Chateau Clerc Milon 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 2009

What an amazing nose of lead pencil shavings and dark fruits. Stunning. Full bodied, with super silky tannins and an amazing depth of fruit. Polished and refined. Gorgeous. 50% Cabernet Sauivgnon, 44% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, and 1% Carmaere. Best after 2017.

The 2009 Clerc-Milon has more richness and depth than the d’Armailhac: black cherries, blueberry, cedar and touches of mint. This has a lot of generosity. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity, fresh and harmonious with a persistent peppery finish that lingers in the mouth. This bottle is more representative than the one served blind at Farr's 2009 horizontal. Superb. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' Ten Year On tasting.

This fat, fleshy, dense purple-colored 2009 exhibits abundant notes of creme de cassis, roasted espresso, chocolate, berry fruit and underling hints of high quality, unsmoked cigar tobacco.

Composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and a touch of Carmenere, it reveals plenty of structure and tannin, but the evolved aromatics offer a deceptive view that the wine will be drinkable early on. I do not think this is the case as the tannins kick in once it hits the palate. This seriously endowed, powerful, boisterous, muscular Pauillac should hit its prime between 2017 and 2035.

Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2009 Clerc Milon gives up notes of blueberry compote, blackcurrant preserves and prunes with hints of fried herbs, fertile loam and pencil lead. Medium-bodied, firm and taut with a grainy texture and seamless freshness, it has a good core of earth-laced black fruit and an understated finish.

(a blend of 50% cabernet sauvignon, 44% merlot, 4% cabernet franc, 1% carmenere and 1% petit verdot; ph 3.65; 13.5% alcohol; IPT 65) Ruby red. An enticing floral element adds lift to aromas of red berry cocktail, cinnamon and bay leaf. Enters juicy and fresh, with flavors similar to the aromas, offering good concentration and length but also a youthful austerity. The energetic finish features chewy tannins, considerable energy, and notes of menthol and coffee that speak of the carmenere, a variety that can make its presence even in minute doses. Barons Domaines de Rothschild's general manager and technical director Philippe Dhalluin told me that the '09 Clerc Milon is very Pauillac in style. I know that's a funny thing to say considering that it includes 44% merlot, but it has a rigid and massive quality that is very typical of Pauillac, said Dhalluin. My main goal with Clerc Milon is to try to civilize it more and more with each new vintage. One factor that will go a long way toward improving the already high quality of this wine is that, starting with the 2009 vintage, Clerc Milon now has its own director in charge of operations, Jean-Emanuel Darjoy, who works closely with Dhalluin on a day-to-day basis.

(a blend of 50% cabernet sauvignon, 44% merlot, 4% cabernet franc, 1% carmenere and 1% petit verdot; ph 3.65; 13.5% alcohol; IPT 65) Ruby red. An enticing floral element adds lift to aromas of red berry cocktail, cinnamon and bay leaf. Enters juicy and fresh, with flavors similar to the aromas, offering good concentration and length but also a youthful austerity. The energetic finish features chewy tannins, considerable energy, and notes of menthol and coffee that speak of the carmenere, a variety that can make its presence even in minute doses. Barons Domaines de Rothschild's general manager and technical director Philippe Dhalluin told me that the '09 Clerc Milon is very Pauillac in style. "I know that's a funny thing to say considering that it includes 44% merlot, but it has a rigid and massive quality that is very typical of Pauillac," said Dhalluin. "My main goal with Clerc Milon is to try to civilize it more and more with each new vintage." One factor that will go a long way toward improving the already high quality of this wine is that, starting with the 2009 vintage, Clerc Milon now has its own director in charge of operations, Jean-Emanuel Darjoy, who works closely with Dhalluin on a day-to-day basis.