Chateau Duhart-Milon 2016

The wine was originally known as Chateau Milon and it was originally a second wine to Chateau Lafite. That was early in the 1700s and the owner of the estate was Nicolas-Alexandre de Segur. The Casteja family acquired the property and kept it for many years but starting in 1937, the property went through 5 different owner in 5 years. The Rothschild family acquired the property in 1962. At that time, the estate was 110 hectares but only 17 hectares were planted with vines.

Today Chateau Duhart Milon includes 76 hectares of vines planted to 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot. There is no actual grand building on the estate. The building depicted on the label is known as the "pirate house". Sir Duhart was rumored to be a pirate for Louis XV. The house was in Pauillac Port until the 1950s.

Wine Spectator: 93
This is very vivid, with racy violet, cassis and plum aromas and flavors coursing through, laced with a mouthwatering anise note and leading to a long, focused finish. Displays a terrific iron underpinning. Best from 2024 through 2038. 2,083 cases made.

Wine Advocate: 93
Blended of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot, the 2016 Duhart-Milon has a deep garnet-purple color and features plums preserves, wild blueberries and cassis scents with touches of violets and underbrush with a waft of tobacco. Medium-bodied and elegant, with a backbone of finely grained tannins and oodles of freshness, it has a great core of perfumed black fruit, finishing on an earthy note.

Decanter: 95
I remember how delicious this was at en primeur, and it remains a stately, elongated, perfectly poised Pauillac. It's austere, certainly, but is also full of rich fruit pared down by a slate texture, the sense of minerality scraping along the palate as you approach the blackcurrant leaf and tobacco finish. It's excellent quality, and clearly a vintage that suits the personality of Duhart - juicy but restrained. Matured in 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2024 - 2040.

Decanter: 95

I remember how delicious this was at en primeur, and it remains a stately, elongated, perfectly poised Pauillac. It's austere, certainly, but is also full of rich fruit pared down by a slate texture, the sense of minerality scraping along the palate as you approach the blackcurrant leaf and tobacco finish. It's excellent quality, and clearly a vintage that suits the personality of Duhart - juicy but restrained. Matured in 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2024 - 2040.

Wine Enthusiast: 93
This bottling shows the vastly improved quality of this estate that still represents good value for the appellation and for its provenance as part of the Lafite-Rothschild stable. The wine is structured while full of ripe berry fruits. It has weight and density, rich with swathes of delicious fruits as well as tannins. It will develop well; drink from 2023. Editor’s Choice.

Vinous: 93
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.

Vinous: 93

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.

James Suckling: 95
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.

Jeb Dunnuck: 94
Ranking with the finest vintages of this wine to date, the 2016 Château Duhart Milon shows how successful the Médoc was in 2016. About as pure class as it gets, with full-bodied notes of red and black currants, tobacco leaf, graphite, and leafy herbs, this beauty hits the palate with sweet tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and a layered, deep, powerful texture. It’s about as sexy as Pauillac can be and has 2-3 decades ahead of it.

Jeb Dunnuck: 94

Ranking with the finest vintages of this wine to date, the 2016 Château Duhart Milon shows how successful the Médoc was in 2016. About as pure class as it gets, with full-bodied notes of red and black currants, tobacco leaf, graphite, and leafy herbs, this beauty hits the palate with sweet tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and a layered, deep, powerful texture. It’s about as sexy as Pauillac can be and has 2-3 decades ahead of it.