Clerc Milon - Pauillac 2018

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

94

byJane Ansonthe10/14/2022

Excellent quality, with abundant juice, slate tannins, plump black cherry, fig and blackberry fruit, ripe and rich in the character of the 2018 vintage but this is still a Pauillac with a firm voice. Eucalyptus, cocoa bean, turmeric, sage and liqourice add layers to the finish. Harvest September 17 to October 10. Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy technical director.

Vinous

93

byAntonio Gallonithe3/31/2021

The 2018 Clerc Milon is showing beautifully today. Gorgeous savory notes from the Cabernet Sauvignon open first, showing the modern direction of Clerc Milon towards a more Cabernet focused wine. Dried flowers, menthol, licorice, graphite and black cherry are all laced together effortlessly. The tannins have settled down a bit since en primeur, which is a very good sign for the future.

Wine Advocate

94

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe3/31/2021

The 2018 Clerc Milon is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it has a very pure, beautifully delineated nose of crushed blackcurrants, fresh black plums and boysenberries with hints of wild thyme, damp soil, tar and black olives. The medium to full-bodied palate offers taut, muscular black fruit with loads of savory layers and a firm, grainy texture, finishing long and mineral tinged. 94+

Jeb DUNNUCK

93

byJeb Dunnuckthe3/16/2021

From an estate located on the east side of highway D2 and between Château Lafite and Château Mouton Rothschild, the 2018 Château Clerc Milon is a ripe, sexy, full-bodied Pauillac that brings plenty of richness while still staying reasonably elegant. Blackcurrants, blackberries, smoked earth, new leather, and cedary herbs all flow to an impressively endowed, layered Pauillac with chewy tannins, terrific balance, and a great finish. Based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, brought up in 50% new French oak, this outstanding 2018 needs 4-6 years of bottle age to round into form and will evolve nicely for 20-25 years.

The Wine Cellar Insider

95

byJeff Levethe3/16/2021

This is clearly a new level of quality for Clerc Milon. The wine opens with a touch of smoke, crushed rock, violets, crème de cassis and spice. Elegant, soft, refined and fresh, the fruit feels just great on your palate with the perfect amount of vibrancy, giving you lift and more than ample fruit offering you length. From a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% old vine Carmenere, the wine is 14.15%. Clearly, this is the best vintage ever produced at Clerc Milon!

Vinous

92

byNeal Martinthe3/12/2021

The 2018 Clerc Milon has a nicely detailed bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, light cassis and iodine aromas gently unfurling from the glass, the new oak neatly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with graphite-infused black fruit. Quite a strict and linear Clerc Milon, it is classic Pauillac from start to finish. The pencil-lead-tinged, quite sinewy finish lingers wonderfully. Give this 3–4 years in bottle and then serve with a simple meat dish.

Wine Spectator

93

byJames Molesworththe2/1/2021

This throws off a lovely stream of violet and cassis aromas and flavors that are sleek and pure in feel, picking up dark cherry, iron and sanguine details along the way. Refined and cellarworthy. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenère. Best from 2023 through 2035. –JM

Falstaff

96

byPeter Moserthe1/29/2021

Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine Kräuterwürze, zart nach Velour, reife Kirschenfrucht, kandierte Orangenzesten, tabakige Nuancen. Straff, engmaschig, feine Beerenfrucht, reife, tragende Tannine, mineralischer Kern, salzig im Abgang, extraktsüßer Nachhall, feiner Nougat im Rückgeschmack, zeigt Länge und Reifepotenzial. (2025 -2050)

Wine Spectator

93

byJames Molesworththe1/26/2021

This throws off a lovely stream of violet and cassis aromas and flavors that are sleek and pure in feel, picking up dark cherry, iron and sanguine details along the way. Refined and cellarworthy. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenère. Best from 2023 through 2035. — JM

Yvesbeck.wine

94

byYves Beckthe1/26/2021

Rouge grenat dense. L'élégance et la pertinence de Pauillac sont réunies dans ce bouquet ! Notes de baies noires et de réglisse suivies d'une touche de graphite. Caractère vif et juteux en bouche où le vin a non seulement de la chair, grâce à des tannins puissants et serrés, mais également du muscle grâce à la tension de sa structure acide. Les tannins se distinguent par leur aptitude à se révéler lentement le long du palais. Parallèlement à la puissance, le vin a un profil élégant, une belle notion de force tranquille. Finalement, l'expression aromatique se profile tout aussi bien qu'au niveau olfactif pour idéalement appuyer la finale qui s'en retrouve fruitée et persistante.

Jamessuckling.com

95

byJames Sucklingthe1/19/2021

Blackcurrants, tobacco, graphite, cloves and dried leaves on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Structured and compact with a long, mineral finish. Tight and austere. Very pretty structure here. Wait until 2025.

Decanter.com

96

byJane Ansonthe1/12/2021

The progression of this property continues to be evident in the glass with a beautiful classicism, full of life and layers comprising dark spice and touches of black pepper against blueberry and cool fruits, pumped up by black chocolate and liquorice.It’s confident and clearly has a fierce quality to the tannins giving a long life ahead of it. The harvest started on September 17, one week later than Mouton because of its cooler terroir, with the blend completed by 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmanère.This is the last vintage with Jean-Emmanuel Donjoy at the helm as he’s making his way over to Mouton-Rothschild to work alongside Philippe Dhalluin. A tough gig to turn down of course, but I will miss the work he has done here and look forward to seeing what his successor will add.

Wine Enthusiast

96

byRoger Vossthe1/5/2021

This opulent wine is as bold with its fruit as with its tannins. The initial velvet texture masks the dense structure that will allow it to age impressively. Blackberry flavors, acidity and intense richness are coming together in a welter of ripe fruits. Drink from 2026.

Vinous

91-93

byNeal Martinthe11/15/2019

The 2018 Clerc Milon has an open, generous bouquet of black cherries with hints of cassis and iodine, strangely reminding me of its sibling d’Armailhac. It shows good delineation and the 53% new oak is neatly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. This is a dense, grippy wine, one that I suspect will require more bottle age than recent vintages, and there is a pleasant saline aftertaste that completes this very endearing Clerc Milon. Very fine.

WeinWisser

19

byTjark Witzgallthe5/7/2019

Vinifera

93-95

byJacques Perrinthe5/1/2019

Belle robe profonde. Très beau nez aux nuances florales et fruitées. La bouche est finement articulée, d'une construction minutieuse avec une belle dynamique fruitée sur la finale.
Très droit, très fin.

The Wine Cellar Insider

94-96

byJeff Levethe4/23/2019

A beautiful dark, inky cranberry color with purple edges, the wine is silky and deep with licorice, crushed rock, flowers and perfectly ripe crème de cassis. The wine is supple, structured and fresh, representing the sophisticated, refined side of Pauillac. The wine was made from a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% old vine Carmenere, reaching 14.15% alcohol. The harvest took place September 17 to October 10. 60% of the harvest was placed into the Grand Vin. There is so much going on with the 2018, you will want to age this wine for at least 8 years before popping a cork. Clearly, this is the best vintage ever produced at Clerc Milon!

Wine Advocate

93-95

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/23/2019

The 2018 Clerc Milon is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère. Grapes were harvested a bit later here than at Mouton, from September 17 to October 10. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with bold scents of warm cassis, blackberry compote and dark chocolate with hints of Morello cherries, baking spices and dried roses plus a waft of underbrush. It has a wonderfully rich, confidently sensuous palate with plenty of spicy layers and a velvety texture, finishing long and perfumed. This should age incredibly.

Decanter.com

96

byJane Ansonthe4/17/2019

The progression of this property continues to be evident in the glass with a beautiful classicism, full of life and layers comprising dark spice and touches of black pepper against blueberry and cool fruits, pumped up by black chocolate and liquorice.

It’s confident and clearly has a fierce quality to the tannins giving a long life ahead of it. The harvest started on September 17, one week later than Mouton because of its cooler terroir, with the blend completed by 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmanère.

This is the last vintage with Jean-Emmanuel Donjoy at the helm as he’s making his way over to Mouton-Rothschild to work alongside Philippe Dhalluin. A tough gig to turn down of course, but I will miss the work he has done here and look forward to seeing what his successor will add.

Wine Enthusiast

93-95

byRoger Vossthe4/17/2019

This spicy wine has an undertone of oak that adds to the richness. While there is a dense blackberry flavor, the bright acidity shines through to lighten it up. It's a fine wine with plenty of aging potential.

Jamessuckling.com

95-96

byJames Sucklingthe4/12/2019

Very generous and dense with layers of gorgeous blackberries and blueberries. Full-bodied and so layered with fantastic tannin backbone at the same time.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

95-96

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/8/2019

Wine Spectator

93-96

byJames Molesworththe4/3/2019

This is well-built, with a sleek and persistent structure carrying energetic cassis, damson plum, violet and iron notes. Offers a long, pure, almost chiseled finish. A strong showing.