Château Duhart-Milon 2011

Lafite Rothschild's Pauillac sibling, in a mature, drink-now vintage — fourth-growth pedigree at a fraction of the family flagship.

Château Duhart-Milon is owned and farmed by Domaines Barons de Rothschild — the Lafite team — and its vines once served as the source for Lafite's own second wine. The only fourth-growth in Pauillac, it carries the house's fingerprints: cedar, cassis and quiet structure. The 2011 has had over a decade to settle and is drinking in its sweet spot now.

Rothschild farming and a mature bottle you can pour tonight rarely come cheap. Falstaff scored the 2011 a 92 → the Lafite name on the same estate's flagship runs into the thousands → at $150.99 this is Rothschild-farmed classed-growth Pauillac with the cellaring already done.

• Cabernet Sauvignon-led Pauillac blend with Merlot
• Fourth Growth — the only one in Pauillac; farmed by the Lafite Rothschild team
• Once the source of Château Lafite's second wine
• Mature 2011, drinking in its window now

"Ripe plums, a hint of figs and nougat… juicy, ripe and balanced, developed tannins, chocolatey on the finish." — Falstaff. Translation: a softened, secondary Pauillac with cedar and dark berries, resolved tannins, and cocoa on the close.

The Rothschild touch, the only fourth-growth in Pauillac, and the patience already spent for you. This is how you drink classed-growth Bordeaux tonight rather than a decade from now.