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.