Winemaker Notes
A deep and intense red, the wine has a precise and subtle nose that reveals a complex array of aromas in which notes of bilberry and raspberry are enhanced by touches of mid spice, cedarwood, mocha and chocolate. Beautifully balanced, the texture is both smooth and refined, while the radiant palate offers an elegant structure with highly refined tannins of outstanding purity that bring a lustrous harmony to the whole.
Blend: 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Carmenère
This wine does not include the blanket 10% tariff imposed in April 2025. When the wines are shippable in fall of 2027, customers will have the option to pay any tariff in place at the time or to keep their wines stored in a temperature-controlled facility free of charge in France.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very well-made, showing warm bread and graphite to the darker fruit. Not quite dense, this is balanced, juicy and supple in the center, showing a mix of black and red berries and cedar in the finish. Medium- to full-bodied, focused and nicely structured. It has fine, firm tannins and a long, nuanced finish. Classic Bordeaux without any sweetness.
Barrel Sample: 94-95 -
Decanter
Fragranced red cherries and plums on the nose with freshly-picked strawberries. Chewy and ripe, lovely concentration and texture of tannins here, lifted and alive. Succulent and round, broad and really complete. Lovely accents of spice, bitterness, minerality and density from the fruit and tannins. Super fun and really vibrant and alive. 1% Carmenère and 1% Petit Verdot complete the blend. Ageing 55% new barrels, 18 months. 3.72pH.
Barrel Sample: 93 -
Vinous
The 2024 Clerc Milon is packed with blue/purplish fruit, lavender, sage, dried flowers and mocha. Juicy and forward, Clerc Milon has a lot to recommend it. Time in the glass brings out gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon savoriness to complement the wine's mid-weight structure. Lovely. Tasted two times. –Antonio Galloni
Barrel Sample: 91-93 -
Jeb Dunnuck
The Grand Vin 2024 Château Clerc Milon from this château checks in as 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, and Petit Verdot. The élevage here will span 18 months in 55% new barrels. As always, this has an incredible sense of minerality that reminds me of Saint-Émilion. Ripe black cherries, graphite, crushed stone, and floral notes, as well as nicely integrated oak, all define the aromatics, and it's medium-bodied, has a pure, layered mouthfeel, and ripe tannins.
Barrel Sample: 90-92
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
The leader on the Left Bank in number of first growth classified producers within its boundaries, Pauillac has more than any of the other appellations, at three of the five. Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild border St. Estephe on its northern end and Chateau Latour is at Pauillac’s southern end, bordering St. Julien.
While the first growths are certainly some of the better producers of the Left Bank, today they often compete with some of the “lower ranked” producers (second, third, fourth, fifth growth) in quality and value. The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification that goes back to 1855. The finest chateaux in that year were judged on the basis of reputation and trading price; changes in rank since then have been miniscule at best. Today producers such as Chateau Pontet-Canet, Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste, Chateau Lynch-Bages, among others (all fifth growth) offer some of the most outstanding wines in all of Bordeaux.
Defining characteristics of fine wines from Pauillac (i.e. Cabernet-based Bordeaux Blends) include inky and juicy blackcurrant, cedar or cigar box and plush or chalky tannins.
Layers of gravel in the Pauillac region are key to its wines’ character and quality. The layers offer excellent drainage in the relatively flat topography of the region allowing water to run off into “jalles” or streams, which subsequently flow off into the Gironde.