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.

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère, the 2017 Clerc Milon is deep garnet-purple in color and scented of crushed red and black currants, wild blueberries and black pepper with touches of cigar box, violets, underbrush and menthol. Medium-bodied and with a very firm structure of wonderfully ripe, pixelated tannins and exhilarating freshness, it finishes long with notes of pebbles and floral perfume.
- Lisa Perrotti-Brown, erobertparker.com, April 2018

The 2017 Chateau Clerc Milon checks in as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot and Carmenere brought up in 50% new French oak. It's a much straighter, more focused, serious wine than the Pastourelle and has classic red and black currant fruits as well as medium to full body, a ripe, spicy, textured mid-palate, building tannins, and a great finish. It's another classic, balanced, nicely textured 2017 that's going to evolve well for 3-5 years and keep for two decades.

The 2017 Clerc Milon, which contains a tiny lot of Carmenère, has a delightful bouquet that offers blackberry, briary flecks of cocoa nibs and freshly rolled tobacco. It is tightly wound at the moment and simply requires bottle age. The palate is medium-bodied with a fresh, vibrant entry. It is a strict and quite linear Clerc Milon, "correct" to the point of being straight-laced with a well defined, classically styled off-dry finish. Fine, classy, if medium rather than long-term. What you might call a "cool" customer. www.vinous.com,

A fine member of the Mouton stable, Clerc Milon offers true Pauillac characters at a great price. Gravel and graphite notes work with blackcurrant and a herbaceous and saline note. Very Pauillac. Generous and glossy, with good mid palate fruit. Very sound. - April 2018

Crunchy plum and black currant notes are fresh and focused, while chalk, iron and savory details line the finish. Shows nice purity and minerally drive. - James Molesworth, winespectator.com, April 2018

The 2017 Clerc Milon is painfully backward and austere. In a vintage in which so many wines are forward and fruity, Clerc Milon is the exact opposite. There is not much pleasure or immediacy here, that much is evident. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, leather and licorice add to the wine's dark personality. The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère, aged in 50% new oak. After the frost, which did not really affect us, the major challenge in 2017 was heat stress," Mouton Technical Director Philippe Dhalluin told me. "We had no rain until the end of June. Then, in September, when we needed a bit of rain again, we got more than double what would have been optimal. The September rain affected the Merlot and Cabernet Franc, while the Cabernet Sauvignon was able to take advantage of the last 15 days of the growing season, which were much more favorable. In the cellar, we opted for longer macerations at lower temperatures, as we wanted to avoid extracting the type of hard tannins that mark other vintages with very dry summers, such as 2011. - vinous.com, May 2018

Lovely fragrance of small dark berries. A light herbaceous note lifting it out of the glass. Smooth, polished though not particularly deep or long. Fresh and singing from the glass in a lighter and delicious style. - Julia Harding, jancisrobinson.com, April 2018