2017 Duhart-Milon, Pauillac

A brilliantly elegant, suave Duhart, one of the successes of the appellation for me. This is a classically structured Duhart, a wine that is not overly exuberant but that has a sense of direction and balance, and is well held together. There's a very attractive quality to the tannins, joined by dark bilberry fruits that gain weight through the palate. It doesn't quite have the dense concentration and richness of 2016, but that was an exceptional vintage. This is a wine that I look forward to following as it ages. Around 5% frost on the northwest corner, affecting the Merlot for the second wine (not tasted). But overall the vintage was so early that even though the September rains probably brought alcohol levels down a touch, they did not unduly worry as the fruit was already ripe enough. 3.75pH. 50% new oak. 38hl/ha yield. Drinking Window 2026 - 2038 (JA)

We were treated to a stunning sample of Duhart at Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. It was one of those moments that everyone looked around the table to make sure we had the right glass. It reached an aromatic complexity that was rare in 2017, with aromas of wild black fruit, a touch of vanilla, and sage. Silky, balanced, and clean on the palate there was amble sweet plum, black currant, and blue fruit. Good acid and well-judged tannin completed an impressive finish. Time will tell if this continues to be as dynamic as our one sample, but it is one to keep an eye on. Drink on release and for the following fifteen years.