Château Duhart Milon Rothschild, 4eme Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2009
63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot. The 2009 Duhart Milon is yet another success from this high flying fourth growth. A considerable step up in quality (from Carruades), packed with liquid minerals, violets, graphite, damsons and sweet blackcurrants. The palate is massive with huge levels of glycerine, enormous extract, yet pure and silky. There is a very sweet and succulent quality to this wine as well as wonderful texture and refined flavours; a stylish Duhart.
critic reviews
This is a particularly interesting 1855 story, because the estate was owned by the Casteja family of merchants at the time of the classification, and would remain with them until 1937 (it would change hands five times until the Rothschilds arrived in 1962).Over time part of the estate was split off by the Castéjas, and it now forms Château Haut-Bages Monpélou, explaining why it's such an insider Pauillac to know about. Anyway, back to Duhart-Milon, and this is a brilliant 2009, luscious and generous, harnessing the joy of this vintage, and delivering it with classid graphite, crayon and mint leaf Pauillac character. 50% new oak, Philippe Dhalluin director.
The 2009 Duhart-Milon is recalcitrant on the nose, refusing to give much away in terms of aromas. Loamy, peaty scents emerge with time amongst the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin, fresh in the mouth with good salinity. There is something estuarine about this Pauillac that lends it personality and its grip on the finish suggesting that it will give many more years of drinking pleasure. This has long been an impressive Duhart-Milon and so it is proven here. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.
A blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot, it displays an inky/blue/purple color as well as a big, sweet nose of creme de cassis, forest floor, licorice, lead pencil, cedar and subtle barrique smells. Viscous and full-bodied, it is the most concentrated and broadest example of this cuvee I have tasted in over three decades. It will be ready to drink in 5-7 years and should last for three decades or more. Consumers looking to maximize value should be checking out Duhart Milon, as this may be the single smartest purchase in this great and historic vintage! Since few consumers other than Chinese billionaires can afford wines such as Lafite Rothschild, perhaps it is time for readers to take a look at Duhart Milon, which sells for less than Lafites second wine. The Rothschilds have invested heavily in resurrecting this property to near super-star status, and the 2009 appears to be the finest Duhart I have ever tasted.