CHÂTEAU CLERC MILON 2016

Château Clerc Milon 2016

“Always more muscular and powerful than Armailhac, there’s no surprise that this has closed down more than its sibling. The complexity of the layers are still on display, showcasing fresh menthol, cranberry, white pepper, black olive, rose and blackberry, all wrapped up in a tight tannic hold. There are some wonderful toasted caramel notes, subdued but rich and tight, waiting to show their exuberance on the finish. There’s no doubt that this is as good as I thought en primeur, but it needs time to open up, and I would suggest the full 10 years. 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere finish up the blend.” – 96/100, Decanter

VARIETIES: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Carmenère, average vine age 40 years
REGION: Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
AGEING: 50% in new barrels during 16 month/s
GUARDING POTENTIAL: Enjoy now or will cellar well up to 15 years
SERVE: Serve at 16 – 18ºC
FITS TO: Grilled or roasted lamb and a well-chosen Pauillac wine as good a pairing as it gets, also a perfect wine with not overly seasoned meat dishes, such as marbled steak, roasted duck and game
CRITICS SCORES: 96/JS, 96/D, 95/WE, 95/JD, 94/WS, 94/RP
VIVINO: Average 4.2 ★★★★✰

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5ᵉ Grand Cru Classé – 1855, Pauillac Appellation | Range | Château Clerc Milon

Vintage 2016
In 2016, there were two main trends in the weather as we experienced it in Pauillac:

– A very wet winter and spring: more than half of the annual rainfall came in the first four months of the year, including a record 240 mm in January.

– An extremely dry summer and autumn without any significant rainfall, resulting in a water deficit at the end of the year. As a consequence of the summer drought, the grapes were numerous but remained rather small, making for density and concentration. High temperatures in August and September allowed for slow ripening and excellent maturity, so that the harvest started with the Merlot on 26 September and continued in perfect conditions until 15 October.

– In the vat house, each grape variety and each plot were, as usual, vinified separately in order to let their intrinsic character shine through. The wines, which have now been blended, offer remarkable colour, intense fruit and spice aromas and a dense texture of very rich and well-rounded tannins.