The 2022 Clerc Milon is a Bordeaux blend from France's Pauillac sub-region, produced by Clerc Milon. This red wine, sealed with a cork, is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Carmenère. The wine has garnered high praise from professional reviewers, highlighting its vibrant character and potential for aging.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate awarded the 2022 Clerc Milon a score of 95 points, describing it as "beautiful" with aromas of cherries, raspberries, and plums, intermingled with hints of pencil shavings and rose petals. William Kelley notes that the wine is "taut and lively, with a vibrant core of fruit framed by fine, chalky tannins," attributing its distinctive signature to its clay-limestone terroir.
James Suckling gave the wine an impressive score of 96 points, commending its "focused and bright" nature, with "plenty of fruit but oranges and minerals in the mid-palate." He praised its freshness and the "fresh bitterness" that adds complexity.
Jeff Leve from TheWineCellarInsider.com also rated it 96 points, describing a nose of "spicy red fruits, flowers, cedar, tobacco leaf, and currants." He highlighted its "silky, fresh, and elegant" palate, noting that the wine "will improve with age" and suggesting a drinking window from 2026 to 2050.
Jeb Dunnuck echoed these sentiments with another 96-point review, comparing it to the 2018 vintage and noting its "full-bodied, ripe, yet elegant style." He mentioned aromas of "cassis, graphite, espresso roast, and lead pencil notes," and praised its "ripe tannins and a great finish."
Jane Anson, who rated it 95 points, emphasized the wine's "velvety texture and colour," along with its "grip and supple tannins." She remarked on its "cassis and bilberry fruit," and the presence of "olive, cocoa bean, white pepper, slate, clear spice," attributing some of its character to old vine Carmanère.
Vinous, with a slightly lower score of 93 points, noted the wine's "tightly-wound nose" and "good fruit concentration," suggesting that it "will require several years of aging in bottle" to reveal its full potential.
Decanter awarded it 95 points, praising its "fragrant, perfumed black berries and purple flowers," and describing it as "bold and characterful" with a "lovely shot of strawberry and red cherry fruit."
Wine Enthusiast also gave it 96 points, highlighting its "powerful and structured" nature, with "weight as well as ripe tannins," and noting that "the wine's acidity keeps everything fresh and bright."
Finally, The Wine Independent rated it 95 points, describing it as "deep garnet-purple in color" with "vivacious notes of fresh blackcurrants, black raspberries, and boysenberries," and a "full-bodied palate packed with black fruit and savory layers."
Overall, the 2022 Clerc Milon is highly regarded for its vibrant fruit, elegant structure, and aging potential, making it a standout in the Bordeaux blend category.