| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Like Armailhac, this Pauillac is made by the Mouton Rothschild team. Always a serious wine, it has been much improved in recent vintages and usually represents good value for money.
The 2016 Clerc-Milon has a crisp, graphite-infused bouquet of well-defined black fruit, hints of peony and iris petals showing underneath. The classic palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, well-judged acidity and just the right amount of austerity toward a finish that has a bitter edge. Excellent (and less "aloof" than I found 12 months earlier). Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting. 2021 - 2036
Hot crushed stones and dark berries jump out of the glass. Full body, very dense fruit and powerful tannins, yet it remains agile and bright with beauty and energy. So muscular and toned. Truly outstanding Clerc for the future. Unwavering nature to this. Try after 2024.
The 2016 Clerc Milon is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Carmenere. Deep garnet in color with a hint of purple, it flies from the glass with notes of crème de cassis, preserved plums, and chocolate-covered cherries, plus hints of star anise, truffles, and fertile loam. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is chock-full of ripe, rich black fruits, supported by fine-grained tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing with great length and purity.
An estate that has been making great leaps forward over recent years, and once again we have a gorgeous Clerc on our hands. This is extremely succulent, with aromatic complexity and a freshness that just bursts out of the glass. Things start off closed for the first minute or so, then the juice comes rushing through. The mid-palate is smooth and polished but also bursting with energy. This is quite clearly one of their best ever wines, ripped through with sweet cherry and wild blackberry fruit, tightened up by slate and cedar. 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere (some of the oldest plantings of this grape in Bordeaux).
Tasted blind. Quite lean and refined. A thoroughbred? But a certain green streak runs through it. For purists.
Drink 2025 – 2035
Like Armailhac, this Pauillac is made by the Mouton Rothschild team. Always a serious wine, it has been much improved in recent vintages and usually represents good value for money. A fleshy Pauillac with less Caberent Sauvignon than most. The 2016 is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere. Juicy with good intensity of black cherry and cassis fruit. Refined and silky in texture, this is very pure and focused on the palate with cassis fruit and light toasty notes lingering on the finish. Well made, but perhaps lacking an edge of complexity.
I was able to taste the 2016 Château Clerc Milon on multiple occasions and it was always brilliant, showing a deep ruby/purple color as well as sexy aromas and flavors of crème de cassis, new saddle leather, spicy oak, and graphite. Deep, powerful and beautifully concentrated, it’s a rock star of a Pauillac that’s going to keep for 30 years or more. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Carménère, all aged 16 months in 50% new French oak. 2019 - 2049.
The nose has a mix of fruits quite fragrant and fresh the fruit on the palate is ripe mid suppleness and flesh. Integrated tannins the back palate has richness sweet fruit but there is enough underlying freshness to balance and brighten. 2026-41
Very different from but just as enjoyable as the richer, smoother 2015, this is a very impressive Clerc-Milon showing more freshness and precision. Bright and aromatic, with cut grass and black fruit notes, granular tannins and deftly integrated oak. 2022-30
The 2016 Clerc-Milon has a tightly knit bouquet of blackberry, raspberry and light floral scents, very similar to its sibling, d’Armailhac. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin. Initially it displays crisp acidity and feels quite fleshy, but it firms up and finishes persistent but linear and a little aloof. I personally find that appealing, and I suspect this Pauillac will blossom after several years in bottle. Drink 2021-2036
The 2016 Clerc Milon is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere (the latter vinification intégrale, so that it includes 50% of the stems, and Philippe Dhalluin said he was pleased with the results). It has a very pure bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit, a touch of cedar and ash in the background. It takes time to really unfold in the glass. The palate is adorable: svelte tannin, beautifully pitched acidity, great depth with a silky smooth finish that just caresses the mouth. There is a little tightness here compared to the more expressive 2016 d'Armailhac, but I have no doubt that it will turn into a top-flight Clerc-Milon. Drink 2023 - 2050.
Refined and ultra-fine with a linear and polished character. Full-bodied, yet tight and racy. A classy and sophisticated young wine.
The Cabernet Franc was fantastic this year, so it was all used in the grand vin. The final blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Clerc Milon leaps from the glass with beautiful scents of chocolate-covered cherries, plum preserves and crushed blackcurrants with suggestions of lilacs, cardamom, underbrush and unsmoked cigars. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a firm frame of finely grained tannins and seamless freshness lifting the perfumed fruit to a nice long finish. Drink 2021-2044.
Real aromatic lift. Calm, collected, lovely 'minerality'. Completely pure. Fully ripe but not a trace of sweetness. So cool!
Drink 2025-2043
