Pauillac · vintage 2016
Why this vintage
- 96/100 from James Sucklingand 5 other scores above 90/100.
- The 2016 vintage in PauillacA very wet winter followed by a sun-drenched summer produced a rare balance, combining the depth of great years with genuine freshness.
Critic scores
- James Suckling96
- Jeb Dunnuck95
- Wine Advocate94
- Wine Enthusiast94
- Wine Spectator94
- Vinous93
The 2016 vintage in Pauillac
Vintage benchmark: 97/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)
Vintage character: A very wet winter followed by a sun-drenched summer produced a rare balance, combining the depth of great years with genuine freshness.
Overall reading of the year’s season across Pauillac. An estate can depart from it sharply, in frost or hail years, where two neighbours did not make the same vintage. What this particular wine actually gave is on its technical sheet and in the scores above.
Tasting
Very deep color, almost black, with brilliant reflections. The nose, fine and elegant, reveals a beautiful intensity of ripe fruit, associated with liquorice and peppery notes. The attack, ample and precise, reveals a dense, creamy substance, developing a generous and balanced taste character. The mid-palate lines the palate with flavors of blackberries and blueberries, revealing fine tannins accompanied by the expression of spicy oak character. The finish, long and airy, unfolds in stages in a fleshy whole, all nuanced by chocolate notes.
Blend of the 2016 vintage
- 55 % Cabernet-sauvignon
- 29 % Merlot
- 13 % Cabernet franc
- 2 % Petit verdot
- 1 % Carménère
Shares for this vintage, as recorded on the 2016 technical sheet. The vineyard itself is planted with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot, carménère — a vintage blend departs from the area under vine as the year dictates.
Figures from the 2016 sheet
- 53 yrsVine age
Winemaking
In stainless steel vats in the gravity vat
Ageing
16 to 18 months in oak barrels (40% new)
Terroir
Château Clerc-Milon is a 5ème cru classé of 1855 in the Pauillac appellation, which alone holds three premiers crus and many other crus classés. Made up of gravelly and sandy ridges, often ideally exposed, this terroir produces wines that combine power and structure with elegance and finesse. Château Clerc-Milon, whose vines lie immediately next to those of the premiers crus Mouton and Lafite, belongs to Mouton-Rothschild, which applies the same rigour in viticulture and winemaking. The plantings at Château Clerc-Milon are 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère.
An offer on Château Clerc Milon 2016
Availability, allocations and terms: the Compagnie Médocaine will reply promptly. The estate and vintage are already filled in in the message.
Texts and documents 2016
The texts below copy in one click for your product sheets, catalogues and social channels. The printable sheet condenses the whole page onto a single A4 page.
Visuals
For this vintage, the media library contains: packshots. High-definition packshots, labels, back labels and lifestyle photos are reserved for clients and partners, on the Compagnie Médocaine’s VinCod media library.
Sheet checked on September 21, 2026. Technical data: the estate’s VinCod sheets. Critic scores: sources cited above, with their date. Vintage benchmarks and character: Compagnie Médocaine’s own editorial read. Soils and relief, where shown: the Compagnie Médocaine’s parcel survey and the Mapbox/IGN terrain model.