Moulin de Duhart
Presentation
Château Duhart-Milon’s second wine is selected from vats of the "Grand Vin". In general, the grapes are from the youngest part of the vineyard. Moulin de Duhart has several characteristics similar to the fine wine, but with a lesser potential for ageing as its ageing in barrels is much shorter. It must be consumed younger than its more robust counterpart. The origin of the name comes from the former presence of a windmill on the Carruades, next to the Duhart-Milon vineyard.
The vintage
2012 was characterized by difficult weather conditions in the Bordeaux region.
After a relatively mild winter, the spring was mostly wet and rainy, especially April, which brought a violent hail storm on the 24th.
Such conditions hampered fertilization, leading to fears of reduced yields. Work in the vineyard was as vital as ever.
June and July alternated heat and humidity. The weather became more stable from the beginning of August, enabling the grapes to finish ripening in good conditions.
Nevertheless, there was considerable variation in their degrees of ripeness and a great deal of sorting work was carried out by our teams from the end September.
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 made in the traditional Bordeaux methods : grapes are destemmed and crushed before being placed in concrete or stainless steel tanks for fermentation. Fermentation is conducted at 30°c and followed by three weeks of maceration with regular pump over to ensure a gentle extraction of the tannins.
After malolactic fermentation, the wine is transfered into French oak barrels for 10 months in two-year-old barrels.
Grapes
Tasting
The nose is fairly expressive, dominated by red fruit aromas, which prevent any woody notes from coming through.
On the palate, after a rounded, balanced attack, the wine becomes tighter and more direct. The finish is not very long, but is very pleasant, returning to fruity notes.
A fine wine that will be superb in 3/5 years.
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