| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This classed growth Pauillac has been made by the Mouton Rothschild team since its purchase by the late Baron Philippe in 1970. The vineyards sit in the north east sector of the Pauillac appellation. Always a serious wine, it has been much improved in recent vintages. The vineyard is planted with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère.
Aromas of dark berries, cigar wrapper, exotic spices and burning embers introduce the 2020 Clerc Milon, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered wine that's seamless, concentrated and refined, with lively acids and a long, saline, violet-inflected finish. A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and the balance Petit Verdot, it's a terrific effort from this clay-limestone terroir that has benefited from so much investment in recent years. 2027 - 2055
Blackcurrants, black licorice, violets and lavender. Aromatic and perfumed. Full- to medium-bodied with tension and focus, and very fine, linear tannins that run the length of the wine. Starting to close now. Serious Clerc. Better after 2029.
Made from 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36.5% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, and 0.5% Carmenere, the 2020 Clerc Milon is deep garnet-purple in color. Quite shut down on the nose, it offers glimpses at notes of black and red cherries, blackcurrant jelly, and forest floor, with suggestions of charcoal and bay leaves. The medium-bodied palate is soft and refreshing, with delicate red and black fruit layers and a lifted finish.
Opulent damson and spiced chocolate, graphite, fresh acidities, crushed mint leaf and eucalputus, restrained but vibrant precision. This is well structured, extends outwards and upwards, showing chewy tannins with grip. Harvest September 9 to 29. New director Caroline Artaud arrived for the harvest in this year, and has overseen a hugely successful wine, 60% new oak.
The 2020 is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The wine will be aged in 50% new French oak for 18 months. Deep ruby colour. Ripe cherry, toasted spices, baked vanilla and fresh blackcurrant on the nose. The palate is slick and polished, black fruit intertwining with fresher red cherry. The tannins are ripe but chewy, offering ample structure. There is some cedar and tobacco on the finish, adding savoury complexity.
53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. First vintage for Caroline Artaud (ex Fourcas-Hosten). Cask sample.
Dense and profound with layers of fruit and tannin. Subdued nose with a floral note. Tannins powdery but very finely layered. Exudes power but is harmonious at the same time. (JL) 13.3%
Drink 2027 – 2045
(53% CS, 37% M, 8% CF, 2% PV; 13.3% ABV; 55% new)
Floral, perfumed, refined, subtly mineral nose; rich, restrained, concentrated medium-weight, with a very fresh acidity and superfine tannin—lovely balance; fine depth of sweet blackcurrant Cabernet flavor, long and close-grained—so sweet and so fresh at once—long, gently resonant, subtly gravelly in aroma, with great length across the palate and on the finish. Graceful, gently fleshy wine, linear all the time and restrained, but so complete. This will be very rewarding when mature! 2030–50+.
This is very full and layered with lots of blackcurrant and walnut and hints of spice. It’s full-bodied and chewy, yet the tannins are polished and energetic.
The 2020 Clerc Milon - a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot with just a splash of Carmenere - has a deep garnet-purple color, opening with notes of tar, unsmoked cigars, bouquet garni and graphite, giving way to a core of ripe black and red currants, boysenberries and tree bark, plus a touch of black olives. The medium-bodied palate delivers fantastic tension and impressively ripe, fine-grained tannins to support the crunchy, energetic black fruit flavors, finishing with a lively herbal lift. 2025 - 2040
Powerful, a little austere with tight black fruits that will benefit from adding flesh over ageing, as the tannins are a little angular right now. The freshly crushed mint leaf finish is beautiful, and this is is ripped with powerful nuanced fruit, tobacco and earthy flavours, followed by waves of violet flowers. Good quality, not as exuberant as some years of Clerc Milon. First year of Caroline Artaud to oversee the entire vintage, as Jean-Philippe Danjoy has headed over to Mouton. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 50% new oak. There is also 0.6% of Carmanère in the blend.
Drinking Window 2028 - 2044
