Ranking with the finest vintages of this wine to date, the 2016 Château Duhart Milon shows how successful the Médoc was in 2016. About as pure class as it gets, with full-bodied notes of red and black currants, tobacco leaf, graphite, and leafy herbs, this beauty hits the palate with sweet tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and a layered, deep, powerful texture. It's about as sexy as Pauillac can be and has 2-3 decades ahead of it.

This is very vivid, with racy violet, cassis and plum aromas and flavors coursing through, laced with a mouthwatering anise note and leading to a long, focused finish. Displays a terrific iron underpinning. Best from 2024 through 2038. 22,083 cases made.

This bottling shows the vastly improved quality of this estate that still represents good value for the appellation and for its provenance as part of the Lafite-Rothschild stable. The wine is structured while full of ripe berry fruits. It has weight and density, rich with swathes of delicious fruits as well as tannins. It will develop well; drink from 2023.

The 2016 Duhart-Milon has an unusually opulent bouquet for a Pauillac, offering blackberry, raspberry coulis, sage and light cedar aromas. The medium-bodied palate offers fine tannins and well-judged acidity, though overall it comes across a little conservative and does not quite deliver the flair and finesse of the appellation's top crus. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.