2022 Château Clerc Milon

The 2022 Clerc Milon offers more red fruit than black, strawberry and raspberry, sous-bois and touches of red roses. Simpler than the Grand-Puy Ducasse tasted alongside. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, quite strict and what you might call quite ‘serious’, with an off-dry finish that might put off those seeking more fruit in their claret. Personally, I like the cut of its jib. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.

Ripe, but nothing is overdone. Mint, blackberries, violets, iodine and graphite on the nose. Full-bodied with an abundance of dusty tannins that are beautiful despite the vintage’s heat and drought. A big, opulent Bordeaux that will age well. 59% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 8% cabernet franc and 1% carmenere. Drinkable now, but better after 2028. From a vertical tasting at the chateau.

Aromas of sweet crème de cassis, licorice, violets and creamy new oak introduce the 2022 Clerc Milon, a full-bodied, rich and layered wine that's deep and vibrant, with ripe, integrated tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long finish. As I wrote en primeur, its clay-limestone terroir lends it a distinctive signature that sets it apart from the rest of the portfolio.