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  • Country ranking ?

    1 577
  • Producer ranking ?

    26
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    now to 2030
  • Food Pairing

    Large game

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The Story

Located in the northern part of the Pauillac appellation, Clerc-Milon is one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) and faces Château Lafite Rothschild across the Route des Châteaux. 

Having become increasingly fragmented through sell-offs, it was acquired in 1970 by Baron Philippe de Rothschild, of Mouton Rothschild fame, as a doup with great potential, and he immediately set about renovating the estate, constructing a new vat house and weaving his well documented magic on the château’s imagery. 

The vat house is the first in Bordeaux to claim High Environmental Quality certification. The 45-hectare vineyard is planted in 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% of Carménère, the latter consisting of vines that were planted back in 1947. 

Clerc-Milon is now making the best wines in its history, beguiling, classically-styled expressions of currant, blackberry and spice, and can boast an outstanding run of recent vintages.

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Wine Information

Climatic conditions / The vegetation cycle started very early following a mild, warm winter. Budbreak took place between 7 and 17 March depending on the variety. Changeable weather in the spring – cold weather in March and April followed by high temperatures in May – caused early but slow flowering.

Mid-flowering was observed on 21 May for the Merlot and Cabernet Franc and on 26 May for the Cabernet Sauvignon. June and July were dry; August remained dry and very hot, with several days of heatwave conditions. Veraison, like flowering, took place early but slowly; mid-veraison was observed between 3 and 11 August depending on the variety.

A long veraison period means that the grapes mature unevenly, so that bunches where veraison is too irregular must be eliminated. That having been done, the potential of the crop was exceptional. The grapes were in perfect condition, very ripe and deeply coloured. Fine weather in September meant that the harvest could take place under ideal conditions as regards both the maturity of the grapes and picking.

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Vintage 1990

Early, uniform flowering, a hot but unspectacular summer and an exceptionally hot period at the end of August 1990 and the first half of September. It was this heat that allowed the record harvest not only to fully ripen, but also to concentrate the fruit. Harvesting began on September 14 and was completed before the start of heavy rains on October 2. Another reason for the success of the vintage was that most châteaux had invested in their cellars and were able to work with such a large and hot harvest. It was now possible to control fermentation temperatures better than in previous warm vintages, such as 1947. The grapes produced wines with such a high level of natural alcohol that chaptalization became unnecessary. They showed deep color, high and unusually sweet tannin levels and better acidity than expected, as well as great concentration of fruit. The hype was great, particularly thanks to the advent of new wine magazines - this was the vintage that cemented Robert Parker's reputation. Prices rose quickly and haven't looked back since. I remember that all Premiers Crus (including Pétrus) were offered to end consumers for around 50 euros en primeur in 1983.

The scene of the arrival of the 1990 vintage was quite different. There was a surplus of very good to great wine on the market – for the first time, there was talk of three great vintages in succession. This led most châteaux to drop their prices by around 20% from their 1989 prices, even though the quality was exceptional. There had been a steady increase in prices during the 1980s, but they had now more or less returned to the opening prices of the 1982s. This was again a record harvest, but as most châteaux had already introduced a "second wine" and were more selective regarding quality, there was actually less wine bottled under the name "Grand Vin" than in 1982.

We have been following these two vintages since they were young, as they were both precocious and easy to drink from the start. The best wines from both vintages are spectacular, but the overall quality is much higher in 1990. Here, the wines have been equally successful on both sides of the river, and even the small châteaux have produced something special. We always found most Right Bank 1982s to be overly alcoholic and lacking in structure; Indeed, many age quickly.

 

 

 

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Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Excellent
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