Medium deep colour. Fresh raspberry, cassis inky aromas with graphite notes. Expressive and vibrant palate with pure cassis graphite flavours, fine grainy tannins and underlying savoury roasted almond oak nuances. Finishes firm with persistent oure fruits. A very elegant and classis Pauillac style with impressive balance and proportion. Tasted at Ch Lafite Rothschild.
95 points
67% Cabernet Sauvignon picked from 3 to 12 October, 33% Merlot picked 26 to 29 September. Dark glowing crimson. Black pepper and intensity on the nose. Bone dry and enormous energy and savour. Real elegance and some majesty. Neat and well balanced. Bravo! Very much speaks of the vintage with its freshness and intensity.
17+/20 points
The 2016 Duhart-Milon-Rothschild is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot picked between 26 September and 12 October with around 13.3% alcohol, slightly higher than in 2015 that suffered a little dilution. The bouquet is tightly wound with blackberry, cigar box and sous-bois aromas that gently unfold in the glass. This is classic, conservative Duhart-Milon. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, a crisp line of acidity, just a touch of black pepper enlivening the black fruit. Overall, this represents in some ways a return to the slightly more austere style of Duhart-Milon, yet there is perhaps now more approachability and certainly plenty of freshness. For me, this is a step up from the 2015 and it comes recommended.
92-94 points
A firm and silky young red with a medium to full body and lovely chocolate, cedar and currant character. Flavorful finish. One of the best in a very long time.
94-95 points
"The 2016 Duhart-Milon has a pure, well-defined bouquet of blackberry, briar and crushed stone aromas, all very focused and penetrating. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin and perhaps more approachable than the Duharts of the past, more malleable in the mouth. Quite rich in style considering the property in question, yet there is wonderful salinity toward the caressing finish. Excellent. 13% alcohol. 2022-2045"
93 Points, Vinous
"Enticing aromas of crushed berries, blackcurrants, sweet tobacco, hot stones and licorice follow through to a full body, chewy and dusty tannins and a long, flavorful finish. A juicy and savory young 2016. Try after 2024."
95 Points, JamesSuckling.com
'The 2016 Duhart-Milon is absolutely gorgeous. I am pleasantly surprised to see how much textural and weight the 2016 has gained over the course of its aging. Dark, ample and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2016 is positively striking. Black cherry, chocolate, cacao, licorice and new leather fill out the wine's ample frame effortlessly. The 2016 is an especially brooding Duhart that needs cellaring. Even so, it is impressive today. 2022-2046'
93 Points, Antonio Galloni
Pauillac is Bordeaux’s most acclaimed appellation, the only one with three Premier Cru properties: Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Mouton-Rothschild and Château Latour. These and other Pauillac chateaux produce robust, full-flavored and long-lived red wines made from Cabernet-based blends. Though winemaking techniques and microclimates vary throughout Pauillac, producing some variations in style, classic Pauillac wines have juicy flavours of blackcurrant and cedar, often with coffee, chocolate and graphite notes. Pauillac, part of the Médoc region on Bordeaux’s Left Bank, has gravelly and well-drained soils that force vines to grow long and strong roots. Struggling a bit for water, the vines produce grapes with high tannins and concentrated juices. Nearby rivers and the Atlantic Ocean modulate temperatures, preventing the grapes from ripening too quickly. Such grapes make powerful wines that may age and improve for decades. However, in Pauillac, as in other old-world wine regions, some winemakers are working to develop softer red wines that maintain the local wines’ traditional substance and flavours, but are more approachable immediately upon release.
