At Duhart-Milon, the ideal moment to start harvesting our Merlot planted on gravelly soil arrived on 19 September. Those growing on clay were ready a little later. Once again this year, there was excellent complementarity between the Merlot grapes from the gravel plots (riper) and those from the clay plots (fresher and later ripening). This enabled us to obtain plenty of maturity for this grape variety, which accounts for a third of the blend, while at the same time preserving the freshness of the fruit. Our Cabernet Sauvignon vines seemed to be better prepared for the heat this year; the ripening process was not checked in July despite the heatwave, and there was then a progressive evolution of the berries during the more temperate weather in August. A little rain in mid-September was very beneficial for the end of ripening stage on Duhart-Milon’s gravelly soil, which is more arid than the Lafite plateau.

On the eve of the celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the acquisition of Château Lafite by the Rothschild family, our teams faced major challenges due to the capricious weather conditions. From December to July, unremitting rain increased the risk of mildew and hail. The summer only really started in mid-July with very high, sometimes extreme heat, which helped to restore the vines’ health and set us on the path to a great vintage. Compared to Lafite, Duhart-Milon’s terroir proved to be drier in 2018 for the Cabernet Sauvignon, but the Merlot terroir is more clayey, resulting in two different responses to the weather conditions. The Cabernet Sauvignon suffered from a lack of water over the summer, but some rain on 28th August and 5th September helped to restore the grapes’ balance and for them to ripen correctly. The Merlot’s more clayey terroir proved to be particularly well suited to the vintage, enabling some of the finest Merlot ever seen at Duhart to be obtained: a promising result for our Grand Vin, which always contains a considerable proportion of Merlot.

After a fairly mild winter, there were two nights of severe frost in the spring, on 26 and 27 April, which caused major damage to Bordeaux’s vineyards. Five hectares were affected among the colder parts of Duhart-Milon’s vineyard. Conditions then became excellent, with higher than usual temperatures, and balanced, well-spaced rainfall. Flowering was early, and by mid-June the fruit had set almost two weeks earlier than usual. After some heavy rain at the end of June, temperatures remained lower than normal throughout the summer, without ever becoming cold. This meant that the vines gradually returned to a normal calendar, and ripening was able to take place slowly in ideal conditions until mid-September, when the harvests began. A rainy spell, from 10 to 20 September disrupted the otherwise perfect weather, causing more concern than actual damage. Over the course of a conventional 20-day fermentation and maceration period, the wines quickly confirmed their potential and fairly traditional character.

2016 was characterized in Bordeaux by a very uniform climate, resulting in a good quality vintage for the entire region. Bud break occurred around the normal time, although the spring was rather rainy and cold. June was particularly overcast and cool, but flowering nevertheless took place in good conditions. The summer was hot and very dry, almost too dry at the beginning of September, with ripening becoming hindered in some cases. Thanks to its rather cold, late-ripening terroir, Duhart-Milon coped perfectly with this period of water stress, until the very welcome rain in mid-September. From this point onwards it was plain sailing, and the grapes finished ripening in optimal conditions.

A recurring phenomenon in recent years, the beginning of the winter was mild and dry, and it was only at the end of January that beneficial colder temperatures arrived, accompanied by rain. Bud break began in early April as usual, and the vines then grew quickly, as they had ample reserves of water and the weather was mild. In June, flowering was early and uniform, which is always a promising sign.
The influence of the Atlantic ocean and the Gironde estuary helped to reduce the effect of a somewhat hot summer with high temperatures. Water stress was high, but rain in August brought the freshness required for the grapes to change colour and then to ripen perfectly. Conditions were ideal during the harvests, enabling us to obtain optimal ripeness for each plot.

Significant rainfall from November to February restored groundwater reserves, which had already been substantially replenished by average or higher than average rain in 2012 and 2013.
Temperatures remained above normal and the vines missed the hearty winter frosts; what we really wanted were about two weeks of crisp mornings with beautiful sunshine, dry cold and no wind. But you cannot control nature! Bud break was early, followed by uniform flowering during the first week of June, spurred on by a rise in temperatures.
As always, the impact of the weather on the vineyard was our primary concern, and our teams worked throughout the year to ensure that the grapes reach maturity in perfect health. The onset of ripening occurred over two periods, first in late July and then again after 15 August, creating differences in the ripeness of the bunches on the same vine.
Some “juggling” was therefore necessary when it came to the harvests, in order to make the best choices; the pickers and sorters were under strict orders to only keep the very best quality red grapes, suited to the production our Pauillac grand vins.

The very wet, cold winter resulted in work in the vineyard being considerably delayed; bud break was late, and flowering was three weeks later than the average for the last 50 years; the changeable weather resulted in some flower abortion and uneven grape size, and therefore in lower potential yields than usual. Then at the end of June, the weather suddenly changed, and it was if we were in the middle of the summer with no transitional period; there were however several localized storms (on 27 July and 2 August, depending on location).

The situation became somewhat challenging from 15 September: there was rain, sun and a long wait for the grapes to fully ripen, even though they had partially caught up from the late start; things then became more delicate at the end of September, when it became clear there was a risk of “explosive” growth of botrytis! It was like a race with no time to warm up, and we had to find all the pickers we could to go as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the sorting teams were very efficient despite the difficult harvest. The usual picking sequence for the red wine grapes had to be adjusted in order to minimize the impact of the botrytis and to take into account the potential to make the first or second wine.

2012 was characterized by difficult weather conditions in the Bordeaux region. After a relatively mild winter, the spring was mostly wet and rainy, especially April, which brought a violent hail storm on the 24th. Such conditions hampered fertilization, leading to fears of reduced yields. Work in the vineyard was as vital as ever.
June and July alternated heat and humidity. The weather became more stable from the beginning of August, enabling the grapes to finish ripening in good conditions.
Nevertheless, there was considerable variation in their degrees of ripeness and a great deal of sorting work was carried out by our teams from the end September.

The weather conditions were somewhat unusual this year and required all of our technical teams’ vigilance and expertise.
Spring and summer changed places: spring was exceptionally hot and dry, resulting in an acceleration of the growth cycle, and then the summer saw less sunshine than usual in July, and a wetter than average August. Finally, just as we were getting ready to harvest, a huge hail storm in the north of Pauillac and Saint Estèphe on 1 September obliged us to reorganize the schedules. The plots that had been affected had to be picked first; fortunately, as a result of the conditions, the grapes had ripened early, and quality was not compromised.

The vineyard cycle began with a cold, relatively wet winter, resulting in a slightly later bud-break than in 2009, in mid-April. Growth was then boosted by dry, sunny weather in April. May and June were characterized by alternating periods of rain and sunshine. June began with a cold spell that complicated the flowering of the Merlot, resulting in flower abortion and uneven grape size.
Fortunately, July was very dry (less than 20 mm of rain) with relatively high temperatures, which helped the vines to catch up from the delays caused during flowering. August and September were very dry, with beautiful daytime temperatures and cool nights creating ideal conditions for the grapes to slowly reach optimal ripeness.

The beginning of the growth cycle was a tricky period due to a rather warm, very wet spring. The team had to be particularly vigilant in order to protect the vines.
Fine, stable weather returned in June and continued throughout the summer. In fact conditions became drought like, interspersed in July, August and September with welcome periods of light rain. Plenty of sunshine, with temperatures that were high without becoming scorching, and fairly cool nights enabled slow ripening that pushed the start of the harvests back to the end of September. Exceptionally favourable weather conditions, crowned by harvests in the sun, made for a vintage that is certain to be outstanding.

The growing season was closely monitored, coming after a severe winter and some spring frost. Flowering was not very productive, constant humidity favoured disease and the summer was moderately warm. Fortunately, September was fine and so it was possible to wait for the grapes to fully ripen, with late harvests.

Plentiful rain during the winter replenished the groundwater levels and the end of the cold damp winter was marked by a very early bud break. The temperatures in March and April were quite high which was good for growth. From then until August the weather was grey and mild without extremes. Luckily the weather in September was good and settled which allowed the grapes to ripen well in calm conditions. Complete ripening for the sugar
tannins and skins was only achieved 125 days after flowering – a longer than usual growth season in a year with 13 lunar cycles.

The climate was full of contrasts with a cold wet winter, a fine spring and a summer with alternating hot and cool periods until a stormy period in mid-September. Meticulous attention was needed to produce healthy and ripe grapes.

2005 was the fourth consecutive year to have a deficit in rainfall, but the drought began very early, at the end of May, which allowed the vines to adapt by reducing their leaf area. The very hot weather in June and July gave way to progressively cooler weather in August and the cool nights allowed good acidity levels to be maintained, resulting in slow, steady ripening. A year of atypical weather but in the end ideal for the production of healthy, very ripe grapes with wonderful freshness.

After a rainy winter and a cold spring, June and July were dry and warm. August was mild and in September the weather was good without being very warm, which led to slow ripening and the harvest dates being pushed back to the end of September. Those who had the patience to wait were rewarded.

There was very little rain from October to September. Despite these conditions the soil remained relatively cool and the vines did not suffer from the lack of water. The vintage’s character was determined by the excessive heat. Temperatures during the first half of August were truly exceptionally (above 40°C). 

 After a dry, warm winter, bud break was early but was followed by cold, wet weather during flowering, leading to some problems with flower abortion and uneven grape size. Fortunately, the rather cold July and August were followed by a superb September: dry, hot and sunny during the day, and cool with a north-east wind in the night.

2001’s weather was surprising in it resulted in an unusually long growing season, which pushed the harvests back to October, despite a normal flowering period.

So we had to be particularly patient this year and carefully check the ripeness of the grapes on the sorting tables.

Fine weather made this a very good year. A sunny harvest provided the finishing touch to an early vintage, that was well-balanced in terms of both temperature and rainfall. 

Rain during the harvests worried the winegrowers, and cast a cloud over a year during which their technical skill had triumphed over the threat of mildew. The bolstering of our harvesting team made a “blitz” harvest possible, which allowed us to preserve what we had worked for. 

Optimal temperature and flowering conditions made this a fine vintage. Only light rains disturbed the harvest, fortunately causing no damage.