96pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Dense purple, with classic notes of cedar and lead pencil shavings as well as gobs of back currants and licorice, the wine has a full-bodied mouthfeel with fabulous precision and density. It also possesses a long, silky finish with moderately high tannins, but they are ripe and well-integrated. The wood is clearly pushed to the background in this dense, full-bodied Pauillac, which should drink beautifully for 30+ years.

If you can’t afford Lafite-Rothschild (few can)or even their second wine, Carruades de Lafite, you still have Duhart Milon, which has become a profound wine over the last 5-7 years due to the extensive amount of attention and investment the Rothschilds have pumped into this estate. This blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot is fabulous, a dead ringer for Lafite in a great vintage. (It is probably better than many of the Lafites of the 1960s and 1970s, and even some of the vintages in the 1980s.) 

94pts Jeb Dunnuck

Like a lot of 2010s, the 2010 Duhart-Milon-Rothschild is tight and backward, yet has serious potential. Sporting a deep ruby/purple color and classic notes of currants, lead pencil shavings, cedarwood and saddle leather, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a tight, firm focused texture and beautiful concentration. Its tannins are present, yet ripe and integrated, and it has the purity and freshness that’s the hallmark of this great, great vintage. Give bottles another 2-3 years and it should keep for two to three decades.

93pts Wine Enthusiast

Juicy black currant fruit mingles with bright acidity and dark-chocolate tannins. This often overlooked château, with the same production team as Lafite-Rothschild, has an intense and concentrated 2010, balanced superbly between firmness and fruitiness.

93pts James Suckling

A wine with an intense sous bois, fresh tobacco and dried flower character on the nose and palate. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and an attractive finish. It's structured yet polished with a beauty and stature. Try in 2015.

91pts Wine Spectator

Well-polished, with sleek edges to the fleshy plum, cassis and blackberry fruit, while the finish is embedded with black licorice and violet notes. Approachable now, but the stuffing is there to cellar this for a bit. Drink now through 2025.

Winemaker Notes

Chateau Duhart-Milon-Rothschild is a delicate wine. The initially supple tannins gradually become more powerful. It is well-structured on the palate with good density and has a precise, fairly full-bodied finish.

Blend: 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot

Winery Notes

In the early 18th century, Pauillac began widespread grape cultivation at the urging of the Lafite lords. The Milon wines served as additional income for Lafite’s master, and became Château Lafite’s second wine. The 1855 classification recognized the quality of Duhart-Milon’s soil by ranking it as the only 4th growth wine in Pauillac. Between 1830 and 1840, the Castéja family was left an inheritance by both Mandavy and the Duhart widow (35 acres). The family thus possessed a 99 acre vineyard that was named Duhart- Milon. The property changed ownership many times over the years and suffered a decline in the quality of its’ wines. The property was named after the Sieur of Duhart, gun-runner to Louis XIV, who originally owned the property, and from the name of the little hamlet of Milon which separates the Duhart-Milon vineyard from Château Lafite.