2019 Château Clerc Milon

The 2019 Clerc-Milon has a relatively light bouquet, although it does build in the glass, with red berry fruit, mixed herbs and leather. The palate is medium-bodied with a pliant and harmonious opening. Smooth in texture and with fine acidity, this has one of the more sensual and refined finish. Very fine. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

- Neal Martin (01/2023)

Aromas of crushed stone, blackcurrants and blackberries. Full-bodied with extremely well-crafted tannins that are chewy and layered, yet polished and fantastic. Love the finish. 72% cabernet sauvignon, 25% petit verdot, 22% merlot and 4% cabernet franc. Drink after 2026. (01/2022)

Another beautiful effort from this team, the 2019 Château Clerc Milon is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, from vines just across the street from Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild. Brought up in a mix of new and used barrels, it has a healthy ruby/plum color to go with a great nose of ripe red and black fruits supported by some classic Pauillac lead pencil, tobacco, and spice box notes. I love its overall balance, it's medium-bodied, has silky tannins, and the fresher, elegant style of the vintage. I wouldn't call it mid-weight, but I compared this to the 2014 on release, and I still think that comparison holds, although there's a touch more length and intensity in the 2019. This will drink well today with a decant (I followed this bottle for two days) and will shine for a good two decades. (04/2022)

The 2019 Clerc Milon is composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a lot of swirling to reveal notes of black cherries and mulberries over a core of cassis, cedar, and crushed rocks plus a waft of truffles. The medium-bodied palate has a sturdy structure, with grainy tannins and lively acidity supporting the cedar-laced black fruits, leading to a minerally finish. (05/2023)

Presents a very fresh core of cassis, red cherry and damson plum fruit flavors that meld nicely with a racy iron streak, while light savory and floral details run along the edges. A very pure and bright version that should age well. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenère. Best from 2023 through 2038.

- J.M.

The 2019 Clerc Milon is a real success. At more than 70%, this blend contains one of the highest proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon in the property's recent history, and the result is a wine of real nobility. Offering up aromas of violets, wild berries, licorice, loamy soil and cigar wrapper, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with notable depth at the core, lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins that assert themselves on the finish. From clay-limestone soils rather than the sandy gravels that characterize d'Armailhac, this is by some margin the more structured and serious of Mouton-Rothschild's two Pauillac stablemates.

- William Kelley (04/2022)