Château Clerc Milon 2022

Already en primeur, this wine impressed with great florality and precision; once bottled, the impression is confirmed: seductive on the nose, elegant on the palate, silky tannins, perfectly integrated acidity, remarkably lively, elegant and without an ounce of fat, yet dense, with an impressively long finish. An outstanding Clerc Milon.

Liquorice spice, dark fruit, dried herbs, and faint florals on the nose. Wide, succulent, and alive in the mouth. Tannins are velvety, giving structure while strawberry and cherry fruit shine. Still a little compact, narrowing slightly on the finish with bitter chocolate, coffee, and liquorice. Excellent acidity and a limestone-driven mineral core—flint, wet stone, graphite—keeping it fresh and refined. Rich yet pure, with a strong Pauillac signature. Bottled in June. 3.81 pH. Ageing 50% new oak.

Ripe, but nothing is overdone. Mint, blackberries, violets, iodine and graphite on the nose. Full-bodied with an abundance of dusty tannins that are beautiful despite the vintage’s heat and drought. A big, opulent Bordeaux that will age well. 59% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 8% cabernet franc and 1% carmenere. Drinkable now, but better after 2028. From a vertical tasting at the chateau.

The 2022 Clerc Milon is a dense, powerful wine. Dark fruit, leather, licorice, spice, menthol and chocolate are all dialed up. The 2022 offers a good bit of presence, but it also remains rather compact and unyielding at this stage. Both wines from Clerc Milon were more impressive from barrel. I suspect the 2022 may be going through a period of bottle shock. Time will ultimately tell.

Medium-bodied, elegant, fresh, vibrant, refined, and fragrant, the wine shows off its immutable charms with a single swirl and sniff. On the palate, the wine is lively, silky, and elegant. Refined in nature, the wine focuses on its softness and purity, further enhanced by a light touch of chocolate-mint on the finish that pairs perfectly with all its sweet, vibrant red berries. While you can enjoy this in its youth, remember, patience is a virtue. So give it some time in the bottle to fill out and gain complexity. The wine blends 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Carmenere. Drink from 2027–2050.

Deep dark ruby in colour with an opaque core, purple reflections, and subtle brightening on the rim. A very multi-faceted and inviting nose with a subtle touch of suede, a hint of dark berries, nuances of clove, some bourbon vanilla, and a fine touch of cassis. The full-bodied palate is elegant, with fine, silky tannins, ripe cherry fruit and a saline minerality on the delicately chocolatey finish, harmonious and persistent, accessible and drinkable now but also has definite ageing potential. (1/25, +30, PM).

The finest example of the château I've tasted, the 2022 Château Clerc Milon is deep purple-hued with a sensational perfume of crème de cassis, spring flowers, spicy oak, and graphite. It's full-bodied, concentrated, has a weightless mouthfeel, and beautiful tannins, all making for a riveting Pauillac. It needs a decade of bottle age to hit prime time, but this is another truly special 2022 that readers should pounce on.

The depth is clear in the velvety texture and colour, and it unfurls across the palate with quiet confidence. Plenty of grip and supple tannins that cradle the cassis and bilberry fruit, studded with olive, cocoa bean, white pepper, slate, clear spice, intense phenolics, and this is excellent quality. Caroline Artaud, technical director. Old-vine Carmanère no doubt helps add the spice and an eucalyptus edge. 63% of production in this wine, 55% new oak, pH 3.83. Yield of 37 hl/ha.

On the nose, a lush English garden of interwoven ripe berries: wild blackberry, plum and blackcurrant. The palate is tender and serene, with sappy red fruit melting gracefully across the palate. A horizontal wine, all fluidity, unfolding a silky, delicate caress.

Deep, beautiful colour. An intense, subtle nose with ripe fruit aromas. Fleshy on the attack, smoother than ever on the mid-palate, with a fine texture and a full, rich body, the wine glides through to the finish. In the final third of the palate, it delivers complex, very persistent sensations. It’s very good.

All the hallmarks of a great wine converge toward absolute seduction. Its pulpy texture gives it a distinctive pedigree, recalling the silkiness of a meringue batter, with volume unfurling from the attack through to the finish. 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 1% Carménère: the blend is the result of rigorous selection to build a slender edifice housing a rich aromatic palette combining plum and black cherry, with suave notes of Havana cigar and cigar box. Its resolved, supple tannins accompany the juicy, sapid sensation, and the finish is adorned with a spicy glow.

This is a seriously concentrated wine, with dense tannins and powerful black fruits. The wine has a fine, spicy aroma from the judicious wood aging along with balance and blackberry flavors. Drink from 2028.

Aromas of sweet crème de cassis, licorice, violets and creamy new oak introduce the 2022 Clerc Milon, a full-bodied, rich and layered wine that's deep and vibrant, with ripe, integrated tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long finish. As I wrote en primeur, its clay-limestone terroir lends it a distinctive signature that sets it apart from the rest of the portfolio.