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Clerc Milon 2009

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Clerc Milon

Label

Tasting Notes

This fat, fleshy, dense purple-colored 2009 exhibits abundant notes of creme de cassis, roasted espresso, chocolate, berry fruit and underling hints of high quality, unsmoked cigar tobacco. Composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and a touch of Carmenere, it reveals plenty of structure and tannin, but the evolved aromatics offer a deceptive view that the wine will be drinkable early on. I do not think this is the case as the tannins kick in once it hits the palate. This seriously endowed, powerful, boisterous, muscular Pauillac should hit its prime between 2017 and 2035.

92
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (199), March 2012

What an amazing nose of lead pencil shavings and dark fruits. Stunning. Full bodied, with super silky tannins and an amazing depth of fruit. Polished and refined. Gorgeous. 50% Cabernet Sauivgnon, 44% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, and 1% Carmaere. Best after 2017

95
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2012

Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2009 Clerc Milon gives up notes of blueberry compote, blackcurrant preserves and prunes with hints of fried herbs, fertile loam and pencil lead. Medium-bodied, firm and taut with a grainy texture and seamless freshness, it has a good core of earth-laced black fruit and an understated finish. Drink 2019-2035.

91
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, March 2019

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Carmenère. Picked 23 Sep - 6 Oct. Deep moody colour. Pretty sumptuous and polished - super-ripe and flattering. Very sweet and rich although, like the other wines from this stable, some slightly rugged tannins. No obvious alcohol but fairly ripe and plush, plus notable acidity. Fine boned with attractive sweetness but no knock-out ingredient X. Rather drying finish, imprecise. Certainly a defiantly more traditional style than some of its peers - odd, or perhaps predictable? - in view of the fact that it used to be criticised for being too New World! Date tasted 1st April 2010. Drink 2018-2030.

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2010

Purple red, fine briary blackcurrant fruit, lots of earthy energy and an herbaceous lift to the naturally sweet density of fruit. Drink 2015-30.

17.5
Steven Spurrier, Decanter.com, April 2010

This is very classic for the appellation with as much smoky and earthy character as ripe cassis. Good concentration and a stunning balance of ripe fruit, fine tannins and a long elegant finish. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)

94
Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com, March 2019
Read more tasting notes...

Despite the fact there is 44% Merlot in this wine (blended with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Carmenere), this is a tannic, structured, backward Clerc Milon, which is atypical for this estate. Perhaps I just caught it at a time when the structure was dominating. It is a deep ruby/purple-hued, concentrated, impressively endowed effort that requires serious cellar age, 4-5 years minimum. It should last for 20-25 years. (Tasted two times.) Drink 2014-2039.

90/92+
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188), April 2010

The 2009 Clerc Milon has great purity on the nose, almost Burgundy-like, with black cherries, cedar, fresh mint and pine cone aromas that gently unfold in the glass. The palate is extremely well balanced, with fine tannin—still a little tight and linear (unlike many 2009s)— but with a very persistent finish. Alongside the 2010, this is an extremely pleasurable, almost lascivious Clerc Milon that is one of the most sensual releases under winemaker Philippe Dhalluin. Tasted April 2017.
Drink Date 2021 - 2040

93
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (231), June 2017

Tasted at the Union de Grand Cru in London and later at Mouton-Rothschild. The Clerc Milon 2009 has a slightly reserved nose at first, taking time to open up, but fresh and lively and driven by the Merlot (44% of the blend.) I would like more expression of its terroir. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy, sappy tannins, quite "thick" in the mouth with a concentrated finish. It is a little brusque at the moment and does not quite contain the harmony of the d'Armailhac, but I am sure it will improve as there is certainly great length. Broody, introspective but fascinating. Long-term Clerc-Milon. Tasted November 2011.

91+
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, December 2011

Tasted at Château Mouton-Rothschild. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere (the first time since 2005.) 12.5% alcohol, a little higher than usual. This has a very lifted nose, very lively, this is a bouquet that wants to party, although it just lacks the refinement that I find in the d'Armailhac. Very minerally, real scents of crushed stones in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, silky smooth tannins, very good fruit intensity with black cherries, boysenberry, black plum and that minerality stretching long at the finish. Superb persistency. The wine is calming down in the glass. Very tight at the moment, it will hopefully blossom after its élevage. Tasted March 2010.

90/92
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, April 2010

Delivers blackberry galore, with fabulous floral and currant undertones. Complex on the nose. Full-bodied, offering chewy tannins and lots of black licorice and currant character. Chewy, but reserved at the same time. A top Clerc. 50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 44 percent Merlot, 4 percent Cabernet Franc, 1 percent Petit Verdot and 1 percent Carmenère.

93/96
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com, March 2010
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.