Château Clerc Milon 2023

72% Cabernet Sauvignon. Expressive, with fascinating Cabernet fruit and depth; dense on the palate, taut structure yet with silky texture, fine tannins, great length. Outstanding!

Strong intense nose, some herbal markers and blackcurrants. Gorgeous vibrant colour in the glass, vivid purple rim. Round and full – rich for the vintage, a lovely weight to the texture; yes, it’s straight and streamlined but it also has juicy, plummy fruit, acidity that isn’t too pronounced or overt, and tannins that grip and take hold. Clean and clear, perhaps not the longest of them all, but there’s an enjoyable lingering wet-stone, chalky minerality on the finish. Straight and well defined, this has some chew, which I also like, and with time in oak, this will expand. Lots on offer! 1.5% Carménère and 1% Petit Verdot complete the blend. 59% grand vin production. 68 IPT.

Dark olives, black cherries, paprika and a floral twist on the nose. Fine, precise tannins on the palate, with good juicy fruit. It shows good finesse and balance, with a long, nuanced finish. 72% cabernet sauvignon, 19% merlot, 6.5% cabernet franc, 1.5% carmenere and 1% petit verdot. Drink from 2028. From a vertical tasting at the chateau.

The 2023 Clerc Milon is fabulous. Strong Cabernet Sauvignon inflections make themselves felt right out of the gate. Black cherry, licorice, gravel, incense, tobacco and dried herbs are beautifully delineated in the glass. This is a serious Clerc Milon, a wine of power and substance. I can't wait to see how it ages.

The nose pops with the essence of mint, flowers, cedar, currants and a background note of Indian spices in the perfume. On the palate, the wine is fresh, silky, and creamy, with ripe, sweet, currants, and blackberries that linger in the finish. While this will be delicious young, give it a bit of time in the bottle, as it will improve with age. The wine blends 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6.5% Cabernet Franc, 1.5% Petit Verdot, and 1.5% Carmenere. Drink from 2028-2050.

Dark garnet, purple reflections. Delicate notes of fine oak and nougat, fresh cherries, a hint of cassis, a very inviting bouquet. Juicy, balanced, fine ripeness, sweet plums, round tannins, good freshness, has length and certain ageing potential, a full-bodied food wine.

72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6.5% Cabernet Franc, 1.5% Carménère, 1% Petit Verdot, 13.5% vol. Delicate bouquet with beguiling wild strawberries, violet and iris aromas, blackcurrant nectar and a noble cassis spice. On the juicy, linear palate with a silky texture, tightly knit tannins and vibrant breed, giving drive and length. In the concentrated, long finish: red berries, graphite and a glorious abundance of extract.

Score: 91–93. The nose is vibrant and penetrating, with notes of ripe cassis, raspberry and spices, and a lifted stony minerality. The palate is delicate and tender, supple and succulent, with lively acidity that carries through to the finish, along with caressing, inky-black tannins that leave a savoury sensation on the palate.

The bouquet of Clerc Milon 2023 reveals itself with a certain restraint, but this only serves to better highlight its subtlety and depth. Fruity nuances gradually unfold through aromas of blueberries and blackberries, followed by notes of graphite and tea leaves. The story is much the same on the palate. The velvety character of the attack gives way to compact, creamy tannins. These slowly settle in, taking their place on the finish where they provide a firm backbone. A Clerc Milon focused on elegance and power, entering the stage quietly and offering hints of what’s to come, aptly reminding us that time is what guides great wines. As the tasting progresses, the wine conveys promising ambitions, with an impressive demonstration of its ability to span the decades ahead. Patience will be required.

A lovely fruity nose, fresh and elegant, with brightness and a fine peppery/spicy edge. It reveals notes of blackberry, violet, and, more subtly, bright wild blackcurrant, joined by fine touches of bigarreau cherry, as well as delicate hints of infusion and tea, a subtle touch of Sichuan pepper, and a very discreet hint of almost aromatic herbs. The palate is beautifully mineral, fresh, elegant, gourmand, supported, precise, and offers an airy yet quite present feel with a lovely structure. It shows notes of bigarreau cherry, juicy/fresh small red berries and, more subtly, fresh blackcurrant, combined with touches of cornflower and wisteria, along with hints of racy minerality, fresh gravel, infusion, star anise, and a subtle touch of tonka bean, nutmeg, and toasted almond. A lovely slight chew on the finish/persistence. An imperceptible hint of almost fresh coffee in the background. Lovely freshness and smoothness/suppleness. A hint of roasting on the finish/persistence

As with d'Armailhac, this tips the 2022 for me, really has so much class and character, full of generosity and intensity, drawn out tannins, waves of blueberry, loganberry and blackcurrant fruits, baking spices, bitter black chocolate, liquorice, squid ink, salted cracker, freshly cut herbs. September 7 to 29 for harvest, 55% new oak barrels for ageing. Carmanère dating from 1947 is in this 1st wine, with the massal selection descendents in Pastourelle. Caroline Artaud director.

94-96. Barrel Sample. A spicy aroma and a rich blackberry texture give the wine its ripeness and also its elegance. Dense with a sense of power as well as style, the wine shows a fine Cabernet Sauvignon dominated style for this estate.

Logo on the cork: Q1 Deep, intense, dark red color, beautifully purple-hued. Very aromatic, smooth nose, with lovely ripe fruit notes. A creamy touch. A "limestone" hint. Delicate on the attack, very flavorful on the mid-palate, with roundness; the wine develops into something melting and aromatic, constantly supported by a fine, silky richness. Lingering finish with sappy, lively tannins. It's very good.

The 2023 Clerc Milon is quite a muscular wine for the vintage, bursting with aromas of cassis, ripe mulberries, violets and pencil shavings. Medium- to full-bodied, broad and layered, it's girdled by the lively acids and ripe but chalky tannins that often seem to define this clay-limestone terroir. It's a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6.5% Cabernet Franc and the balance Carmenère and Petit Verdot.