Château Duhart-Milon 2018

Special Price $89.85 Average US Price $120.00
In Stock   Usually ships in 2-5 days, weather permitting
Only 33 left
SKU
1868-2018
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• Domaine: Château Duhart-Milon
• Appellation: Pauillac
• Classification: Fourth Growth, 4ème Grand Cru Classé
• Origin: Left Bank, Bordeaux, France

Château Duhart-Milon is the only Fourth Growth property in the Pauillac AOC.  It is an estate that lovers of the First Growth, Château Lafite Rothschild, should know.  Not only is it a mere 7-minute drive away from Château Lafite Rothschild, but the two are considered sister properties with the same winemaking team.  Like Lafite, the estate is owned by part of the portfolio of Domains de Barons de Rothschild.  Château Duhart-Milon is home to some truly phenomenal terroir of gravel, limestone, and clay.  When asked why he purchased the property, the Baron put it very plainly: “It would have been nonsense to not acquire such a great neighboring vineyard.”

Château Duhart-Milon has a very interesting and circuitous history.  The property was initially the Second Wine for Lafite Rothschild when the Marquis de Alexandre Segur, or “The Wine Prince,” was running Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Mouton Rothschild and Château Calon Segur.  The Marquis saw the potential of Château Duhart-Milon, and in the 19th Century, the wines were already held in great esteem.  It was considered a cru vineyard in the making.  Château Duhart-Milon received part of its name from Sir Duhart, who was rumored to have been a pirate and gunrunner for King Louix XV.  When he was done pillaging the high seas, he decided to retire in Pauillac in a little dwelling that was near the port.  The dwelling was called the, “pirate’s house,” and was eventually torn down in the 1950s.  Yet the building’s legacy still lives on – it’s on the label for the grand vin of Château Duhart-Milon.   

Château Duhart-Milon was classified as a Fourth Growth in 1855, and then it was owned by the Castéja family.  The Castéja family was very well known throughout Bordeaux, and they currently oversee the illustrious Château Trotte Vielle.  Right before World War II, disaster seemed to stalk Château Duhart-Milon.  Frosts ravaged its vineyards, it changed hands at least five times during the 1950s and 1960s, and out of the massive 110 hectares of land, only 17 hectares were left planted with vines by the time Baron Eric de Rothschild acquired the estate. The Rothschilds almost doubled the size of the vineyards at the property, restoring the Fourth Growth to its former glory. 

Château Duhart-Milon is a rare estate, because it is one of the few properties in Pauillac without an actual château.  Instead, it hosts vat rooms, barrel storage, and of course the stars of the show – the vines.  The vineyards are planted with 76 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and the vines are about 30 years old on average. Like its sister estate, Lafite, the barrels are all made on property by the same cooperage.  Charles Chevalier is the director of winemaking, and each plot at Château Duhart-Milon is isolated and judged separately based on quality.  The grapes are harvested and fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel vats.  The wines of Château Duhart-Milon are powerful, like many Pauillacs.  They require a bit of time for their aromas to unfold and younger vintages can be decanted if need be.  

Tasting Notes

"The 2018 Duhart-Milon was helped by light rain on August 28 and September 5 that nudged ripening back on track after a period of drought. It has a very well-defined bouquet of blackberry, bilberry, oyster shells and tobacco, focused and intense. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, but there is real backbone and a wonderful saline finish. Lovely build here, and certainly more substantial than the previous vintage. This is a Duhart-Milon back on form." - Neal Martin, vinous.com, (November, 2019), Ratings: 92-94, Drink: 2024-2045

"The 2018 Duhart-Milon is composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, with the Cabernet Sauvignon harvested September 25 to October 4 and the Merlot harvested September 17-25, and it has 14% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with exuberant notes of Black Forest cake, plum preserves and crème de cassis with hints of spice cake, woodsmoke, potpourri and eucalyptus. Full-bodied, rich and laden with layers of black fruit preserves and spices, it has a velvety texture and just enough freshness, finishing long. Very impressive—the densest, most opulent Duhart I have tasted!" - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate (4/23/2019, Bordeaux 2018 Issue), Ratings: 93-95

"I was slightly disappointed in the 2018 Château Duhart-Milon, and while it's certainly a beautiful wine, it's not in the same league as the 2009, as I thought when tasting it from barrel. Nevertheless, it has impressive notes of red and black currants, new leather, tobacco leaf, and lead pencil shavings to go with a medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, elegant style on the palate. It has some up-front appeal, as the tannins are ripe and polished, yet it's going to improve over the coming 4-6 years or so and should hold nicely for 20 years or more." Jeb Dunnuck, 2018 Bordeaux From The Bottle (3/11/2021) Rating: 93

More Information
Stock Status In Stock
Appellation Pauillac
Vintage 2018
Brand Chateau Duhart-Milon
Shipping Weight 3.000000

 

Pauillac is best known as the appellation that produces 3 of the 5 First Growths estates in Bordeaux. Blessed by an exceptional terroir, Pauillac is located in the northern part of the Médoc peninsula, on the Left Bank along the Gironde estuary, an ideal placement contributing to moderating the climate and providing optimal conditions for wine cultivation. Pauillac is bordered by two other prestigious wine appellations: Saint-Estèphe to the north and Saint-Julien to the south.

Pauillac's terroir, characterized by gravelly soils, is often considered one of the finest for the production of Cabernet Sauvignon, the predominant grape in Pauillac’s blends. The gravel helps with drainage and reflects heat, encouraging ripening and concentration of flavors in Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec grapes. Such exceptional predispositions explain that Pauillac is home to some of Bordeaux's most renowned and iconic wine estates. They include First Growths estates such as Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Mouton Rothschild, and Château Latour. Other famous estates include Château Pichon-Longueville Baron, Château Pichon-Lalande, Château Duhart-Milon, Château Pontet-Canet, Château Batailley, Château Lynch Bages, Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Château Grand-Puy Ducasse, Château Haut-Batailley, Château Lynch-Moussas, Château d'Armailhac, Château Haut-Bages Liberal, Château Pedesclaux, Château Clerc Milon, Château Croizet-Bages.

Pauillac wines are known for their deep color, complex aromas, and rich, full-bodied flavors, including notes of cassis, blackcurrant, cedar, tobacco, and graphite, with a pronounced tannic structure, which require several years or even decades of bottle aging to reveal their full potential. 

Footnotes on Futures, Pre-Arrivals, and potential US Tariffs: 

1. As of June 15, 2021, the US and the EU agreed to suspend tariffs resulting from the Boeing-Airbus aircraft trade disputes. Accordingly, such import taxes are now suspended for the next five years.

2. Futures are expected to be available for delivery two years after the sales (e.g., the 2022 vintage, sold in 2023, will be delivered in 2025 mostly, or 2026 if the producer ages the wine longer).

3. Pre-Arrivals are items currently stored in our Bordeaux cellar or in transit from France to the US. It usually takes 1-6 months for Pre-Arrivals to become available for delivery, depending on the stage of the import process.

4. Regarding futures and pre-arrivals, we cannot guarantee specific delivery dates, which factors beyond our control may impact. However, we will notify you once your wine arrives in our cellar.

5. While a buyer of Bordeaux wine futures locks in an allocation of the specified items, the final delivery of the purchased items from France to the US may be impacted by intervening and unforeseeable events. Despite our due diligence, additional costs or delays may be caused by such intervening and unforeseen events and "an irresistible, superhuman cause, or by the act of public enemies of the state of California or the United States."  In such circumstances, if a buyer does not accept unforeseeable costs or delays, the sole and exclusive remedy is a cancellation of the futures order concerned and a refund of the original purchase price. We are NOT liable for any lost profits on a canceled order.

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