2003 Château Duhart-Milon-Rothschild

Château Duhart-Milon Rothschild has been owned by the Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) since 1962. The estate is a Fourth Growth of the Pauillac appellation, and it includes 185 acres. When the famous Rothschild family bought the estate the vineyards were in poor shape, making it necessary to replant. Therefore the vines are somewhat young for a classified estate. Nevertheless for several decades the wines have, according to Robert M. Parker Jr., been “very good and occasionally outstanding. The style veers toward the balanced elegance and finesse school of winemaking exemplified by the estate’s bigger sister, Lafite Rothschild.” The vineyards are 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. About 280,000 bottles are produced annually.

Pauillac is Bordeaux’s most famous appellation, thanks to the fact that it is home to three of the region’s fabled first-growth châteaux, Lafite-Rothschild, Mouton-Rothschild and Latour. Perched on the left bank of the Gironde River north of the city of Bordeaux, Pauillac is centered around the commune of Pauillac and includes about 3,000 acres of vineyards. The Bordeaux classification of 1855 named 18 classified growths, including the three above mentioned First Growths. Cabernet Sauvignon is the principal grape grown, followed by Merlot. The soil is mostly sandy gravel mixed with marl and iron. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “the textbook Pauillac would tend to have a rich, full-bodied texture, a distinctive bouquet of black currants, licorice and cedary scents, and excellent aging potential.”