CHÂTEAU CLERC MILON 2018

Château Clerc Milon 2018

“The 2018 Clerc Milon is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it has a very pure, beautifully delineated nose of crushed blackcurrants, fresh black plums and boysenberries with hints of wild thyme, damp soil, tar and black olives. The medium to full-bodied palate offers taut, muscular black fruit with loads of savory layers and a firm, grainy texture, finishing long and mineral tinged.” – 94/100, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

VARIETIES: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Carmenère
REGION: Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
AGEING: 18 months in French oak barrels, of which 55% are new
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/WE, 96/D, 95/JS, 94/RP, 93/WS, 93/JD
VIVINO: Average 4.2 ★★★★✰

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

Vintage 2018
The first half of 2018 was marked by heavy rainfall and severe hailstorms during the winter, followed by a much milder spring. Cool temperatures in March were followed by a warm spell in April which favoured vegetation growth and brought the vines into flower slightly earlier than usual. This trend was confirmed from June onwards as hot and sunny weather resulted in the vine cycle being 5 days ahead of average.

In July, high humidity coupled with the summer heat made it difficult to keep the vines healthy, but constant care from our growers ensured that all the qualities of the vineyard were preserved. Fortunately, hot and dry weather then set in for three months, with temperatures sometimes reaching more than 30°C, ending the mildew attacks.

Although conditions in the first half of the year did not herald a great harvest, the record-breaking temperatures, low rainfall and relative drought that followed in the summer months rectified the situation. The grapes were small but outstandingly rich in sugar and tannins.

The advance in the vine cycle and the hot, dry summer meant that the harvest began in late August for the white grapes and early September for the red grapes.

At Château Clerc Milon, picking started with the Merlot on 17 September and ended with the Petit Verdot and Carmenère on 10 October. The wines are intensely coloured and have excellent tannic structures. They are remarkably dense and smooth, with a rare concentration of aroma and flavour. Yields were smaller because of the drought, but the vintage can already be reckoned one of the great successes.