Wine Advisor
Clerc Milon 2008
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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: Neal Martin
This has a great nose that seems to have moved away from d'Armailhac in the last few months. Good intensity, blackberry, wild hedgerow, cedar, pencil lead, boysenberry and a touch of pain grille. Great lift. The palate is full-bodied, dense, very well balanced, marrying Pauillac austerity with the succulence blessed by the clement late growing season. Very pure and beautifully poised on the finish. Clerc Milon always improves in barrel and the 2008 is no exception. Excellent. Tasted September 2009.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted ex-chateau and single blind in Southwold. The Clerc-Milon 2008 has an earthy, broody bouquet with dark plum, blackberry and cedar aromas, a saline note in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fine delineation and good substance. It is a little oaky on the tobacco-tinged finish but there is enough fruit to back it up. Very fine. Tasted January 2012.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The dense ruby/purple-tinged 2008 Clerc Milon offers attractive aromas of toast, black currants and forest floor. Deep, full-bodied, rich, elegant and moderately tannic, this impressively endowed 2008 is an outstanding success from the Mouton Rothschild staff (who are responsible for making this wine). It will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and should drink well for 15 years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A blend of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 16% Cabernet Franc, the 2008 is very reserved on the nose and seems to have gone into its shell. There are earthy, forest floor and tobacco aromas but the fruit is inhibited at the moment. The palate is showing good weight of fruit and delineation. However, it is very foursquare at the moment. It is probably in not such a good place at the moment, but the tension and vibrancy suggest it should bloom in about four or five years. Drink 2016-2025+ Tasted April 2013.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Aromas of sweet tobacco interwoven with cedar, black currants, and subtle smoky menthol emerge from the medium-bodied 2008 Clerc Milon. While slightly austere, it exhibits sweet black currant fruit along with hints of mocha and underbrush. Its substantial tannins are neither aggressive nor unripe, and the wine reveals the beautiful purity and seamlessness that are the hallmarks of so many 2008s.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the UGC 2008 tasting in London. Lovely nose; well defined with cedar, tar, blackberry leaf and plum. Good lift and vigour. The palate is sweet on the entry, sappy ripe tannins, generous at the moment but with firm structure towards the tobacco-tinged finish. Moderate length, crisp and focused, I think this Clerc-Milon will grow in stature after 2-3 years in bottle. Drink 2014-2030. Tasted October 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
En primeur barrel sample. Again, this is very tight on the nose, lots of cedar, graphite aromas, tightly wound and more introverted like the d’Armailhac. Blackberry, smoke and a touch of pencil lead. Thick chewy tannins on the entry, blackberry, briary, cedar and then great persistency on the finish, the back-palate with lovely pure black fruits than linger. Cigar box towards the finish that is cut through with a citrus edge – but it clams up on the finish. Long-term. Tasted April 2009.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
(42% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot, 16% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot) Saturated ruby-purple. Intense, merlot-dominated aromas of cassis, dark chocolate and spicy blackcurrant jam soar from the glass. Then rich and voluptuous on the palate, with more cocoa and black currant flavors as well as a hint of cigar box. The long finish features still-youthful chewy tannins and leaves one's taste buds vibrating. This ought to turn out to be one of the better Clerc-Milons of the last decade.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright, dark red. Musky currant, pepper and mint, with a note of raspberry emerging with air. Supple, spicy and concentrated, with dark berry and bitter chocolate flavors complicated by a saline nuance. Good inner-mouth energy here. Finishes long, with a sweet dusting of tannins.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2008 Clerc-Milon has an intense pencil lead nose that is just quintessential Pauillac. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, dense black fruit, closing in towards the finish where I would have just liked more complexity and precision to show through. Give this another year or two in bottle. (Tasted at BI Wine & Spirit’s annual 10-Year On tasting.)
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A delicate and more friendly style of Clerc with lovely fruit and tannins. It’s very balanced and refined. Very integrated tannins. Best after 2013.
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)1998(2)1999(1)2000(5)2001(4)2003(2)2004(2)2005(3)2006(8)2007(5)
Package Size
12 x 75cl
