CHÂTEAU CLERC MILON
2019 5ème Cru Classé Pauillac
Just 22% Merlot this year - unlike the more normal 34% they had last year. You can notice it immediately. This is so pretty and enticing on the nose. Lots of red berries add real lift to the darker core of pure refined fruit. Refreshingly taut and intense aromas swirl. There is nothing baked here in the fruit profile. A heady mix of bright black currants and small pert red berries - juicy and moreish. Nice green tobacco leaf a whiff of menthol. Its the feel and the energy that really sing here. Glorious, juicy lift. Tannins are 'barely there' - but build to a surprising level of seriousness, just creep up and you realise how well put together this Clerc-Milon is. Great lively feel and bright flow. Just a hint of some darker, more brooding power in the background, but this is a wine you simply want to drink. (72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.)L&S (Jun 2020)
* 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 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. Drinking range: 2025 - 2045 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
The 2019 Clerc Milon is seriously impressive. Dense, plush and explosive, Clerc Milon delivers a captivating mix of inky, dense fruit intermingled with savory accents from the 72% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend (the highest since 1986). Dried herbs, tobacco, menthol and licorice weave into the deep, resonant finish. Superb. Drinking range: 2027 - 2039 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
As I stated in my review from barrel, the 2019 Clerc Milon contains a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (72%), from massal selection parcels that are reaching maturity. This has a very intense bouquet, perhaps now leaning more toward black than red fruit; iodine, blood orange and graphite scents emerge with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and vivacious, with fine-boned tannins, good focus and a silky-smooth texture toward the graphite-tinged finish. There is more elegance here than I noticed last year. This should evolve into a top-grade Clerc-Milon. Drinking range: 2026 - 2042 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
Beautifully judged extraction of fruit, and a tender quality to the tannins. A touch of gunsmoke on the finish, with a tightrope walk of acidity and concentrated blackcurrant and black cherry fruit. This is confident, precise, not overly generous, but gives the most lovely Pauillac kick. 65% new oak. The last full vintage of Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy at Clerc Milon before he headed over to Mouton Rothschild (with the 2020 working across both Clerc Milon and Mouton). Harvest September 19 to October 9. Drinking range: 2028 - 2044 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jan 2022)
The 2019 Clerc Milon contains a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (72%) as more of their sélection massale comes "on line". It is quite intense on the nose, a mixture of red and black fruit, sous-bois and traces of tobacco. There is a fullness to the aromatics that I appreciate, hints of brown spice emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. This is not a bold, structured Clerc Milon. This feels elegant and refined, gently building to a lightly spiced finish with judicious cracked black pepper and clove notes. Understated and classy. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)
Dense, reserved, even broody. Broader across the palate but with real length and drive. Good fruit weight. Firm but very fine tannins. Chalky freshness through and through. Almost but not quite on the right bank. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 17+ James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Jun 2020)
The blend this year is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, harvested from the 19th of September to the 9th of October. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Clerc Milon starts out a little closed and broody, offering notes of tar, chargrill, tapenade and Marmite toast over an emerging core of stewed plums, black cherries and kirsch with a touch of garrigue. The medium-bodied palate delivers loads of freshness with crunchy black fruits and a lively line, backed up by grainy tannins, finishing long and savory. Rating: 92-94+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Jun 2020)
The wine has the highest levels of Cabernet Sauvignon since the 1980s, and even on the nose you can feel its impact in terms of the depth of tight black fruit. Extremely good quality with fine tannins that build, build, build over the palate, and grip on, forcing you to slow down and pay attention. Beautiful spice with menthol, slate, pencil lead, blackberry and blackcurrant. An exciting wine with real energy and forward motion, helped to withstand the summer heat by its position by the river, and the fact that the average age of the vines at Clerc Milon is almost 50 years. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Jean Emmanuel Danjoy's last outing doing the full vintage at Clerc Milon before he heads over to Mouton as technical director. Drinking range: 2028 - 2044 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2020)
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 2023 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.