Clerc Milon 2005:
Bright and fresh at first, with a nose of roasted coffee, charcoal and cassis. Fleshy and loaded with black fruits. Cedar, pipe tobacco and smoked meats meld together with the plump fruit flavors well. This comes across as powerful and rich, intense and focused. I like it. Can’t wait to see how this will develop over the years. 92 points
Thanks for sharing this note John. I tasted it at UGC and liked it. The 06 is also very nice.
I’ve had a few aged Clercs and they show well in strong vintages. They don’t develop a panoply of textures and nuance but they hold strong and exhibit class. I’d imagine this wine to drink real well in 10-15 years and show a lot more smooth grace; what good Bordeaux should be.
I tasted this at a retailer tasting and thought it was delicious and surprisingly open - got a wonderful mix of quality fruit and notes of slate, velvety mouthfeel. The price of the 05 is a little beyond my budget though - any thoughts on alternative vintages to seek out for less, or are they not going to deliver a similar enough experience?
Alan, try a bottle of the 06. Was surprisingly good earlier in the year and floats around the 30-35 dollar range. I’ve found aged Clercs (the 89-90) sub 100 dollars at auction/retail if you have an appetite for that price point for a solid wine.
The '96 is a very tasty wine that can usually be had for a nice price. But the real steal is the '89. The ones I would load up on are the '89. '00, and '05.
Thanks guys - the 06 will now be on my radar, and I’ll check the auctions for those back vintages too. Anyone had the '03?