Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This shows lots of sweet tobacco and blueberry character. Full and silky with fine tannins. Keeps fresh. Long. Well done.
Barrel Sample: 92-93Points -
Wine Enthusiast
Rich, spicy and dense, this wine shows a serious side. It has power and concentration, and the wood offers dryness as well as spice. Its fruit seems to be a separate layer at this stage.
Barrel Sample: 91-93 Points -
Wine Spectator
Shows high-toned cherry, tobacco leaf, grilled herb and lightly mulled spice notes. Very formed already, with a lingering dusty finish as the herb note peeks out more and more with air.
Barrel Sample: 89-92 Points -
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2011 Château Duhart-Milon is bright and lively, with excellent balance. TASTING NOTES: This wine shows excellent vitality and freshness on the palate. Its aromas and flavors of ripe berries, leather, and savory spices should pair it lovely with an oven-baked chicken. (Tasted: March 12, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Tart acids give this dark ruby/purple-tinged wine a crunchy, fresh, lively feel on the palate. Composed of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot, this medium-bodied 2011 reveals loads of finesse and purity, but is slightly superficial compared to recent vintages such as 2009 and 2010. It should drink well for 10-15 years.
Barrel Sample: 89-91 Points
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.