2017 Chateau Clerc Milon - 5eme Cru Pauillac

Decanter.com – 95 pts – JA: *Creamy weight through the body, although as with the 2001 this is a vintage that stays on the lighter side of its Pauillac tannins. As it opens, you get subtle layers of blackberry, flint, graphite, cassis, touches of smoked coffee beans. A separate vineyard and cellar team had been in charge here since 2009, headed up by ex-Opus One winemaker Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy. The 300 plots of the vineyard had been reworked down to 70 or so plots through careful land purchases, and the vineyard worked carefully to ensure the roots could travel deeper. Blend completed with 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmanère, because at this point a new wine cellar with smaller tanks made it possible to vinify them apart.* - 08/2020

Falstaff Magazin - 92 pts - PM: *Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung, feiner Nougattouch, ein Hauch von dunklem Waldbeerkonfit, zart nach Orangenzesten. Saftig, rund und elegant, zarte Tannine, frisch strukturiert, ausgewogen, anegenehme Würze, ein facettenreicher Speisenbegleiter.* -05/2018

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 93-95pts - LPB: *A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère, the 2017 Clerc Milon is deep garnet-purple in color and scented of crushed red and black currants, wild blueberries and black pepper with touches of cigar box, violets, underbrush and menthol. Medium-bodied and with a very firm structure of wonderfully ripe, pixelated tannins and exhilarating freshness, it finishes long with notes of pebbles and floral perfume.* -04/2018

Vinum Magazin – 17,5/20 pts: *Bleibt lecker und saftig trotz der präsenten kompakten Struktur, dem tragenden, runden Tanningerüst, der grossen Dichte und Länge, besitzt Schliff und grosse Klasse.*- 09/2020

Weinwisser - 17/20 pts - GL: *Dichtes Granat mit aufhellendem Rand. Intensives Waldbeerbouquet mit Rosenholz und hellem Tabak. Am festen Gaumen mit straffem, sehnigem Körper. Im gebündelten Finale reife Preiselbeeren, frisches Kakaopulver und zarte Adstingenz. Kommt leider nicht an das Vorjahr heran.* - 05/2018

JancisRobinson.com – 16+/20pts – TP: *Tasted blind. Deep ruby colour. Pure blackcurrant fruit on the nose, with some anise and clove. Rich but ripe and sandy tannins on the palate frame an intense, tight core of black fruit. There is a little warmth on the back end, but there is enough density to retain balance.* - 09/2021

JamesSuckling.com - 90-91pts - JS: *A juicy and fruity red with tile, dark-berry and stone character. Medium-bodied, fresh and chewy. A little one-dimensional now but will turn out very well. Second wine of Clerc.* -04/2018

Vinous.com – 92 pts – AG: *A real sleeper in this vintage, the 2017 Clerc Milon packs a serious punch. Inky dark fruit, new leather, mint and lavender infuse the 2017 with striking layers of dimension. In 2017, Clerc Milon is shockingly intense, the result of a year with quite a bid of dehydration on the vine. There is no shortage of depth or structure, at least in the early going. I can't wait to see how the 2017 ages.* - 12/2019

Vinous.com – 92 pts – NM: *The 2017 Clerc Milon, which contains a tiny lot of Carmenère, has a delightful bouquet that offers blackberry, briary flecks of cocoa nibs and freshly rolled tobacco. It is tightly wound at the moment and simply requires bottle age. The palate is medium-bodied with a fresh, vibrant entry. It is a strict and quite linear Clerc Milon, "correct" to the point of being straight-laced with a well defined, classically styled off-dry finish. Fine, classy, if medium rather than long-term. What you might call a "cool" customer.* - 09/2019

Thewinecellarinsider.com – 93 pts – JL: *Minerality and salty tannins heighten the natural sweetness of the deep, red fruits. The wine has vitality, gentleness and the structure to age. The finish delivers ripe cassis, blackberry, licorice and even more rock and stone. Certainly this is one of the best vintages for Clerc Milon. An arrangement of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% old vine Carmenere, the wine reached 13.2% ABV with a pH of 3.64. The harvest took place September 13 to September 29.* - 04/2018