2016 Clerc-Milon, Pauillac

Pre-Arrival

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$74.99

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Decanter

Reviewed October 2018

Always more muscular and powerful than Armailhac, there's no surprise that this has closed down more than its sibling. The complexity of the layers are still on display, showcasing fresh menthol, cranberry, white pepper, black olive, rose and blackberry, all wrapped up in a tight tannic hold. There are some wonderful toasted caramel notes, subdued but rich and tight, waiting to show their exuberance on the finish. There's no doubt that this is as good as I thought en primeur, but it needs time to open up, and I would suggest the full 10 years. 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere finish up the blend. Drinking Window 2026 - 2042 (JA)

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Professional Reviews

James Suckling

Review Date: 02/2019

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.

Jeb Dunnuck

Review Date: 02/2019

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.

Wine Advocate

Review Date: 11/2018

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. (LPB) 94+

Staff Reviews

Gary Westby

We tasted this at our Mouton staff seminar with Mr. Florent Fresse and it was an exceptional treat. This wine exuded classy, dark, concentrated fruit as well as charming leather and smooth tannin. The finish of this wine was very impressive, and it was expansive as well as long. This property faces the Gironde directly, and is bordered by Mouton and Lafite. One could not ask for a better address! Clerc-Milon is home to the biggest plot of Carménère in all of Bordeaux, an acre and a quarter parcel planted in 1947. The 2016 is composed of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère. I think this is a great wine to buy for anyone who has children born in this year, as a bottle that I had of the 1990 recently was still completely fresh!

Notes

93 points Neal Martin for Vinous: "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." (01/2019)

Details

Origin	Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Type/Varietal	Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends
SKU	1299125