Wine Advisor
Clerc Milon 2020
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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: William Kelley
Aromas of dark berries, cigar wrapper, exotic spices and burning embers introduce the 2020 Clerc Milon, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered wine that's seamless, concentrated and refined, with lively acids and a long, saline, violet-inflected finish. A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and the balance Petit Verdot, it's a terrific effort from this clay-limestone terroir that has benefited from so much investment in recent years.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2020 Clerc Milon - a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot with just a splash of Carmenere - has a deep garnet-purple color, opening with notes of tar, unsmoked cigars, bouquet garni and graphite, giving way to a core of ripe black and red currants, boysenberries and tree bark, plus a touch of black olives. The medium-bodied palate delivers fantastic tension and impressively ripe, fine-grained tannins to support the crunchy, energetic black fruit flavors, finishing with a lively herbal lift.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2020 Clerc Milon is a total knock-out. The 2020 has come together impressively with élevage. It offers up a heady mix of blueberry jam, crème de cassis, chocolate, new leather, spice and crushed rocks, with a ton of Cabernet Sauvignon character driving the overall feel.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2020 Clerc Milon is soft, fruity and supple. Inky red fruit, plum, lavender, rose petal and spice all meld together in the glass. The 2020 is not terribly complex, but it is open-knit, radiant, and incredibly appealing, even in the early going. I suspect it will offer quite a bit of pleasure right out of the gate. The proportion of Merlot is a bit higher in this year's blend, which no doubt contributes to the wine's appeal. Tasted two times.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The label of the 2020 Clerc Milon contains a discrete celebration of its half-century ownership by Baron Philippe de Rothschild. The nose is quite strict at the moment, leaning more towards the red fruit side of the spectrum, touches of gravel and tobacco, gaining more black fruit as it opens in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy blackberry and bilberry fruit, gentle grip, maybe not quite as delineated as the 2020 d'Armailhac, yet with a subtle pencil lead note enhancing the finish. Very fine.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2020 Clerc Milon has a crisp, well-defined bouquet that you might suspect derives from a cooler growing season. Mainly black fruit here, along with cedar and light sea spray/estuarine scents, unfolding nicely in the glass but always keeping something back. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. An elegant rather than powerful Clerc Milon, with a slightly ferrous, well-structured but never grippy finish and a saline aftertaste. Give this 4–5 years in bottle. Classic Pauillac through and through.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2020 Clerc Milon has a more classically styled bouquet. It's well-defined with leafy red fruit, gradually gaining more intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied and fleshy with pliant tannins and pastille-like purity, possessing gentle grip toward the slightly candied finish. It's leaves behind a very persistent spicy aftertaste. Give this a couple of years in bottle. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Very pure character to this wine with crushed fruit and round tannins. It’s really transparent and delicate, yet bold at the same time. Super tannins. Vivid. Very primary and berry-like. May well turn out to be even better than this in bottle.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Blackcurrants, black licorice, violets and lavender. Aromatic and perfumed. Full- to medium-bodied with tension and focus, and very fine, linear tannins that run the length of the wine. Starting to close now. Serious Clerc. Better after 2029.
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)2008(10)2009(5)2010(9)2011(3)2012(14)2013(4)2014(10)2015(19)2016(8)2017(19)2018(17)2019(9)
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