Château Clerc Milon 2019

Presents a very fresh core of cassis, red cherry and damson plum fruit flavors that meld nicely with a racy iron streak, while light savory and floral details run along the edges. A very pure and bright version that should age well. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenère. Best from 2023 through 2038.

Harvested between 19 September and 9 October, the 2019 Clerc-Milon is a classic example of Pauillac with leafy, cool, blackcurrant-driven notes together with a pronounced lead-pencil/graphite edge. 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot complement the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant (72%) blend. Tight and focused on the palate with plenty of tannins evident at the moment, this will benefit from five years’ ageing. Less voluptuous than many 2019s, but I like this elegant style.

Aromas of crushed stone, blackcurrants and blackberries. Full-bodied with extremely well-crafted tannins that are chewy and layered, yet polished and fantastic. Love the finish. 72% cabernet sauvignon, 25% petit verdot, 22% merlot and 4% cabernet franc. Drink after 2026.

The large percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, 72% (the highest percentage since 1986), seems to have added a lot of complexity here, as it was so ripe. Now, you find a complex array of flowers, spice, tobacco leaf, blackberries, and currants on the nose. Fresh, crisp, soft, sweet, and vibrant on the palate, the wine offers length, purity, freshness, and a finish loaded with sweet red fruits, a touch of peppery spice, and just a hint of savory, leafy herbs on the back end. This is in contention as the best vintage of Clerc Milon ever produced. Drink from 2027–2047.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, broad and bright rim. On the nose, cassis, hints of sweet cherry and liquorice, subtle oak nuances, a touch of nougat and herbal savouriness. Full-bodied with good complexity, sweet berries, a pleasant freshness and ripe, supporting tannins, mineral and very elegant with a very long finish. Really showcases its terroir to the full and has good ageing potential.

A great intensity and presence with classical inky dark Pauillac fruit, tobacco and roasted coffee. Dense but polished palate, layers of digest dark fruit, mocha and cocoa bean. Classy and powerful with great persistency.

Another beautiful effort from this team, the 2019 Château Clerc Milon is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, from vines just across the street from Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild. Brought up in a mix of new and used barrels, it has a healthy ruby/plum color to go with a great nose of ripe red and black fruits supported by some classic Pauillac lead pencil, tobacco, and spice box notes. I love its overall balance, it's medium-bodied, has silky tannins, and the fresher, elegant style of the vintage. I wouldn't call it mid-weight, but I compared this to the 2014 on release, and I still think that comparison holds, although there's a touch more length and intensity in the 2019. This will drink well today with a decant (I followed this bottle for two days) and will shine for a good two decades.

72% Cabernet Sauvignon (more Cabernet Sauvignon than last year), 22% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Opaque purple with a black core. Seductive bouquet of freshly picked blackberries, followed by noble cassis spice and chocolate pastilles. On the juicy palate, with a velvety texture and lively verve, tightly knit tannic framework, sinewy body. Aromatic finish with black-berry contours, plum skin and graphite traces, ending in a long crescendo with gentle astringency. Has deliberately taken a classic path. For estate director Philippe Dhalluin: “complex and more sophistacted.”

Kunz barrel sample 2020: (72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 13.5% abv) Concentrated, dark, austere bouquet, black cassis, graphite, licorice, black truffle, currants, dark fine woods. Dense, powerful, aromatic palate with plenty of fine tannin, a muscular yet elegant structure, dense, dark, complex aromatics, robust fruit, and a very long, compact finish with lots of lingering flavors.

Deep, finely concentrated, complex, dark bouquet: black cassis, dark noble woods, Black Currant, truffle. A tightly knit, multi-layered, powerful yet elegant palate with dense, dark fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a dense, finely muscled structure, varied, powerful, dark aromatics, and a very long, powerful, full finish. 19/20 2026 - 2050

Just so much joy to be had here. Precision architecture from the first moment, velvet texture, well balanced, tiptoes through the palate and builds slowly, delivering inky glass-staining colour. Sweet and seductive, with plump damson and black cherry fruits, and waves of aniseed and fennel on the finish. As with the 2009 this it will close up soon, as these tannins have bite, so expect it to keep building and deepening over the next decade. Jean Emmanuel Danjoy's last full vintage, before he headed over to Mouton Rothschild in 2020. Harvest September 19 to October 9.

The fine Cabernets make up the grand wine, which stands out in 2019 as a great success, with a slender palate and a sapid, flavorful finish. A juicy, indulgent wine that we love and that will evolve very well.

Close your eyes and you find yourself before a deep, cold lake, just before peony notes appear. On the palate, dark fruit with hints of elderberry, and a lovely length. A wine that suggests a gentle caress, though a little shy.

Freshness and fruit are the two words that spontaneously come to mind when I smell Clerc Milon 2019. It must be said that this is part of the cru’s DNA, even if very often it reveals its freshness with age. Indeed, the world of wine is full of paradox. Beyond raspberry nuances, the bouquet shows notes of eucalyptus and mint. A small side note: identical percentage of CS compared to 1982! Juicy and gourmand on the attack, the wine combines charm, freshness and depth. It is worthy of the cru, with this restrained, controlled power and the energy that fuels all its drive. A brilliant wine to enjoy young and, above all, much less young. It is setting the stage… guests will soon be able to be welcomed. For my part, this is the Clerc Milon that comes closest to its predecessors from the 1980s. The terroir is there!

Dark, intense, purple colour. Moderately intense nose with ripe, delicately creamy fruit. It is above all on the palate that this wine shows its appeal, and its newfound delight. Supple on entry, offering a delicate texture, a very flavourful body, with great brightness in the aroma, the wine unfolds fully without losing its meticulous character, leading to a long finish where the taste nonetheless evokes the Right Bank (thank you, limestone). A superb ensemble, more precise than ever. Blend: 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Alcohol: 13.6% – pH: 3.74.

The 2019 Clerc Milon is composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a lot of swirling to reveal notes of black cherries and mulberries over a core of cassis, cedar, and crushed rocks, plus a waft of truffles. The medium-bodied palate has a sturdy structure, with grainy tannins and lively acidity supporting the cedar-laced black fruits, leading to a minerally finish.

A very fine wine, rich in both black fruits and dark tannins. Bold black fruits are softened by the ripeness of the fruit. Then they are structured by the layers of firm tannins. Drink this wine from 2026.