Winemaker Notes
Château Duhart-Milon’s grand vin is often described as a model of the Pauillac appellation. The broker Guillaume Lawton noted as early as 1815 that “it is very robust, with a fine color, and quite pronounced sappiness” (he describes the “sappiness” of the Médoc’s premiers crus as “something like the odor given off by finest sealing wax when it is burned”).
Blend: 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Restrained and sombre at first, but carefully constructed, with a rippling muscular texture, full of firm tannins with bright acidities underneath. Like the precision and the slightly austere cool blue fruits, pencil lead and liquorice root. Elegant, precise, feels very Pauillac in its density combined with fine tannins that have life and lift on the finish.
Barrel Sample: 95 -
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Chateau Duhart-Milon is a much more concentrated, serious wine. Based on 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Merlot hitting 12.5% natural alcohol, with a pH of 3.91, its deep ruby/plum color is followed by medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of darker currants, cherries, damp earth, ripe tobacco, and graphite. Beautifully balanced, elegant, and straight-up seamless, it shows the classic, focused style of the vintage and will be a modern day classic from this terroir. Best After 2027.
Rating: 94+ -
James Suckling
A firm and racy Duhart with currants, chocolate and walnuts. Medium-bodied, with fine tannins and a fresh finish. Lovely subtle fruit. A bright finish. Succulent and refined. Savory. Very, very fine. 72% cabernet sauvignon and 28% merlot. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The most underrated wine in the Lafite stable these days has put in another strong performance with the 2020 Duhart-Milon, as this somewhat cooler, later-ripening site is well adapted to warmer vintages. Unfurling to reveal aromas of cassis, plums, cigar wrapper, loamy soil and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, broad and layered, with polished tannins, terrific depth at the core and a long, sapid finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
This ripe wine has some serious tannins and rich black fruits. Behind the structure, a swathe of black fruits gives the wine concentration and ripeness.
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Vinous
The 2020 Duhart-Milon is a powerful wine, with Cabernet Sauvignon driving the blends with tons of savory and earthy character. Dark cherry, dried herbs, scorched earth, tobacco, licorice, and menthol are all laced together. This virile, somber Pauillac needs time in the bottle to blossom. I won't be surprised if it is even better in another few years' time. This opens beautifully with time. -Neal Martin
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2020 Château Duhart-Milon is Old World and authentic. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers aromas and flavors of savory spices, rustic earthy notes, and blackcurrants. Serve it with braised oxtail. (Tasted: January 27, 2023, San Francisco, CA)
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.