Wine Advisor
Clerc Milon 1998
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Description
A wine with considerable ageing potential made in the traditional Médoc way, Château Clerc Milon is the result of a particularly successful marriage between gravel and clay-limestone terroirs and Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes. Powerful, tannic, full-bodied and rich in fruit, it also has all the typical elegance of the finest Pauillac wines.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This property has been making fine wines lately, and they have achieved that goal again in 1998, a much more difficult vintage. The blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot has resulted in an opaque purple-colored offering with copious quantities of licorice, coffee, dried herbs, black currants, and cherries in the complex aromatics. The wine is surprisingly huge in the mouth, with striking density, and far more power and tannin than most 1998 Pauillacs. Atypical for a Clerc-Milon, this larger-scaled effort will require time in the bottle. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2017.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A masculine, powerful, structured effort. Forceful, with outstanding concentration, moderately high tannin, and a formidable style, this dense, concentrated Clerc-Milon requires 2-4 years of cellaring; it should keep for 12-20 years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 14% Cabernet Franc, the 1998 has a very conservative, straight-laced bouquet that offers rustic black fruit, dried tobacco and forest floor aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, quite dry tannins. It lacks a little elegance – coming over rather brutish towards the finish although there is a pleasant cedar aftertaste. I would be drinking bottles now rather than later. Drink now-2015. Tasted April 2013.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1998 Château Clerc-Milon maintains that serious, stoic-faced bouquet that is underpinned by dusky black fruit, forest floor and a touch of liquorice coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit on the entry, the merlot quite expressive here and imparting a seductive smooth texture. It is not terribly complex, but after 17-years there is a sensual aspect to this wine that may have been hidden in its youth. Tasted August 2016.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A vast improvement on the Clerc-Milon 1997. Intense black fruits and liquorice on the nose. Firm tannins with succulent black fruits on the palate. Fine definition with powerful chewy finish. Good length. Very fine. Tasted March 2000.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A superb effort, the 1998 may be the finest Clerc-Milon I have tasted. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, this is a blockbuster, over-sized offering for this estate. Full-bodied and super-extracted, with power to burn, this rich, concentrated wine demands 7-8 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2025.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1998 Clerc Milon has a clean and pure bouquet: perfumed, rose-petal tinged blackberry and raspberry fruit intermixed with sage, sandalwood and a hint of the estuary (mudflats and kelp). The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, well judged acidity, good structure and with plenty of tobacco and forest floor notes on the finish. There is commendable substance here, a Clerc-Milon that has aged well and will continue to give pleasure over the next decade. This is probably the best example of several that I have encountered. Tasted at the château.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Medium ruby-red. Blackberry, shoe polish, licorice and green herbs on the nose; currently showing its cabernet franc component. Rather closed in the mouth and not now especially expressive. Seems a bit heavy. Finishes firmly tannic and slightly dry. Perhaps in an awkward phase.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the 1998 Clerc Milon is deep garnet-brick in color and scented of cigar boxes, sandalwood and old leather with a core of plum preserves and figs plus a touch of powdered cinnamon. The palate is medium-bodied, soft, plush and fresh with a little chew to the finish. Drink up!
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1998 Clerc Milon has a clean and pure bouquet: perfumed, rose-petal tinged blackberry and raspberry fruit intermixed with sage, sandalwood and a hint of the estuary (mudflats and kelp). The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, well judged acidity, good structure and with plenty of tobacco and forest floor notes on the finish. There is commendable substance here, a Clerc-Milon that has aged well and will continue to give pleasure over the next decade. This is probably the best example of several that I have encountered. Tasted at the château.
About the Producer
A legendary terroir, prestigious neighbours, a providential encounter: the history and the success of Château Clerc Milon are summed up in these three words. The terroir is that of Pauillac, where some of the world’s finest wines are made. The neighbours are Mouton and Lafite, illustrious First Growths whose nearby vines can be seen from the terrace of the Château. The encounter was with Baron Philippe, who in 1970 acquired the then badly neglected estate and decided to restore it to its status as a Classified Growth. Now, thanks to Baroness Philippine, Clerc Milon, one of the most highly regarded châteaux in the Bordeaux region, can boast technical facilities and reception areas worthy of its reputation.
1949(2)1995(2)1996(2)
Package Size
12 x 75cl
