CHÂTEAU CLERC MILON

The sweet black fruits give richness on the nose and depth on the palate. Chocolate and liquorice help to enrich the mid palate with slightly fresher black fruits coming through towards the back. 2024-40 Rating: 93 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Dec 2013)

Moderately saturated ruby-red. Expressive, complex aromas of cassis, dark chocolate, cedar, lead pencil, tobacco and fresh herbs. Velvety and fine-grained in the mouth, with energetic dark fruit flavors accented by flowers, cedar and fresh herbs. Finishes with ripe tannins and excellent sneaky length. I like the impression of sheer size and fresh fruit. Rating: 92 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (Jul 2013)

Gentle and dry. Unassuming but delicately fragrant – dark fruit plus raspberries. Powder-fine dry tannins give little friction. Perhaps this one has been fined. Elegant, dry finish. 2018-2030 Rating: 17 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2012)

The powerful 2010 is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and the balance mostly Merlot except for dollops of Petit Verdot and Carmenere that achieved 14.5% natural alcohol – a record at Clerc Milon. An intense purple color is followed by notes of incense, creme de cassis and flowers and a broad, rich wine with superb purity, concentration and depth. This layered, expansive effort could turn out to be one of the finest this estate has ever made. Give it 3-5 years of cellaring and drink it over the following two decades. 2014-2034 Rating: 91-93 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (May 2011)

(50% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot, 11% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot and 1% carmenere; 14% alcohol) Deep ruby-purple. Dense, rich nose redolent of cassis, dried herbs and violet, with a refreshing note of mint emerging with air. Smooth, full and rich on entry, with pure, precise black fruit and herbal flavors. Big, strapping tannins are silky and sweet. A very big, expressive Clerc Milon that manages to deploy its considerable power with uncommon charm and refinement. Call me crazy, but I thought I could pick up the green pepper note given by the carmenere. Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy, who was previously at Opus One for ten years, has worked for the past two years at Clerc Milon with Philippe Dhalluin (the technical director and general manager of the Mouton estates), and his involvement is starting to show in a string of ever-improving wines from Clerc Milon. And the greater attention to detail can't be a bad thing either, given the difficulties presented by working with such a high-quality but complex site (230 different parcels of vines!). This 2010 struck me as much better than the 2009. Rating: 90-93 Ian d'Agata, www.vinousmedia.com (May 2011)

Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Merlot 36%, Cabernet Franc 11%, Petit Verdot 2% and Carmenere 1% - a little less Merlot and a lot more Cabernet Franc compared to 2009. The alcohol is 14.5%, reflecting Merlot's higher contribution here. A dark, glossy, dark crimson hue in the glass. Really seductive fruit character here, very expressive and open, far more so than d'Armailhac. There are dried fruits with a darker twist here, notes of black cherry and black raspberry. The palate is polished, quite creamy in terms of composition, seductive and yet relaxed and composed. The tannins have a lightly grainy feel to them, the acidity is firm, but together the whole seems very relaxed despite its flattering flesh. It is the frame of acid and tannin matched with the fruit texture that does this I think. Long finish, the tannins a touch more chewy here - the Merlot? Nevertheless, overall very attractive indeed. Rating: 17.5-18.5/20 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2011)

Tasted 17 Feb: Lighter on nose than Armailhac. Tea-leaves freshness – more attenuated than Armailhac. Very crude and raw. Very, very young! The last vat finished its malolactic only very recently apparently. Will settle down. Tasted 8 Apr: Mid purplish crimson. Serious dry tobacco/leather spectrum notes on the nose. And then ripe black fruits. Really quite sweet and opulent on the palate. Those Cabernets seem just a tiny bit struggling up the hill to full ripeness... Bone-dry finish. (Score: 17 20-33) Tasted blind 8 Apr: Mid crimson. Pale rim. Very ripe nose. Very thick, ripe and dramatic. Loose and a bit formless with a dry finish. There’s a little tart note in there which some people might find a bit much. Drying finish. Fades rather fast. But overall there is succulence. It is clear that a lot of work has gone into this. (Score: 17 18-30) 2022-2035 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2011)

Rich blackcurrant fruit with some dry herbs/coffee spice nose, very good middle fruit and a firm, elegant structure and class, a château on top form. Drink 2018-35. Rating: ****18 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2011)

A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Camenere is a little reticent at first, but after 2 minutes of rigorous coaxing evolves a very pure nose of macerated black cherries, blueberry and cassis with very fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with a compact entry that seems to expand as it remain in the mouth. The tannins are a little more prominent than the d’Armailhac with a citrus-like freshness on the finish. It has a little more alcohol (14.5%) thanks to the Merlot compared to the others, but there it is what you might describe as a joyous Clerc-Milon. Drink 2015- Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2011)

I can’t remember tasting a young Clerc as exciting as this since the 1980s. Fascinating aromas of blackberries and currant jam. Very deep. Tar too. Full and very dense. It just tickles the tip of your tongue. So much there. 50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 36 per cent Merlot, 11 percent Cabernet Franc, 2 percent Petit Verdot, and 1 percent Carmenere. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2011)

A blend of 50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 36 percent Merlot, 11 percent Cabernet Franc, 2 percent Petit Verdot and 1 percent Carmenère, sourced from 99 acres (40 hectares) of vines located between the plateaus of Mouton and Lafite and the Gironde estuary. The wine shows an even more rounded feel than the d’Armailhac, with cassis, black licorice and plum sauce carried by very supple but substantial tannins and terrific acidity. The long finish has a solid tarry edge. As with d’Armailhac, assuming current price trends hold, this promises to be a steal in ageworthy Pauillac. Rating: 93-96 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Mar 2011)