Talk about value, the 2009 Duhart-Milon is straight up sensational stuff. Made from 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot, it gives up classic notes of blackcurrants, pencil shavings, saddle leather and smoked herbs, it’s full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with fine tannin, impeccable balance and a great, great finish. It’s a heavenly bottle of wine that will compete with the best out there. Buy this wine!

A blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot it displays an inky/blue/purple color as well as a big sweet nose of creme de cassis forest floor licorice lead pencil cedar and subtle barrique smells. Viscous and full-bodied it is the most concentrated and broadest example of this cuvee I have tasted in over three decades. It will be ready to drink in 5-7 years and should last for three decades or more. Consumers looking to maximize value should be checking out Duhart Milon as this may be the single smartest purchase in this great and historic vintage! Since few consumers other than Chinese billionaires can afford wines such as Lafite Rothschild perhaps it is time for readers to take a look at Duhart Milon which sells for less than Lafite's second wine. The Rothschilds have invested heavily in resurrecting this property to near super-star status and the 2009 appears to be the finest Duhart I have ever tasted.

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. To the astonishment of our group of experienced palates, the Duhart-Milon '09 took on all-comers under blind conditions and triumphed. I always regarded it as a fantastic Pauillac but this good? I mean ... it received a higher average group score than almost every Grand Vin. It has a very intense bouquet with blackberry, mulberry, quince and a touch of dried flowers picked from down in Margaux. There is a slight meaty tincture suggesting some Cabernet Franc? The palate is medium-bodied but with superb fruit concentration. Again, there is a beguiling sense of precision and harmony that lends the finish weightlessness and poise. This is an effortless wine and a benchmark Duhart. Bravo! Tasted January 2013.

This is a particularly interesting 1855 story, because the estate was owned by the Casteja family of merchants at the time of the classification, and would remain with them until 1937 (it would change hands five times until the Rothschilds arrived in 1962).Over time part of the estate was split off by the Castéjas, and it now forms Château Haut-Bages Monpélou, explaining why it's such an insider Pauillac to know about. Anyway, back to Duhart-Milon, and this is a brilliant 2009, luscious and generous, harnessing the joy of this vintage, and delivering it with classid graphite, crayon and mint leaf Pauillac character. 50% new oak, Philippe Dhalluin director.

Elegant, floral, fresh, and refined, the wine is medium-bodied, almost supple, soft, and energetic in its delivery of its core of sweet, ripe, wealth of red fruits and spice. Just entering its drinking window, it is in a good place to pop a cork today. Drink from 2023-2045.

63% Cabernet Sauvignon 37% Merlot. This is a much more traditionally styled wine from the blockbuster 2009 vintage. On the nose a lovely perfume that is more floral earth and mineral driven rather than fruit laden. This wine is bright and framed well by its noticeable but balanced acidity.

This takes a fleshy, rather toasty approach, showing roasted plum and black currant fruit, with a smoked mesquite note on the loam-tinged finish. There's more breadth than depth, but this has the latent minerality to last a long time in the cellar. Best from 2015 through 2027. — JM