Chateau Duhart Milon 2018

WEINWISSER: "Sattes Purpur mit opaker Mitte und rubinrotem Rand. Komplexes Bouquet mit frisch gepflückten schwarzen Johannisbeeren, Estragon und dominikanischem Tabak, dahinter erkalteter Waldfrüchtetee und erdige Terroirwürze. Am kraftvollen Gaumen mit weicher Textur und engmaschigem Tanninkorsett, fleischiger Extraktsüße und gut stützender Rasse. Im gebündelten Finale ein Korb mit schwarzen Beeren, dunklem Edelholz und erhabener Adstringenz. Zeigt aktuell (noch) nicht seine ganze Klasse, aber hier ist alles am richtigen Platz – Potentialwertung!"

JAMES SUCKLING: "Sweet berries and cherries on the nose with sweet tobacco, lead pencil and blackcurrants. It’s full-bodied and very rich with layers of fruit and creamy tannins intertwined. Extremely long and creamy. Great Duhart. Try after 2026."

DECANTER: "One of the real successes of the Lafite stable in 2018. You get the rich, smooth texture straight off the nose, continued by a velvety texture and a full mouthfeel. Serious with a long life ahead. This is one of the more voluptuous Duhart-Milons that I have tasted, and will expand the audience for this wine in my opinion. Plenty of black fruits, bitter chocolate, liquorice, slate and pencil lead. Ticks the boxes of both Pauillac and Cabernet Sauvignon character. Very good-quality. 3.84pH and a yield of 37.5hl/ha. Drinking Window 2026 - 2044"

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Deep garnet in color, the wine offers spice, smoke, currants, tobacco leaf and cedar on the nose. With more depth than usual, the wine is round, lush, sweet and fresh, with lusciously textured red fruits in the silky finish. Give it about 5 years in the cellar as this will drink well early. Clearly this is a new era for Duhart Milon. The wine blends 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, 14.5% ABV."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This is a ripe, classic Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine. Its strict initial character blossoms out into rich black-currant flavors that exude class. Backed by acidity and with hints of the wood aging still in place, the wine is just beginning its journey. Drink from 2027."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2018 Duhart-Milon is composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot. With 14% alcohol, it has a deep garnet-purple color and a seductively ripe, opulent nose of plum preserves, blackberry pie and chocolate-covered cherries with hints of spice cake, potpourri, sandalwood and eucalyptus oil. Medium-bodied, it is jam-packed with rich, spicy black fruit preserves, with floral accents and a velvety texture, finishing long and fragrant. So. Good."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Mit feiner Kräuterwürze unterlegte Nuancen von Feigen und reifen Pflaumen, eingelegte Kirschen, etwas Nougat. Saftig, elegant und extraktsüße, runde Tannine, schokoladige Nuancen im Abgang, bereits gut entwickelt und zugänglich, sicheres weiteres Reifepotenzial. (2020–2045)"

JEB DUNNUCK: "I was slightly disappointed in the 2018 Château Duhart-Milon, and while it's certainly a beautiful wine, it's not in the same league as the 2009, as I thought when tasting it from barrel. Nevertheless, it has impressive notes of red and black currants, new leather, tobacco leaf, and lead pencil shavings to go with a medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, elegant style on the palate. It has some up-front appeal, as the tannins are ripe and polished, yet it's going to improve over the coming 4-6 years or so and should hold nicely for 20 years or more."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This is packed with succulent blackberry and black currant fruit, along with mulling spice, sweet tobacco, licorice root and alder notes. Youthfully jumbled, but the pieces are there, the mouthfeel is alluring and the length is there for sure. For the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2036."