Refined power from the heart of Pauillac. The 2017 Clerc Milon is a bold yet elegant blend led by Cabernet Sauvignon, showing layers of blackberries, graphite, violets, and cocoa. Richly textured and beautifully structured, it balances muscular fruit with fine-grained tannins and fresh minerality. With complexity already unfolding and decades ahead to evolve, this is a Left Bank classic in the making.

Jamessuckling.com | JS 95
Published: Jan 10, 2020

This is a rich and profound red with blackberries, blackcurrants, pine needles and graphite. Black licorice, too. Full-bodied, crisp and creamy with fantastic tannin backbone and length. Deep. A blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 23% merlot, 14% cabernet franc, 2% petit verdot and 1% carmenere. Try after 2022.

The Wine Advocate | RP 94+
Published: Mar 16, 2020
Drink: 2022-2045 

The 2017 Clerc Milon is medium to deep garnet-purple colored and offers up a gorgeous nose of potpourri, cinnamon stick, candied violets and kirsch over a core of warm cassis, plum preserves and boysenberries with a waft of garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers loads of muscular fruit with a firm, fine-grained texture and tons of freshness, finishing long and perfumed.

Decanter | D 94
Published: Nov 21, 2019
Drink: 2024-2038 

A significant step up from Pastourelle in this vintage. There is austerity here, but alongside it offers sap and a sense of crunchy bright fruit, full of depth, complexity and muscles. As it opens, the chocolate, graphite character comes out strongly. Give it a good 8 years to reach its drinking window. Yet more proof of the potential of this estate. 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère make up the blend. 45% new oak.

Chateau-clerc-milon.com

Climatic Conditions
After a relatively mild winter with below average rainfall, frost hit the whole Bordeaux terroir on 27 April. 2017 will also be remembered for a particularly lengthy drought, which did not truly end until December.

Spurred by above average temperatures, the vine growth cycle started slightly earlier than usual, at the end of March. Exceptional weather in April and May meant that flowering occurred 10 days earlier than the average for all varieties. After a very wet June, the summer was moderately sunny but dry, increasing a water deficit which started in 2016. As a result, the grapes remained small, with concentrated sugar and colour.

With an early growth cycle and a dry summer, the 2017 harvest was particularly early. It was also exceptionally long, as picking took place over four weeks across the three estates. At Château Clerc Milon, the harvest started with the Merlot grapes on 13 September and ended with the Petit Verdot and Carmenère on 29 September. Running-off ended on 20 October and blending was finalised in December.

The wines are rich, with a deep colour and an attractive tannic structure, both full-bodied and pleasantly fresh even though 2017 is a “solar” vintage. Less wine was made than in an average year because of the drought.

Tasting Notes
A rich colour with a garnet hue.

The nose opens on blackberry notes mingled with refined hints of roasted coffee beans. With airing, noble and delicate notes of graphite, flint and cocoa round off this very attractive array of aromas.

A fresh and full-bodied attack leaves an impression of generosity and superb balance, leading into a mid-palate on cherry-stone and dark chocolate flavours underpinned by chiselled tannins. The slightly chalky finish is mineral and very long.

Varietal mix 2017 Vintage
60%    Cabernet Sauvignon
23%    Merlot
14%    Cabernet Franc
2%    Petit Verdot
1%    Carmenère