Pauillac

Region: France, Pauillac

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot

Tasting notes: Deep, dark, opaque ruby-red colour. Meaty, ripe-fruit dominates the nose. The palate layers ripe mulberry fruit with leafy cassis & meaty notes. The wine combines Duhart-Milion's classic foursquare style with a good concentration of lifted fresh fruit, fine cedar, warming alcohol & lively acidity. The powerful flavours endure well.

Awards

93-95pts, Neal Martin, vinous.com: "The 2019 Duhart-Milon was picked from 18 September to 4 October and raised in 50% new oak. Of course, this comes from one of the coldest terroirs in Pauillac due to the orientation of the vineyard and less proportion of clay, which has become an advantage in warmer growing seasons such as this. The 70% Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the aromatics with dense black fruit, pencil shavings and tobacco aromas, traces of dark chocolate in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with spicy black fruits on the entry. This is quintessential Duhart: a bit broody, conservative in a non-pejorative use of the word, harmonious and quite sturdy towards the finish. I like this. Whilst it has no intention of being the most flamboyant Pauillac on the gravel terrace, it is imbued with nobility. Drink: 2026-2052"

92-94pts, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Advocate: "The 2019 Duhart-Milon is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, harvested from the 19th of September to the 4th of October. Deep garnet-purple in color, it springs from the glass with vivacious notes of plums preserves, black raspberries and blackcurrant pastilles with suggestions of menthol, dark chocolate, pencil lead and woodsmoke plus a touch of garrigue. Medium-bodied, the palate is spritely and refreshing, with bags of juicy, mint-laced black fruits and an approachable, plush texture, finishing long and lively."

95-96pts, James Suckling: "A very balanced, refined Duhart with ever so fine tannins and currant, tobacco and cedar aromas and flavors. Medium to fine tannins. Its extremely long and polished. Direct. You already want to drink this."

94pts, Jane Anson, Decanter.com: "This one might sneak up on you, confirming the rise of this wine in recent years. Clear depth of fruit, and above all clear Pauillac character. This feels strict and confident, with beautiful balance and restraint. Duhart is one of the later-ripening and cooler Pauillac terroirs which is why in the past it could be overly austere when young, but it is benefitting from recent hot summers in terms of its fruit ripeness. Pencil lead is prominent here, along with cassis and bilberry. Very precise, very elegant, with a creaminess to the fruit through the mid palate, and overall this is an excellent Duhart. Drinking window 2026 - 2042"

Region: France, Pauillac

Grape variety: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot & 5% Cabernet Franc

Tasting notes: The deep red colour of this cuvée sets the tone for the tasting: elegance and intensity. Beneath a spicy layer (nutmeg and toasted bread), the equally elegant bouquet unveils sustained, overripe dark and red fruit scents and earthy aromas. After a chewy attack, the ample, rounded structure unfolds, culminating in a long balanced finish. A wine that reveals all the richness of this exceptional terroir.

Region: France, Bordeaux, Pauillac

Grape variety: Cabernet & Malbec

Tasting notes: Opaque ruby and vibrant purple rim. Very restrained aromas hint at red cherry, raspberry and cedar. The palate has excellent concentration and texture. Tannins are firm but beautifully refined. Delicate with a refreshing, vibrant, long finish.

This has a slightly restrained nose at first but it opens up to reveal sumptuous aromas of wild berry fruit, graphite, cassis and plum. A fabulous multi-dimensional texture on the palate fills the mouth and crisp acidity brings perfect balance; great intensity of flavour, exceptional length, and a staggering quality to the abundant tannins; really fine. It is hard to find fault in truth, and worrying to think that we usually find Lafite grows in complexity over the next couple of months, so it will become even better!

Critics’ reviews

Jancis Robinson - 19/20 - jancis robinson.com, Apr 2011: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot. Now, will this be the only time I ever get to see this wine, before it all migrates east? Very intense dark blackish crimson. Lovely Lafite scent – recognisable member of the family with a hint of oyster shells. But some extra breadth, even fat, this year. Hugely ambitious. Dense and quite dry on the end. But with Lafite breed and race. Somehow manages to have real roundness, covering the notable acidity and doubtless tannins which are very difficult to discern. Already a marvel and a pleasure to taste. Lovely, lovely balance.

Robert Parker - 98/100 - Wine Advocate- Feb 2013: The 2010 Lafite Rothschild, a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot (a 3% difference from the barrel sample shown two years ago), achieved relatively high alcohol of 13.32%, according to administrator Charles Chevalier. The wine is very impressive, not as fleshy, flamboyant and massive as the 2009, but nevertheless, a big, rich, full-throttle Lafite-Rothschild meant to age a half century or more. Deep purple, with notes of white chocolate, mocha, cedar and charcoal as well as hints of vanillin and creme de cassis, the wine is full-bodied yet has that ethereal lightness that makes it a Lafite. Rich, with good acidity, precision and freshness, this is a slightly zestier version of the 2009 as well as more restrained and structured than that particular vintage. It will need at least 10-12 years of cellaring and keep for 50+ years.

Region: France, Bordeaux, Pauillac

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Cabernet Franc

Tasting notes: Delivers a pure beam of cassis, raspberry and cherry, with lightly toasted spice notes and a firm plum skin edge holding sway on the finish. Stretched out somewhat already, this seems nicely tuned and has good buried minerality.

Reviews

Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director: 'Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 2011 is outstanding and the second best red wine of the vintage for me, just behind Ch. Latour, and I do mean just! A superb blast of cool and racy Cabernet blackcurrant fruit is at the centre of this divine beast. This does not taste like a 2011 at all, as it has meat on its bones and ripeness, flair and gravitas. There is a super succulent finish that lasts minutes and I really see this as a legend in the making. It reminds me of the brilliant 2006 and it might lead the way of pricing too this year. Come on Mouton, you can do it!'

Wine Advocate 92/100 - Neal Martin - 31/01/2017 - Tasted April 2016: 'Tasted at the Mouton-Rothschild vertical in London, the 2011 Mouton-Rothschild is probably the weakest of the releases between 2008 and 2012, although that would be unfairly disparaging what is a perfectly respectable, if rather unexciting Mouton. Here, it has those graphite and cedar aromas present and correct, the former a little more accentuated and with a light sea-spray note emerging with time. The palate is well balanced with cedar and a slight peat-like note infusing the black fruit, rigid in its youth but nicely delineated. As I discerned out of barrel, what it lacks is that peacock's tail on the finish, bolting out of the exit door before you have really got to know each other.'

Region: France, Bordeaux, Pauillac

Grape variety: 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot & 1% Cabernet Franc

Tasting notes: The wine is deep and dark, with a lustrous purple hue. The intense and elegant nose displays seductively scented blackberry and blackcurrant aromas, combined with floral notes of iris and touches of spice and cedar wood. A luscious, succulent attack leads into a beautifully balanced, fresh and harmonious palate on which bigarreau cherry flavours are enfolded in a structure of sapid, patrician tannins. Sustained by an exquisite minerality, the long, lingering finish releases a succession of spicy fresh fruit notes.

Region: France, Bordeaux, Pauillac

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon 55%, Merlot 36%, Petit Verdot 4% & Cabernet Franc 5%

Region: France, Pauillac

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Petit Verdot

Tasting notes: Deep, darkly pigmented ruby-red colour holds well to the rim. Cassis aromas are overlaid by notes of coffee, toasty oak & graphite. The palate is quite lean & introverted with lively cassis & dark plum complimented by cedary, graphite flavours. The wine is elegant rather than opulent. The wine is of medium to full body & the tannins are not big, but the structure is fine, grainy, cedary & dense. Alcohol is well in balance & the finish is lean & long, combining fresh black-fruit with cedary notes

Region: France, Pauillac

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot

Tasting notes: The fruit character is friendly and accessible, mostly showing blackcurrant and cherry. The palate is held by the tannins, forming a reassuring, solid block which will soften in the short term. This is the epitome of worthy dependability.

Reviews

Wine Advocate87-88/100: “Offering up aromas of minty cassis and blackberries mingled with loamy soil, the 2021 Echo de Lynch-Bages is a medium to full-bodied, lively and charming wine that's nicely balanced, but not especially deep or penetrating.”

Neal Martin, Vinous87-89/100: “The 2021 Echo de Lynch-Bages has a clean and pure bouquet, blackberry and bilberry fruit, a subtle marine/estuarine influence in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins on the entry, moderate weight and depth, gentle grip with a touch of graphite on the finish. It needs to knit together during barrel maturation, and I have little doubt that it will.”

Jane Anson90/100: “A little more angularity to the tannins than the Ormes de Pez, a little more serious overall, very much in the Pauillac spirit. This gets better as it opens, it has good balance and plenty of freshness, 11% new oak, rest one year old.”

Region: France, Pauillac

Grape variety: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot & 5% Cabernet Franc

Tasting notes: The dark colour is adorned with brilliant ruby reflections. The nose reveals a delicate fruit embellished with notes of liquorice and sweet spices. The elegant palate shows a beautiful tannic structure suggesting great potential. The tasting ends with a racy and elegant finish. This wine reveals all the richness of this exceptional terroir.