Chateau Duhart-Milon 2010
-
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Blend: 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Dense purple, with classic notes of cedar and lead pencil shavings as well as gobs of back currants and licorice, the wine has a full-bodied mouthfeel with fabulous precision and density. It also possesses a long, silky finish with moderately high tannins, but they are ripe and well-integrated. The wood is clearly pushed to the background in this dense, full-bodied Pauillac, which should drink beautifully for 30+ years.
If you can’t afford Lafite-Rothschild (few can)or even their second wine, Carruades de Lafite, you still have Duhart Milon, which has become a profound wine over the last 5-7 years due to the extensive amount of attention and investment the Rothschilds have pumped into this estate. This blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot is fabulous, a dead ringer for Lafite in a great vintage. (It is probably better than many of the Lafites of the 1960s and 1970s, and even some of the vintages in the 1980s.) Robert Parker -
Jeb Dunnuck
Like a lot of 2010s, the 2010 Duhart-Milon-Rothschild is tight and backward, yet has serious potential. Sporting a deep ruby/purple color and classic notes of currants, lead pencil shavings, cedarwood and saddle leather, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a tight, firm focused texture and beautiful concentration. Its tannins are present, yet ripe and integrated, and it has the purity and freshness that’s the hallmark of this great, great vintage. Give bottles another 2-3 years and it should keep for two to three decades.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Juicy black currant fruit mingles with bright acidity and dark-chocolate tannins. This often overlooked château, with the same production team as Lafite-Rothschild, has an intense and concentrated 2010, balanced superbly between firmness and fruitiness.
-
James Suckling
A wine with an intense sous bois, fresh tobacco and dried flower character on the nose and palate. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and an attractive finish. It's structured yet polished with a beauty and stature. Try in 2015.
-
Wine Spectator
Well-polished, with sleek edges to the fleshy plum, cassis and blackberry fruit, while the finish is embedded with black licorice and violet notes. Approachable now, but the stuffing is there to cellar this for a bit. Drink now through 2025.
Other Vintages
2022-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert
- Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Vinous
-
Wong
Wilfred
-
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb
-
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Wong
Wilfred -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb
-
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Wong
Wilfred
-
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb
-
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Wong
Wilfred -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Wong
Wilfred -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Wong
Wilfred -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
In the early 18th century, Pauillac began widespread grape cultivation at the urging of the Lafite lords. The Milon wines served as additional income for Lafite’s master, and became Château Lafite’s second wine. The 1855 classification recognized the quality of Duhart-Milon’s soil by ranking it as the only 4th growth wine in Pauillac. Between 1830 and 1840, the Castéja family was left an inheritance by both Mandavy and the Duhart widow (35 acres). The family thus possessed a 99 acre vineyard that was named Duhart- Milon. The property changed ownership many times over the years and suffered a decline in the quality of its’ wines. The property was named after the Sieur of Duhart, gun-runner to Louis XIV, who originally owned the property, and from the name of the little hamlet of Milon which separates the Duhart-Milon vineyard from Château Lafite.
In 1962, Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) acquired the property from the Castéja family. Since the acquisition by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) the vineyards have been totally overhauled and the chais renovated. A finishing touch to a remarkable 40 year effort to reclaim the Médoc 4th growth wine ranking for Château Duhart-Milon.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
The leader on the Left Bank in number of first growth classified producers within its boundaries, Pauillac has more than any of the other appellations, at three of the five. Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild border St. Estephe on its northern end and Chateau Latour is at Pauillac’s southern end, bordering St. Julien.
While the first growths are certainly some of the better producers of the Left Bank, today they often compete with some of the “lower ranked” producers (second, third, fourth, fifth growth) in quality and value. The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification that goes back to 1855. The finest chateaux in that year were judged on the basis of reputation and trading price; changes in rank since then have been miniscule at best. Today producers such as Chateau Pontet-Canet, Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste, Chateau Lynch-Bages, among others (all fifth growth) offer some of the most outstanding wines in all of Bordeaux.
Defining characteristics of fine wines from Pauillac (i.e. Cabernet-based Bordeaux Blends) include inky and juicy blackcurrant, cedar or cigar box and plush or chalky tannins.
Layers of gravel in the Pauillac region are key to its wines’ character and quality. The layers offer excellent drainage in the relatively flat topography of the region allowing water to run off into “jalles” or streams, which subsequently flow off into the Gironde.