Chateau Duhart-Milon 4eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 2010

Dense purple, with classic notes of cedar and lead pencil shavings as well as gobs of black currants and licorice, the wine has a full-bodied mouthfeel with fabulous precision and density. It also possesses a long, silky finish with moderately high tannins, but they are ripe and well-integrated. The wood is clearly pushed to the background in this dense, full-bodied Pauillac, which should drink beautifully for 30 years. If you can’t afford Lafite-Rothschild few can) or even their second wine, Carruades de Lafite, you still have Duhart Milon, which has become a profound wine over the last 5-7 years due to the extensive amount of attention and investment the Rothschilds have pumped into this estate. This blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot is fabulous, a dead ringer for Lafite in a great vintage. It is probably better than many of the Lafites of the 1960s and 1970s, and even some of the vintages in the 1980s.)
This large estate 190 acres) has been on a qualitative rise for nearly a decade. A classic Pauillac, the opaque purple-colored 2010, a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Merlot, reveals beautiful notes of creme de cassis, licorice, tobacco leaf and forest floor. Bigger and more muscular than most previous vintages, this full-bodied Pauillac possesses stunning density as well as intensity. Atypically high in alcohol for this property, it requires 5-7 years of cellaring and should age effortlessly for 25-30 years.

This starts out reserved, and then quietly builds in strength, showing velvety tannins, creamy blackberry and blackcurrant hedgerow, full of Pauillac character and tannins but far less forbidding that it was as a young wine. Love how much this has grown into itself over ageing.

Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Duhart-Milon rocks up with upfront notions of baked plums, warm cassis and mulberries plus suggestions of cigar box, sandalwood, dried roses and forest floor. Full-bodied, rich and decadent in the mouth, the palate has a beautiful texture of velvety, fantastically ripe tannins and lovely freshness, finishing very long and very classy.

The 2010 Duhart-Milon has an intense but tightly coiled nose of black fruit laced with cedar and mint. I would have liked to see a little more precision. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and very well judged acidity. There is an appealing sense of symmetry here with fine precision and tension on the finish. Excellent. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.

Pure Cabernet with currants, violets and minerals on then nose. Full and polished with ultra-refined tannins and a wonderful intensity of spices and sweet tobacco.

(73% cabernet sauvignon and 27% merlot) Opaque ruby-purple; this really stains the glass. Intense herbal, cola and coffee notes keep the blackcurrant aroma in check, but I find this nose ultimately lacks grace. Straightforward and austere, with blackberry, cedar and herbal flavors displaying good length. Finishes with a nice peppery kick but this Pauillac currently lacks a little charm and complexity. Perhaps all it needs is a little time.