CHÂTEAU CLERC MILON
2018 5ème Cru Classé Pauillac
One sniff of this and we were smitten. There is gorgeous, fragrant blackcurrent and blackberry fruit interwoven with spice, menthol and violet. The billowy tannins are perfectly integrated and there is a lovely succulence and density to the mid-palate. This is Pauillac in a decadent style but it's all perfectly in balance. One of the top wines we tasted from this famous village and punching well above its fifth growth status. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040L&S (Apr 2019)
* 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.
Excellent quality, with abundant juice, slate tannins, plump black cherry, fig and blackberry fruit, ripe and rich in the character of the 2018 vintage but this is still a Pauillac with a firm voice. Eucalyptus, cocoa bean, turmeric, sage and liqourice add layers to the finish. Harvest September 17 to October 10. Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy technical director. Drinking range: 2028 - 2045 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Nov 2022)
If you haven't checked back in with Clerc Milon recently, this is the vintage to see what they have been doing. Real purity to the fruit character, this is Pauillac blackcurrant and blackberry, hawthorn and hedegrow, liqouorice, eucalyptus and crushed mint leaf. Poised and confient, and ready to go long. Harvest from 17 September to 10 October. Such excellent winemaking from Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy (now over at sibling estate Mouton Rothschild). 50% new oak. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (Oct 2021)
The 2018 Clerc Milon has a nicely detailed bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, light cassis and iodine aromas gently unfurling from the glass, the new oak neatly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with graphite-infused black fruit. Quite a strict and linear Clerc Milon, it is classic Pauillac from start to finish. The pencil-lead-tinged, quite sinewy finish lingers wonderfully. Give this 3–4 years in bottle and then serve with a simple meat dish. Drinking range: 2024 - 2045 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
The 2018 Clerc Milon is showing beautifully today. Gorgeous savory notes from the Cabernet Sauvignon open first, showing the modern direction of Clerc Milon towards a more Cabernet focused wine. Dried flowers, menthol, licorice, graphite and black cherry are all laced together effortlessly. The tannins have settled down a bit since en primeur, which is a very good sign for the future. Drinking range: 2024 - 2043 Rating: 93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
Blackcurrants, tobacco, graphite, cloves and dried leaves on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Structured and compact with a long, mineral finish. Tight and austere. Very pretty structure here. Wait until 2025. Rating: 95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)
This throws off a lovely stream of violet and cassis aromas and flavors that are sleek and pure in feel, picking up dark cherry, iron and sanguine details along the way. Refined and cellarworthy. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenère. Drinking range: 2023 - 2035 Rating: 93 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Jan 2021)
Beautiful, with a thrilling freshness and purity, especially in its tannins, the 2018 Château Clerc Milon is full-bodied, concentrated, and layered on the palate, with ample fruit and texture paired with terrific overall balance. Loaded with dark, smoky red and black fruits, graphite, cedar, and tobacco, it's an elegant yet powerful wine. The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot and Carménère, all aged in 50% new oak. Rating: 92-94 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)
The 2018 Clerc Milon is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère. Grapes were harvested a bit later here than at Mouton, from September 17 to October 10. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with bold scents of warm cassis, blackberry compote and dark chocolate with hints of Morello cherries, baking spices and dried roses plus a waft of underbrush. It has a wonderfully rich, confidently sensuous palate with plenty of spicy layers and a velvety texture, finishing long and perfumed. This should age incredibly. Rating: 93-95 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)
Very dark cherry colour. Beautifully aromatic – not just pure black fruit but tea leaf and a touch floral. Silky and fresh, elegant in its texture. Juicy and fresh on the finish and much more open than the Armailhac just tasted, the tannins not as thick. Drinking range: 2028 - 2038 Rating: 17 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)
Very generous and dense with layers of gorgeous blackberries and blueberries. Full-bodied and so layered with fantastic tannin backbone at the same time. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)
Here we have a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère, all picked between September 17th and October 10th. The alcohol is 14.1%. This shows a superb combination of sweetly perfumed fruit and grilled energy, pure with chalk dust, mineral limestone, black cherry and currant fruits, all in a very elegant frame. The palate is magnificent, polished and broad, filled with tightly defined fruits, dark and grippy, with a grilled intensity but no shortage of freshness and acidity. An impressive finish, brimming with tannin, and no shortage of impact. A pure, cool and energetic style, with great substance. This has to be one of the best Clerc-Milons for years. Tasted twice. The élevage will be in 50% new and 50% second-fill oak. 94-96/100 Rating: 94-96 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)
This spicy wine has an undertone of oak that adds to the richness. While there is a dense blackberry flavor, the bright acidity shines through to lighten it up. It's a fine wine with plenty of aging potential. Rating: 94 Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast www.winemag.com (Apr 2019)
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 on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at 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 £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
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). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.