Chateau Clerc Milon 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 2010

I can't remember tasting a young Clerc as exciting as this since the 1980s. Fascinating aromas of blackberries and currant jam. Very deep. Tar too. Full and very dense. It just tickles the tip of your tongue. So much there. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Carménère.

The 2010 Château Clerc Milon is more firm and closed, and isn't at prime time yet. Darker currants, graphite, scorched earth, and lead pencil notes all shine here, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a focused, structured mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Give bottles another 4-5 years (or a healthy decant) and enjoy over the following two decades. Drink 2029-2049.

Deep garnet colored, the 2010 Clerc Milon rolls effortlessly out of the glass with open-knit scents of baked black cherries, blackberry preserves and crème de cassis with hints of leather, unsmoked cigars and dried sage with a waft of pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with concentrated black fruits and framed by firm, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long with great purity.

One the finest Clerc Milons I have ever tasted, and showing better from bottle than from barrel, this blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and the rest a tiny bit of Carmenere and Petit Verdot has a complex nose of cedar wood, red and black fruits, white chocolate and creme de cassis. A very powerful wine at 14.5% natural alcohol quite high for a Medoc), this wine has impressive purity and texture, a full-bodied mouthfeel, relatively sweet tannin, but an already endearing complexity, length and richness that are hard to ignore. This is a superb effort and one of the wines that is usually reasonably priced among the classified growths.

The powerful 2010 is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and the balance mostly Merlot except for dollops of Petit Verdot and Carmenere that achieved 14.5% natural alcohol – a record at Clerc Milon. An intense purple color is followed by notes of incense, creme de cassis and flowers and a broad, rich wine with superb purity, concentration and depth. This layered, expansive effort could turn out to be one of the finest this estate has ever made. Give it 3-5 years of cellaring and drink it over the following two decades.

Moderately saturated ruby-red. Expressive, complex aromas of cassis, dark chocolate, cedar, lead pencil, tobacco and fresh herbs. Velvety and fine-grained in the mouth, with energetic dark fruit flavors accented by flowers, cedar and fresh herbs. Finishes with ripe tannins and excellent sneaky length. I like the impression of sheer size and fresh fruit.

The 2010 Clerc-Milon has a modest bouquet with blackberry and sous-bois aromas, perhaps missing the intensity of some of its peers in this flight. Pencil box scents emerge with aeration to add a little complexity. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, classic Pauillac really with cedar and mint towards the brisk and defined finish. Fine. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.

(50% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot, 11% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot and 1% carmenere; 14% alcohol) Deep ruby-purple. Dense, rich nose redolent of cassis, dried herbs and violet, with a refreshing note of mint emerging with air. Smooth, full and rich on entry, with pure, precise black fruit and herbal flavors. Big, strapping tannins are silky and sweet. A very big, expressive Clerc Milon that manages to deploy its considerable power with uncommon charm and refinement. Call me crazy, but I thought I could pick up the green pepper note given by the carmenere. Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy, who was previously at Opus One for ten years, has worked for the past two years at Clerc Milon with Philippe Dhalluin (the technical director and general manager of the Mouton estates), and his involvement is starting to show in a string of ever-improving wines from Clerc Milon. And the greater attention to detail can't be a bad thing either, given the difficulties presented by working with such a high-quality but complex site (230 different parcels of vines!). This 2010 struck me as much better than the 2009.

(50% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot, 11% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot and 1% carmenere; 14% alcohol) Deep ruby-purple. Dense, rich nose redolent of cassis, dried herbs and violet, with a refreshing note of mint emerging with air. Smooth, full and rich on entry, with pure, precise black fruit and herbal flavors. Big, strapping tannins are silky and sweet. A very big, expressive Clerc Milon that manages to deploy its considerable power with uncommon charm and refinement. Call me crazy, but I thought I could pick up the green pepper note given by the carmenere. Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy, who was previously at Opus One for ten years, has worked for the past two years at Clerc Milon with Philippe Dhalluin (the technical director and general manager of the Mouton estates), and his involvement is starting to show in a string of ever-improving wines from Clerc Milon. And the greater attention to detail can't be a bad thing either, given the difficulties presented by working with such a high-quality but complex site (230 different parcels of vines!). This 2010 struck me as much better than the 2009.