Bordeaux methods. The grapes are carefully sorted and placed in concrete or stainless-steel vats depending on their provenance for alcoholic fermentation. Gentle pumping over is carried out during fermentation to optimize extraction. Total maceration time is about 20 days before racking. Following this rigorous selection, the wine is blended and transferred to oak barrels (50% new).
Once the wines have undergone malolactic fermentation, they are transferred to French oak barrels made by the Tonnellerie des Domaines in Pauillac. Each barrel is tasted individually in December in order to determine which ones will be selected for the grand vin.
Grapes
Tasting
Expressive on the nose, with leathery undertones.
On the palate the wine shows a good structure, with a strong backbone. The mouthfeel is dense with a somewhat austere finish.
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