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Goedhuis, May 2021, Score: 94-96
53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
Tremendous in every way! Attention seeking aromas of liquorice, black olive, mocha and Arabian spice. As the initial attack of succulence and juiciness unfolds, the bright driven Pauillac energy develops in the palate to give a feeling of precision and structure. Very composed with appellational masculinity and the lift of freshness at the finish shows off a wine with great potential.
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Neal Martin, Janurary 2024, Score: 91
The 2020 Clerc Milon has a more classically styled bouquet. It's well-defined with leafy red fruit, gradually gaining more intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied and fleshy with pliant tannins and pastille-like purity, possessing gentle grip toward the slightly candied finish. It's leaves behind a very persistent spicy aftertaste. Give this a couple of years in bottle. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
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Neal Martin, May 2021, Score: 91-93
The 2020 Clerc Milon has a crisp, well-defined bouquet that you might suspect derives from a cooler growing season. Mainly black fruit here, along with cedar and light sea spray/estuarine scents, unfolding nicely in the glass but always keeping something back. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. An elegant rather than powerful Clerc Milon, with a slightly ferrous, well-structured but never grippy finish and a saline aftertaste. Give this 4–5 years in bottle. Classic Pauillac through and through. Drink 2027 - 2045
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Antonio Galloni, June 2021, Score: 90-92
The 2020 Clerc Milon is soft, fruity and supple. Inky red fruit, plum, lavender, rose petal and spice all meld together in the glass. The 2020 is not terribly complex, but it is open-knit, radiant, and incredibly appealing, even in the early going. I suspect it will offer quite a bit of pleasure right out of the gate. The proportion of Merlot is a bit higher in this year's blend, which no doubt contributes to the wine's appeal. Tasted two times. Drink 2025 - 2040
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Wine Advocate, May 2021, Score: 92-94
The 2020 Clerc Milon - a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot with just a splash of Carmenere - has a deep garnet-purple color, opening with notes of tar, unsmoked cigars, bouquet garni and graphite, giving way to a core of ripe black and red currants, boysenberries and tree bark, plus a touch of black olives. The medium-bodied palate delivers fantastic tension and impressively ripe, fine-grained tannins to support the crunchy, energetic black fruit flavors, finishing with a lively herbal lift. Drink 2025-2040
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James Suckling, April 2021, Score: 94
This is very full and layered with lots of blackcurrant and walnut and hints of spice. It’s full-bodied and chewy, yet the tannins are polished and energetic.
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Decanter, May 2021, Score: 94
Powerful, a little austere with tight black fruits that will benefit from adding flesh over ageing, as the tannins are a little angular right now. The freshly crushed mint leaf finish is beautiful, and this is is ripped with powerful nuanced fruit, tobacco and earthy flavours, followed by waves of violet flowers. Good quality, not as exuberant as some years of Clerc Milon. First year of Caroline Artaud to oversee the entire vintage, as Jean-Philippe Danjoy has headed over to Mouton. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 50% new oak. There is also 0.6% of Carmanère in the blend. Drink 2028-2044 (JA)
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Matthew Jukes, April 2021, Score: 17.5+
The nose is a little muted on Clerc Milon and the palate seems a little more slender than usual, too, but this is not surprising when you read the super-fit 13.28% alcohol. While it might seem like this wine is perhaps not quite plush enough to support the oak and the tannins, which are rather noble, that there is surprising energy behind the scenes. Going back to the nose, there is a haunting red fruit aspect to Clerc Milon which, combined with the darker tones on the palate, is yearning to be set free. This is an extremely elegant wine and one which will certainly open up beautifully given time.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2021, Score: 17.5
Dense and profound with layers of fruit and tannin. Subdued nose with a floral note. Tannins powdery but very finely layered. Exudes power but is harmonious at the same time. (JL) 13.3%. Drink 2027 – 2045
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Jeb Dunnuck, May 2021, Score: 93-95
The top wine 2020 Château Clerc Milon checks in as 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Petit Verdot and Carmenère, and it's another beauty, offering both richness and elegance. Ripe currants, cassis, damp earth, graphite, and crushed stone-like minerality define the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a more focused, pure texture, plenty of expansive richness on the mid-palate, and ripe, building tannins. This beautifully layered, pure wine shows the style of the vintage nicely.
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Wine Cellar Insider, May 2021, Score: 94-96
With a floral, spicy, tobacco leaf, currant and chocolate filled perfume, the wine is elegant, fresh, supple and silky. There is a beautiful sweetness to the currants, cherries and plums in the mouth. The sensation of the Merlot comes through the blend more than usual as you find a touch of dark chocolate gently coating your palate in the finish, adding length, texture and complexity. This is so good now. But it is going to be even better with 7-9 years of age. The wine blends 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 13.3% ABV. 94-96
