Château Duhart-Milon - Pauillac 2009

Wine Advocate

96 / 100

par Neal Martin le 01/01/2013

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. To the astonishment of our group of experienced palates, the Duhart-Milon '09 took on all-comers under blind conditions and triumphed. I always regarded it as a fantastic Pauillac but this good? I mean ... it received a higher average group score than almost every Grand Vin. It has a very intense bouquet with blackberry, mulberry, quince and a touch of dried flowers picked from down in Margaux. There is a slight meaty tincture suggesting some Cabernet Franc? The palate is medium-bodied but with superb fruit concentration. Again, there is a beguiling sense of precision and harmony that lends the finish weightlessness and poise. This is an effortless wine and a benchmark Duhart. Bravo! Tasted January 2013.

Wine Advocate

97 / 100

par Robert Parker le 29/02/2012

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 Lafite’s 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.

Jamessuckling.com

95 / 100

par James Suckling le 15/02/2012

This is superb, with so much beautiful subtle fruit and wonderful flowers. Full and very lively, with super fine tannins and a lively finish. Very exciting. Best ever from here. Try in 2018.

Wine Spectator

92 / 100

par James Molesworth le 11/01/2012

This takes a fleshy, rather toasty approach, showing roasted plum and black currant fruit, with a smoked mesquite note on the loam-tinged finish. There's more breadth than depth, but this has the latent minerality to last a long time in the cellar. Best from 2015 through 2027.-J.M.

Le Figaro

94-96 / 100

par Bernard Burtschy le 30/06/2010

Très belle réussite avec un vin plus plein que d’habitude et plus long, mais un peu moins de finesse. 63 % cabernet-sauvignon, 37 % merlot.

timatkin.com

93 / 100

par Tim Atkin MW le 30/06/2010

13.5% alcohol. 63 CS, 37M With Lafite en travaux this year, its owners chose to hold its tasting at Duhart-Milon, just off the quais in Pauillac. It wasn’t such a bad idea, because it put an improving wine in the spotlight. It may not have the grace and balance of Lafite (what does?) but this is a very drinkable Paulliac, with toasty oak, easy-going tannins and attractive freshness on the finish. 10+ years.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

89-92 / 100

par Ian D'Agata le 30/06/2010

(a 63/37 blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot; 13.5% alcohol; IPT 70) Medium-deep ruby. The delicately scented nose is classic Pauillac: blackcurrant, violet, cedar and graphite. Enters smooth and seamless, with lively acids nicely lifting the blackberry, plum and smoky mineral flavors. Refined and restrained Pauillac, finishing sleek and long, with very smooth tannins and a lingering mineral quality. This speaks to me of high-quality cabernet sauvignon on gravel. One of the best young Duhart-Milons ever, and in this vintage it bears more than a passing resemblance to Lafite-Rothschild, which is under the same ownership, even though the two wines are obviously quite different.

La Revue du Vin de France

17-18 / 20

le 31/05/2010

L'assemblage, avec 63% de cabernet sauvignon et 37% de merlot, a permis d'élaborer un vin très suave, rond et savoureux, sans pou rautant sacrifier au fond. La trame est enrobée par un joli gras et un fruit charnu. Le niveau un peu plus élevé de merlot dans l'assemblage explique son côté plus immédiat.

Le Point

17 / 20

par Jacques Dupont le 06/05/2010

Fermé, doux, plus tendre que d'habitude, long, frais, rond. Duhart plus souple, plus aimable que les autres années, finale fraîche où on retrouve le caractère séveux. O=2016 G=25 ans

Falstaff

90-92 / 100

par Peter Moser le 30/04/2010

Mineralisch, rauchig, schwarze Beeren, feine vegetale Würze. Harmonisch, präsente Tannine, feste Struktur, elegant, Brombeeren im Nachhall, zart vegetal und tabakig im Nachhall, braucht seine Zeit.

TAST

18 / 20

par Bettane & Desseauve le 30/04/2010

Beaucoup plus de vinosité et d’éclat que Carruades, un poil moins de finesse pure. Nous préférons néanmoins cet équilibre qui exprime avec plus de force et d’énergie un superbe terroir dans un immense millésime.

Wine Advocate

91-93 / 100

par Neal Martin le 30/04/2010

Tasted at Lafite-Rothschild. Picked between 23rd and 30th September and 1st to 8th October, the Duhart is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot. It has that typically obdurate, almost sulky bouquet, dark berried fruit, cold stones, a touch of black olive and oyster shell. The palate is much more approachable than previous vintages, very fine tannins, a little purer than previous vintages, very harmonious and subtle with an almost feminine (for Duhart) finish. A classic Duhart fashioned in a more modern, pleasing style without losing its gravitas. Tasted March 2010.

Wine Enthusiast

92-92 / 100

par Roger Voss le 30/04/2010

A rounded wine, its tannins submerged into the ripe fruits. It feels soft, and there is just a bite of alcohol. The structure is soft, generous, opulent.

WeinWisser

18 / 20

par René Gabriel le 30/04/2010

Sattes Purpur-Granat, lila Schimmer aussen. Schönes Pflaumenbouquet, ein Hauch Dörrfrüchte, Kakaobohnen und dunkle Ledernoten. Schöner, schon fast erhabener Gaumen mit viel Noblesse, Tabaknoten, Trüffel und Korinthen, im Finale Teer und Lakritze. Hier bahnt sich womöglich einer der grössten Duharts der Geschichte an. 2016–2034

Wine Advocate

94-96 / 100

par Robert Parker le 28/04/2010

2009 may turn out to be among the greatest vintages ever in the Medoc. The 2009 appears to be the finest Duhart Milon yet made. The Rothschild family has invested heavily in this estate over the last 20 years in order to upgrade the quality, and their investments have certainly paid off handsomely. A blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot, the 2009's opaque purple color is followed by an extraordinary perfume of creme de cassis, violets, graphite, and subtle wood. This full-bodied, intense, voluptuously textured, pure, seductive wine seems more open-knit and opulent than the more structured Carruades de Lafite. Nevertheless, the Duhart requires 3-5 years of cellaring, and should drink well for 30+ years. Bravo! (Tasted once.) Drink 2013-2043 (94-96*) points

Periodic Review of Wine

94-96 / 100

par Alan Duran le 28/04/2010

Consumers should take note of Duhart-Milon. The 2009 is an extraordinarily complex wine. Its color exposes an opaque purple followed by deep crushed-limestone, blackberry extract, crème de cassis and spilled-ink. This Duhart is medium to full-bodied, beautifully-poised on the palate, and concentrated with Asian spices and blackberry galore. It is a wine of huge extract and elegance, two attributes that are hard to come by. Owners of this wine will need some patience as this is the most abundant offering from Duhart yet tasted. Maturity period 2016-2044.

Anthony Rose

91-93 / 100

par Anthony Rose le 26/04/2010

63% cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot with 50% new oak here. Dense, vivid colour, quite toasty (higher toasted oak than Lafite?), spicy lead pencil oak, quite firm tannins and good fresh acidity behind nice dark fruits, plum and cassis flavours, quite a muscular style with some firm chunky tannins and a touch of dryness behind the sweetness of fruit. Likely to be very good value.

Wine Spectator

91-94 / 100

par James Suckling le 09/04/2010

Intense aromas of currant and blackberry, with hints of toasted oak and flowers. Full-bodied, with thick and powerful tannins that are polished and racy. A persistent young wine.

Decanter Magazine

18 / 20

par Steven Spurrier le 09/04/2010

Fine purple red, briary black fruits on the nose, really good but rather restrained on the palate, firm and complex, a classic Pauillac, beautifully structured with purity and length. Drink 2016-30.

Jancis Robinson

17,5 / 20

par Jancis Robinson le 07/04/2010

63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot. Dark crimson. Scented and satiny with lots of lush mulberry fruit in the middle. Not at all flashy. Low key. Very dry, Cabernet finish. Polished again and sleek. Fine tannins. Not for the very long term but very beautifully made in a polished Cabernet way. Bone dry finish. More solid than Carruades. Light and lively on the finish. Sprightly – fully fledged status now. Not an also ran – though there is just a little astringency on the finish. Drink 2017-2029