Chateau Clerc Milon Rothschild 2020

JAMES SUCKLING: "Blackcurrants, black licorice, violets and lavender. Aromatic and perfumed. Full- to medium-bodied with tension and focus, and very fine, linear tannins that run the length of the wine. Starting to close now. Serious Clerc. Better after 2029."

WEINWISSER: "Intensives Bouquet, schwarze Johannisbeere, Burley-Tabak und Brombeergelee. Am satten Gaumen mit cremiger Textur, balancierte Rasse, gut stützend, edle Salznote und trainierter Körper. Im gebündelten aromatischen Finale dunkle Beeren, Kardamom und Schokopastillen. Ein Klassiker, der zudem super reift."

DECANTER: "Subtle, delicate, not shouting but delivering a really nuanced glass of wine with lots of fresh acidity and soft sweetness but also a herbal element giving spiced red fruits in the glass. Feels less serious than d'Armailhac, more upfront and open, but lovely detail too. Soft, such high acidity, really so lifted in the glass, a lovely purity, clean and clear. I love the grippy tannins that almost clean the palate leaving a crushed velvet texture on the tongue with lots of generosity. Super appealing and already very pleasant and pleasing to drink."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, opaker Kern, zarte Randaufhellung. Nuancen von Cassis und frischen Herzkirschen, Orangenzesten, ein Hauch von Edelholz und Nugat, facettenreiches Bukett. Komplex, straff, frische dunkle Beerenfrucht, Kirschen, zarte Fruchtsüße, reife, tragende Tannine, zeigt Länge und Potenzial, sichere Zukunft, ein vielseitiger Speisenbegleiter. (2025–2045)"

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Rich and smoky, this wine has great presence. Tannins are almost sweet with their roundness, the wine enveloping the structure with the jammy black fruits. The wine will age well. Drink from 2027."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Aromas of dark berries, cigar wrapper, exotic spices and burning embers introduce the 2020 Clerc Milon, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered wine that's seamless, concentrated and refined, with lively acids and a long, saline, violet-inflected finish. A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and the balance Petit Verdot, it's a terrific effort from this clay-limestone terroir that has benefited from so much investment in recent years."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2020 Château Clerc Milon brings another level of finesse and is a big step up over the Pastourelle. Kirsch, blackberries, graphite, lead pencil shavings, and a crushed stone-like sense of minerality give way to a full-bodied, nicely concentrated, tannic 2020 that's balanced and has terrific purity, followed by a great finish. A serious Pauillac, it warrants 7-8 years of bottle age and will have 20-25+ years of overall prime drinking."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "The nose opens with a display of flowers, cherry pipe tobacco, spices, and currants. Medium-bodied, elegant, fresh, crisp, and clean, there is a nice sense of purity to the array of red fruits along with a touch of spice, and vibrancy in the refined, soft, mildly, dusty finish. This is going to be gorgeous to enjoy in its youth, although it clearly has the ability to age and improve for 2-3 decades with ease. Drink from 2025-2050."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Sleek and refined, with a very fine-grained structure supporting a core of black currant and black cherry reduction notes along with hints of chalky minerality and sweet tobacco. The long finish has cut and energy, thanks to savory nuance. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenère. Best from 2026 through 2038."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "Made from 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36.5% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, and 0.5% Carmenere, the 2020 Clerc Milon is deep garnet-purple in color. Quite shut down on the nose, it offers glimpses at notes of black and red cherries, blackcurrant jelly, and forest floor, with suggestions of charcoal and bay leaves. The medium-bodied palate is soft and refreshing, with delicate red and black fruit layers and a lifted finish."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Deepest crimson. Gorgeously perfumed with ripe yet fresh black fruit and a hint of violets. The tannins are big but so smooth they are almost creamy, like milk chocolate. Generous in fruit, with a bite of freshness on the finish. A gentle giant."