2022 Chateau Milon Cuvee Caprice Saint-Emilion 750 ml

There are around 658,387 acres of Merlot planted around the world. But the approximately 1% that grows in the Bordeaux village of St.-Émilion is Merlot at its absolute best—and Château Milon’s Cuvée Caprice expresses that hallowed ground in all its rich, lush, satiny glory. 

Milon’s Merlot grows in a two-hectare vineyard rich with the region’s clay-limestone and gravel soils. And in the 2022 vintage—which Wine Spectator scored as one of St.-Émilion’s greatest ever (97 points)—their 40-year-old vines delivered a knockout. The 2022 Cuvée Caprice is supple, sophisticated, and polished, with a juicy core of dark fruit and plush tannins, all pierced by a bright line of acidity. 

Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are the two marquee grapes of Bordeaux. Slow-ripening Cabernet thrives in the Left Bank’s gravelly soils, while Merlot loves the cool, water-retaining clay soils across the Gironde. That terroir lets faster-ripening Merlot take its time, resulting in lush, velvety fruit that’s scarcely imitated anywhere else. 

The Bouyer family has tended the Merlot at Château Milon for seven generations. During that time, they’ve been solely focused on making excellent wine. While estates around them poured money into hospitality and tourism programs, their budget goes entirely into the vineyards and the cellar. 

They were one of the first St.-Émilion estates to earn the demanding Haute Valeur Environnementale certification for their environmentally friendly farming practices. They’ve also restructured the vineyards with high-density plantings and introduced sustainable soil management techniques. As the 2022 Cuvée Caprice shows, those efforts have paid off big time. It’s a well-structured and complex wine that bears the appellation’s reputation for excellence with exceptional poise.