CHÂTEAU CLERC MILON
2014 5ème Cru Classé Pauillac
Tasted at Mouton and really held its own here. 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Carmenere. Refined, pretty nose is full of attractive lifted red toned fruit and a dusting of attractive cedary spice. There is a great Pauillac feel - broad and undeniably firm, but still full of fine, dark cherry fruit. Finishes quite taut but silky fruit feel firmed up by a dusting of super fine tannin that builds to the finish. Rating: 92 L&S (Apr 2015)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2014 Clerc Milon has a vivacious and forward bouquet with cedar and graphite-infused black fruit, violet traces emerging with time, oozing with class. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, graphite once more defining the appellation. It's tensile and almost citrus-fresh on the finish. Plenty of energy is evident in this Pauillac, which should guarantee its longevity. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting. Drinking range: 2025 - 2050 Rating: 94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2024)
Firm plum in colour, the texture is supple and seductive with Pauillac tannic grip kicking in alongside gourmet cocoa bean, cassis, pomegrante and red liquorice. Still young but you can begin to enjoy this with a good few hours in a carafe - unquestionably a 2014 to look out for. Further precision work had been done in the vineyard by this point, not only in the grape selection, but soil restructing work to ensure the roots were heading deeper down. Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy technical director. 50% new oak. Drinking range: 2024 - 2042 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Nov 2022)
The 2014 Clerc Milon has a comparatively sultry bouquet, introspective with blackberry and briary scents, undergrowth and pencil lead. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, edgy and tensile with much more energy than the aromatics suggest. It does not have the ambition of the drive of d’Armailhac, but it feels long in the mouth thanks to that persistent graphite aftertaste. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2020 - 2040 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2018)
Deep crimson. A little austere and edgy. May all settle down eventually but it tastes very angular now. Drying end. Lots of ingredients looking for a style? Drinking range: 2026 - 2045 Rating: 16.5+ Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Feb 2018)
The 2014 Clerc Milon is another juicy, fruit-driven wine from the Mouton Rothschild team. A veritable explosion of aromas and flavors makes a strong first impression. Lavender, spice, violet, mint and a array of blue and black stone fruits build into the racy, exotic finish. In 2014, the Cabernet Sauvignon is up and the Merlot is down in the blend. Drinking range: 2020 - 2039 Rating: 93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2017)
The Château Clerc-Milon 2014 contains less Merlot than usual as the old vines produced just 15 hectoliters per hectare. The blend consists of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère. Like the d’Armailhac '14, there is a sense of opulence on the nose, ripe blackberry intermingling with black olives. The palate is rich and quite tangy on the entry. This is a “full-on” Clerc-Milon, quite extravagant in the context of the vintage, not a shy Pauillac, perhaps due to that expressive old vine Merlot? There is a pinch of soy on the finish that continues onto the aftertaste. Feisty Clerc-Milon for those who want a bit of va-va-va-voom in their Pauillac. Drinking range: 2019 - 2038 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2015)
More briary, robust and structured than its stablemate d'Armailhac. Impressive vineyard depth - a serious Pauillac on top form. (Highly Recommended Pauillac, Decanter.) Drinking range: 2020 - 2035 Rating: 91 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2015)
In my opinion the most compelling wine from the Mouton stable this year was the Clerc Milon – this really shone. Its release price is 8 per cent up on the 2012 but still compares favourably with back-vintages.Victoria Moore, The Daily Telegraph (Apr 2015)
Dark red cherry, plum, smoke, tobacco, new leather and licorice flesh out in the 2014 Clerc Milon. Deep and pliant to the core, the 2014 boasts notable resonance from start to finish. Although not a huge wine, the 2014 is long on finesse and class, with silky tannins that balance some of the more overt elements. Hints of cedar, tobacco, earthiness and herbs add the final shades of dimension. Today, the 2014 is quite inward and not fully expressive, but it is nevertheless absolutely impeccable. The blend is 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère. Rating: 91-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2015)
Very dark crimson. Mineral lift on the nose. Quite zesty and lifted and savoury - but the fruit is a little raw. Lots of freshness but not too stringy. Although, as for Armailhac, it’s a bit demanding and astringent on the finish. And does not last as long. Astringent finish. Lots of effort and density here. For the moment it’s a bit brawny and angular but it should come right in the end. Drinking range: 2023 - 2035 Rating: 16.5+ Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2015)
Both nose and palate have a strong black fruit character firm black cherry backed by fresher bramble. There is mid sweetness hints of black truffles the sweetness giving way to freshness firmness on the back palate yet the finish is sweet with fair depth. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 88-92 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Apr 2015)
Clerc Milon is often a comparative bargain among Pauillac's classed growths and this is particularly true in 2014. Deeply coloured, vibrant and aromatic, it's a scented, complex wine with an undertow of acidity, well integrated tannins and the oak and concentration to age. Very attractive. (One of Tim's Top 10 Value Reds.) Drinking range: 2020 - 2028 Rating: 93 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2015)
Delightfully plump and juicy, with a core of fresh plum, blackberry and cherry fruit, lined with alder and dark tea notes. A long iron note is well-buried, and there’s more flesh here than in the d’Armailhac, with the tannins feeling rounder and more supple. Should be delicious. Tasted non-blind. Rating: 91-94 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2015)
A linear and fine Clerc with iodine, red clay and blueberry character. Full body and fine tannins. Tight and refined. Very straight and racy. Rating: 91-92 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2015)
Château Clerc Milon
Pauillac Cinquième cru 1855 The tiny village of Milon is in the far north of the Pauillac commune and lends its name to Château Duhart-Milon. Château Clerc Milon is a kilometre away to the east, the other side of Château Lafite-Rothschild in the village of Mousset but, for some reason, also adopted the name of Milon. The Clerc comes from Jean-Baptiste Clerc who owned the château at the time of the 1855 classification when it was accorded 5th Growth status - a status that the Rothschilds (of Mouton, who bought the run-down estate in 1970) have striven hard to exceed. As far as neighbours go, they don't come more impressive than Clerc Milon's - the vineyards adjoin both those of Château Lafite-Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild. That's quite a lot to compete with! The vineyards are planted to around 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, a proportion that has slowly been reduced over the years in favour of Merlot (40%). There is just over 10% Cabernet Franc, a little Petit Verdot and, very unusually for Bordeaux these days, a small amount of Carmenere. The label shows an ornate pair of jewelled dancing clowns that are part of the art collection at Mouton Rothschild.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.