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Clerc Milon 2015

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Clerc Milon

Label

Tasting Notes

The 2015 Clerc-Milon has a lively, fresh bouquet with more red than black fruit, offering wild strawberry, red cherries and bergamot aromas laced with cedar. The lightly spiced palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin; more black fruit surfaces here. Well-balanced and focused, though I would like more substance and grip on the finish. This showed much better a year ago, so it may be entering a dumb phase. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.

90
Neal Martin, vinous.com, July 2019

Extremely floral with blackberry and blueberry character plus hints of violets. Full-bodied yet always in check and reserve with fine tannins and bright acidity that goes on for minutes. Limestone undertones. The finish is particularly long this vintage. Super Clerc. Try in 2021.

95
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2018

A blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, and 1% Carmenere, the 2015 Clerc Milon is deep garnet in color. It storms out with pronounced notes of warm cassis, baked plums, and pencil shavings, plus suggestions of charcuterie, stewed tea, and fallen leaves. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers lovely freshness with just a slight dip in the mid-palate and chewy tannins, finishing minerally.

91
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, November 2022

Tasted blind. Dark crimson. Muted, but well-behaved nose. Rather sumptuous texture and fine tannins. A fine-boned wine offering real enjoyment quite early.
Drink 2023-2040

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2019

Like Armailhac, this Pauillac is made by the Mouton Rothschild team. Always a serious wine, it has been much improved in recent vintages and usually represents good value for money. A fleshy Pauillac with less Caberent Sauvignon than most. The 2015 is being aged in 50% new oak barrels and 50% one vintage old barrels. 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere. Deep ruby colour. Pure cassis on the nose here, such is the purity of the Cabernet fruit. The palate followed from this with blackcurrant supported by some exotic star anise and smoky, spice flavour to the toast from new oak. This is a vibrant and pure, forward style of Bordeaux with a slick and clean finish.

92
Farr Vintners, March 2016

A total gem is the 2015 Clerc Milon which checks in as 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot and Carmenere. This medium to full-bodied, ripe, polished 2015 shines for its purity and elegance just as much as its depth and richness and boast a beautiful nose of blackberries, black raspberries, and cassis intermixed with lots of spice and cedar pencil nuances. With perfect ripeness, medium to full-bodied richness, sweet tannin, and terrific mid-palate depth, it’s going to improve with 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for two to three decades. 2022 - 2052

94
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, November 2017

Sweet fruit on the nose the palate has generosity at the start the mid palate a mix of cassis and black cherry. The tannins are firm and tend to hold back the fruit tight and structured yet it does open up at the back with depth richer black fruits on the finish.

88/91
Derek Smedley MW, DerekSmedleyMW.co.uk, April 2016

Smooth, rich and well upholstered, this is typical of the wines from the Mouton stable,
especially now that the new cellar is in action. It’s a ripe, textured, sweetly oaked style that
nods towards the New World as much as the Gironde, and is skilfully done. Drink: 2020-28

92
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2016

This is a very stylish Clerc Milon with rather attractive black cherry fruit, a fairly succulent, rich mid-palate and a long, slightly spicy finish. There is a wildness here which I like as this serves to break up the formality on the palate. With only 1% Carmenère in the mix I feel that I shouldn’t be able to taste it so clearly, but I can. There is a faint roasted coffee bean note which intrigues and adds to the whole. This is a successful wine and my favourite of all time from this Châteaux. This success is put down to the new winery (finished in 2012) and some serious work in the vineyard. It is even a superior wine to the fêted (by some) 2010!.

17.5+
Matthew Jukes, Matthew Jukes' Blog, April 2016
Read more tasting notes...

The 2015 Clerc Milon seems to have tempered the flamboyant aromatics that it displayed out of barrel to manifest a more refined and yet still outgoing bouquet laden with black cherries, raspberry, cedar and freshly picked mint. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, slightly lactic on the entry and with a smooth, almost velvety texture. There is a seam of graphite that becomes more prominent toward the finish, black olive and allspice lingering on the long aftertaste. This is simply an excellent Clerc Milon replete with grace and finesse. Anticipated maturity: 2021 - 2040.

93
Neal Martin, March 2018

The 2015 Clerc Milon is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 1% each of Petit Verdot and Carmenère, raised in 55% new oak. It has a highly perfumed bouquet with scents of small black cherries, graphite, touches of incense and wilted violets. This is a very extravagant bouquet for Clerc-Milon that wants to make an early impression. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannin, more expressive and delineated than the 2015 d'Armailhac, the finish beautifully focused with that graphite seam coming through on the sustained finish. This is potentially an outstanding Clerc-Milon, though it will need a decade in bottle to show its true potential. Drink 2023-2045

91/93
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (224), April 2016

This is super fine textured with ultra-polished tannins. Full body, blackberry, blueberry and dark chocolate. Long and refined.

94/95
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2016

A blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere, the medium garnet-purple colored 2015 Clerc Milon opens with expressive crushed blackberries, red and black plums and cigar boxes notions with suggestions of dried herbs, earth and violets plus a waft of dark chocolate. Medium-bodied, fine, fresh and elegant, it has a lovely core of very pure red and black fruits, supported by finely textured tannins and finishing on a lingering perfumed note. This is a very pretty, superbly poised Pauillac! 2020 - 2040

93+
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (Interim Fe), February 2018

Broad and sweet and easy but perhaps a little less clearly defined than the Ch d’Armailhac 2015. Inky, slightly astringent finish.
Drink 2025-2042

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, November 2017

Rather broader and riper than Armailhac, presumably thanks to the lower Cabernet quotient. But still very fresh, almost inky. Dry finish. 'New fashioned.' Super-appetising. Very long.
Drink 2024-2040

17.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2016
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.