Chateau Clerc-Milon Pauillac Grand Cru Classe 2016
(Bordeaux, France) - [DM 96] [JS 96] [JD 95] [WS 94] [WA 94+]

About the Winery:

Château Clerc Milon is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.[1]

Château Clerc Milon is located in the northern part of the Pauillac appellation, with its vinery building in the village of Mousset, and faces Château Lafite Rothschild on the other side of the D2 road.

55%    Cabernet Sauvignon
29%    Merlot
13%    Cabernet Franc
2%    Petit Verdot
1%    Carmenère

Ratings & Reviews:

96 Points - Decanter:
Always more muscular and powerful than Armailhac, there's no surprise that this has closed down more than its sibling. The complexity of the layers are still on display, showcasing fresh menthol, cranberry, white pepper, black olive, rose and blackberry, all wrapped up in a tight tannic hold. There are some wonderful toasted caramel notes, subdued but rich and tight, waiting to show their exuberance on the finish. There's no doubt that this is as good as I thought en primeur, but it needs time to open up, and I would suggest the full 10 years. 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere finish up the blend. (Drink between 2026-2042)

96 Points - James Suckling:
Hot crushed stones and dark berries jump out of the glass. Full body, very dense fruit and powerful tannins, yet it remains agile and bright with beauty and energy. So muscular and toned. Truly outstanding Clerc for the future. Unwavering nature to this. Try after 2024.

95 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
I was able to taste the 2016 Château Clerc Milon on multiple occasions and it was always brilliant, showing a deep ruby/purple color as well as sexy aromas and flavors of crème de cassis, new saddle leather, spicy oak, and graphite. Deep, powerful and beautifully concentrated, it’s a rock star of a Pauillac that’s going to keep for 30 years or more. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Carménère, all aged 16 months in 50% new French oak. (Drink between 2019-2049)

94+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:

The Cabernet Franc was fantastic this year, so it was all used in the grand vin. The final blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Clerc Milon leaps from the glass with beautiful scents of chocolate-covered cherries, plum preserves and crushed blackcurrants with suggestions of lilacs, cardamom, underbrush and unsmoked cigars. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a firm frame of finely grained tannins and seamless freshness lifting the perfumed fruit to a nice long finish. Drink 2021-2044.

Mouton’s congenial managing director, Philippe Dhalluin, was unfortunately in Napa while I was in Bordeaux in October, so I was hosted by Eric Tourbier—Mouton’s technical director—and Clerc-Milon’s winemaker, Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy. While discussing the particularly abundant range of aroma/flavor compounds I was perceiving in the 2016 reds, Danjoy commented, “When you have a wet spring, you tend to have more aromatic precursors. Also, it was a long maturation period. The vine made a lot of aromatic components. The gap between the Merlot and the Cabernet Sauvignon for ripening was very long. In fact, Cabernet was very late this year. We didn’t know if the Cabernet Sauvignon was going to make it! The big surprise for us was the Cabernet Franc—all of it was delicious. We used it all in the grand vin at Clerc Milon.”

94 Points - Wine Spectator:
A fresh and stylish version, with chalky minerality running from start to finish. Succulent plum and cassis fruit flavors coil around this and absorbs this easily at first. Then pretty violet and lilac notes guild the finish, with the minerality taking a slightly firmer stand. Best from 2023 through 2035.