Chateau Clerc-Milon 2018
SKU
CMCS201810 UCAU
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"This is quite clearly one of their best ever wines..." Jane Anson, Decanter
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"A vivacious and delicious wine in the making." Wine Spectator
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"A classy and sophisticated young wine." James Suckling
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1 or more bottles$250.00
Editors notes
Like Armailhac, this Pauillac is made by the Mouton Rothschild team. Always a serious wine, it has been much improved in recent vintages. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere in 2018.
Deep colour with a plush, ripe nose of milk chocolate and ripe black cherry. The palate is spicy and toasty, with heady, ripe cassis at the core that gives an opulent, generous mouthfeel. The tannins are supple and integrated, allowing the fruit to shine through. This is slick, polished and refined, and should have a long and open drinking window.
Details
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Wine Type
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Vintage
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Variety
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Brand
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Location
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Cellaring
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Closure
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Alcohol Percentage
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Bottle Size
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Oak Type
Tasting Profile
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Light (Light)Full (Full)
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Low Tannin (Low Tannin)Tannic (Tannic)
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Sweet (Sweet)Dry (Dry)
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Low Acidity (Low Acidity)High Acidity (High Acidity)
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Aroma
- Blueberry
- Boysenberry
- Herbal
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Palate
- Blue Fruits
- Cassis
- Graphite
Food Pairings
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Pork -
Red Meat
Critic Scores & reviews
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James Suckling
96"Very generous and dense with layers of gorgeous blackberries and blueberries. Full-bodied and so layered with fantastic tannin backbone at the same time."
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Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
95"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."
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Decanter
96"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. Drinking Window 2026 - 2040"
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Matthew Jukes
17.5+"Spicy and detailed on the nose and palate, this is a feisty Clerc Milon with attractive blackberry fruit and a bold attack of flavours from the off. The nose is ripe and there is obvious oak in play here, but it will settle into the core of the wine in due course. Nice and chunky and lacking in any subtlety this is a wine which approaches you head on and I like its attitude."
Other vintages
Love this wine? Here's a list of other vintages we have in stock if you'd like to try them as well.
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- Variety Cabernet Blend
- Vintage 2016
- Brand Château Clerc Milon
- Cellaring 15 Plus Years
- Wine Type Red
- Alcohol Percentage 13.5% Alcohol
Chateau Clerc-Milon 2016-
Decanter96 points
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Wine Spectator96* points
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James Suckling95* points
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Wine Enthusiast95* points
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Neal Martin94* points
$144.00
Current auction
All current auctions for this wine & any different vintages.
Locations
France
Wine is being produced throughout France and has been done for over 2,500 years with certain Châteaux dating their history back to Roman times, around 6th Century BC. Ranking second in the world in per-capita consumption and first in total production quantity. More so than the overall quantity of wine is the quantity of truly great wines coming out of France makes the nation the envy of wine-making nations worldwide.
Two concepts pivotal to the higher end French wines, in particular, are the idea of 'terroir' and the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Terroir refers to the way the geography, geology and climate find their way into the glass, telling a story of the origin of the wine. The AOC was set up in 1935 and has the primary goal of protecting the authenticity of the wines and the livelihoods of the producers. Appellation rules strictly define which varieties of grapes and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or in some cases, like in Burgundy even specific vineyards.
Classic wine regions in France include Champagne (home of Champagne), Burgundy (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot), Alsace (Aromatic varietals), Loire Valley (Chenin Blanc, Crémant) and the Rhône Valley (Syrah, Grenache Mourvedre)
The Bordeaux classification of 1855 is still in use, as is the Sauternes and Barsac Classification of the same year. Wines from certain regions can be bought En Primeur, which is when the wine is sold prior to it being bottled.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux has a rich history of winemaking, dating back to the Roman times. Today, it is known as one of the most significant wine regions in the world, with a reputation for producing complex, full-bodied red wines. The region is home to a diverse range of terroirs, each with its own unique microclimate, soil composition, and grape varieties.
The left bank of Bordeaux is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives in the region's gravelly soils. These wines tend to be bold, tannic, and complex, with notes of blackcurrant, cedar, and tobacco. On the right bank, Merlot is king, producing wines that are softer and fruitier, with notes of plum, cherry, and chocolate.
Aside from the red blends, Bordeaux is also renowned for its sweet wines, particularly from the Sauternes and Barsac appellations. These wines are made using a unique process that involves botrytis, or "noble rot," which concentrates the sugars in the grapes, resulting in a lusciously sweet and complex wine.
Bordeaux's classification system has evolved over time, with some estates moving up or down the ranks depending on the quality of their wines. Today, the system includes five growths, with Premier Cru being the highest and Deuxièmes Crus being the second-highest. There is also a separate classification for the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, with Chateau d’Yquem holding the highest rank.
Overall, Bordeaux is a region that continues to captivate wine enthusiasts around the world with its rich history, diverse terroirs, and exceptional wines.
Medoc
Home to over 650 vineyards and spanning over 4,900 hectares, Bordeaux’s Médoc wine region comprises four of the most distinguished wine villages in the area: Saint-Estephe, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, and Margaux. The peninsula of Médoc is home to coastal lagoons, sand dunes, and pine forests. It is known to have formed into a peninsula over time as the Garonne and Dordogne rivers carried in large quantities of mineral rich silt and light reflective, well drained gravel, which turned out to be perfect for harvesting red wine grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The main aromas of the beautifully refined red wines from this area are: spices, oak, red fruit and vanilla.
The region of Médoc is divided into three areas: the Landes du Médoc, the Bas-Médoc, and the Haut-Médoc. The Landes du Médoc is located in the entire western half of the peninsula. Although there are no vineyards here, the land is still important because its pine trees protect the grape vines from the harsh cold winds blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The Bas-Médoc( lower-Médoc) runs downstream on the estuarine side of the peninsula. The wines produced here are usually more affordable than those produced in Haut-Médoc. Haut-Médoc (upper-Médoc) is the most well-known of the three sections. The wines produced here are some of the most expensive wines worldwide and were famously ranked in The Médoc Classification of 1855, which is to this day in use.
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About the brand Chateau Clerc Milon
Château Clerc Milon now has 41 hectares (101 acres) of vines in the north-east of the Pauillac appellation, on the lovely Mousset crest overlooking the Gironde. The slight slope favours both natural drainage and exposure to sunlight, while the nearby river creates a microclimate that protects the vines from frost in spring, reduces the risk of hail and brings coolness in summer. The soil is made up of two-thirds deep sandy gravel over a clay-limestone base which outcrops in the eastern part of the estate.
The vineyard is planted with five varieties typical of the region: Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (37%), Cabernet Franc (10%), Petit Verdot (2%) and Carmenere (1%). The average age of the vines is 53 years, probably one of the highest in the Medoc. Mostly planted before the development of clonal selection, they represent an exceptionally rich genetic resource. The vine density is high, ranging between 8,500 and 10,000 vines per hectare depending on the parcel.
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