The 2007 Château Duhart-Milon shows a dark ruby color with sweet black currant, cedar, and roasted herbs on the nose. The palate is round, hedonistic, and already complex with flavors of chocolate, though the oak influences dampen the underlying energy. It has a smooth texture, but the finish shows a slight bitterness. Drinking well now, this wine should continue to evolve over the next 12-15 years.

The Wine Advocate | RP 90
Published: Apr 27, 2010
Drink: 2010-2025

Showing better than it did from cask, this soft, generous, dark ruby/purple-tinged 2007 exhibits sweet black currant fruit intermixed with cedar, roasted herbs, and subtle smoke. Round, hedonistic, and already complex, this blend of 73.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26.5% Merlot should drink well for 12-15 years. 

Jancisrobinson.com | JR 16
Published: Nov 23, 2011
Drink: 2012-2018

Sweet oaky spice and leafy cassis. Then chocolatey on the palate. Very smooth, though the underlying energy seems a little dampened by the oak at the moment. Still some grip on the finish. 

Lafite.com

The vintage
Plentiful rain during the winter replenished the groundwater levels and the end of the cold damp winter was marked by very early budburst. The temperatures in March and April were quite high, which was good for growth. From then until August the weather was grey and mild, without extremes. Luckily the weather in September was good and settled which allowed the grapes to ripen well in calm conditions. Complete ripening for the sugar, tannins and skins was only achieved 125 days after flowering – a vegetative cycle longer than usual in a year with 13 lunar cycles.
Harvesting took place from 25 September to 2 October for the Merlot and from 3 to 10 October for the Cabernet Sauvignon.

Location
Pauillac is located on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, approximately 40km north of Bordeaux. With the tempering influence of the estuary and a great diversity of soils originating from both the Massif Central and the Pyrenees, Pauillac boasts exceptional climate and geological conditions for the production of outstanding wines.

Terroir
Château Duhart-Milon’s vineyard consists of a single block of vines adjacent to Château Lafite Rothschild, on the hillside to the west of the Carruades plateau. The property has 76 hectares of vines. The soil consists of fine gravel mixed with aeolian sand on a tertiary limestone

Winemaking
Château Duhart-Milon is made according to traditional Bordeaux methods. The grapes are carefully sorted and placed in concrete or stainless-steel vats depending on their provenance for alcoholic fermentation. Gentle pumping over is carried out during fermentation to optimize extraction. Total maceration time is about 20 days before racking. Following this rigorous selection, the wine is blended and transferred to oak barrels (50% new).
Once the wines have undergone malolactic fermentation, they are transferred to French oak barrels made by the Tonnellerie des Domaines in Pauillac. Each barrel is tasted individually in December in order to determine which ones will be selected for the grand vin.

Grapes
73 % Cabernet sauvignon
27 % Merlot

Tasting
Somewhat closed on the nose. First impression on the palate is fairly round, floral and flattering, then becoming tighter and denser. Fairly long finish with a hint of bitterness.