Chateau Clerc Milon (Futures Pre-Sale) 2012
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Wong
Wilfred -
Parker
Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
While fully ripe on the palate, this wine also boasts acidity and a black-currant freshness. It shows the quality of Cabernet from Pauillac in 2012.
Barrel Sample: 93-95 Points -
Wine Spectator
Juicy and round in feel, with a core of fleshy plum and blackberry fruit. A light briary edge frames the core, revealing enticing savory and chalk notes on the finish. Shows a touch more range and floral lift in the end than the d'Armailhac.
Barrel Sample: 91-94 Points -
James Suckling
This has a savory and juicy character to it that many wines in the Medoc lacked in 2012. Full body, with creamy tannins and a rich finish. Pretty finish too. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 9% Franc,1% Petit Verdot, and 1% Carmenere.
Range: 92-93 -
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Chateau Clerc Milon produced an excellent wine in 2012. The wine offers loads of black fruits, some pencil shavings, and sweet oak. Its finish combines exhilarating freshness and well-managed tannins. (Tasted: April 8, 2013, Pauillac, France) Barrel Sample: 91-93
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is another strong effort from the Mouton Rothschild stable and its excellent administrator Philippe Dhalluin. The 2012 Clerc Milon has an almost blackish-blue opaque color, soft tannins, ripe notes of blackcurrants, licorice and subtle background oak. There is an attractive floral, licorice quality to the fruit. The wine is medium to full-bodied and beautifully pure with ripe tannin. It is soft enough to be approachable in several years and should drink well for 20.
An 1855 Classified Growth, Château Clerc Milon is in a unique location in Pauillac. Bordering two Classified First Growths, it has 41 hectares (100 acres) of vines in a single sweep, mostly on the beautiful Mousset outcrop overlooking the Gironde. The estuary and its sea breezes moderate temperature variations while the geological formation encourages natural drainage and optimises the vines’ exposure to the sun. The soil comprises deep, sandy gravel over a clay-limestone base which crops out in the eastern part of the estate. The vineyard’s slopes and proximity to the Gironde estuary create a unique topography and microclimate.
The vineyard, mostly comprising plots first planted in the early 20th century, offers a singular genetic heritage and rich biodiversity. It has five grape varieties typical of the region: Cabernet Sauvignon (51.5%), Merlot (37%), Cabernet Franc (8%), Petit Verdot (2%) and Carmenere (1.5%), including a parcel planted in 1947.
Pastourelle de Clerc Milon is the estate’s second wine, in which Merlot predominates.
Baron Philippe de Rothschild (1902-1988) acquired Château Clerc Milon in 1970. His values and know-how are now embodied in the third generation of the family, represented by Camille and Philippe Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, who continue to develop Château Clerc Milon with the same enthusiasm and quest for modernity. Thanks to the work carried out over the last 50 years and more, and with the help of a dedicated team endowed with cutting-edge technical facilities, Château Clerc Milon is more than ever a benchmark for excellence in the Médoc.
Château Clerc Milon is a beautifully balanced, elegant and precise wine with considerable ageing potential.