Château Clerc Milon
Château Clerc Milon is a property in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.[1]
Château Clerc Milon is located in the northern part of the Pauillac appellation, with its winery building in the village of Mousset. Clerc Milon is surrounded by two first growth including Château Mouton Rothschild.
History
The name of the estate is derived from its former owner Jean-Baptiste Clerc, who owned it at the time of the 1855 classification, and the village of Milon. Once Jacques Mondon had come into possession of some vineyards that had previously been part of the Clerc-Milon estate, and after Clerc's death in 1863, he mounted a successful legal challenge to be allowed to use the Clerc-Milon name for his vineyards, which became the origin of the current-day Château Clerc Milon. Mondon subsequently adopted the name Clerc-Milon-Mondon for his estate.
In 1970, Château Clerc-Milon-Mondon was purchased by Baron Philippe de Rothschild, the owner of Château Mouton Rothschild. At this time, the property was in poor shape and consisted of 16.5 hectares (41 acres) of vineyards. Rothschild removed the Mondon part of the name, and subsequently expanded the estate by purchasing additional vineyards that had previously been part of Clerc Milon.
A new winery building was completed in 2011 with a surface area of nearly 3,600sq. meters, comprising a half-underground barrel hall, a cellar and reception and tasting rooms. With its high silhouette, proud facade and ipe wood cladding, Château Clerc Milon now forms an internal part of the Médoc landscape.
Château Clerc Milon's label is illustrated by a pair of dancers made of precious stones which is displayed in the Museum of Wine in Art at Château Mouton Rothschild. This decorative work belonged to Catherine II, the Empress of Russia and is inspired by characters of the Commedia dell'Arte. Baroness Philippine de Rothschild chose it as the Clerc Milon emblem because of her love of the theatre.
Vineyards
Château Clerc Milon has 41 hectares (100 acres) of vineyards in Mousset and around Milon, planted to 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère, and with a planting density between 8500 to 10 000 vines per hectare.[2]
Wines
A wine with considerable aging potential made in the traditional Médoc way, Château Clerc Milon is the result of a particularly successful marriage between gravel and clay-limestone terroirs and Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot Grapes. Powerful, tannic, full-bodied and rich in fruit, it also has all the typical elegance of the finest Pauillac wines.
Since 2016, Château Clerc Milon also produces a Second Wine : Pastourelle de Clerc Milon. Made with grapes from selected vines on he famous estate, it is made and bottled with the same painstaking care. The grapes are harvested in small open crates the fermented in the Château Clerc Milon vat house and the wines are matured in oak barrels in the traditional manner. The particular attraction of Pastourelle de Clerc Milon, a round and supple wine, lies in the rich elegance of its aromas and flavours. Its name comes from a traditional dance, the pastourelle, which evokes a knight's romantic encounter with a shepherdess : the name echoes the pair of dancers that adorn the label of the Grand Vin. Pastourelle de Clerc Milon can only be found in restaurants.
References
- ↑ Karen MacNeil, The Wine Bible Workman Publishing 2001 pg. 885 ISBN 1-56305-434-5
- ↑ BPDR: Château Clerc Milon: Technical information, accessed 2012-09-06
External links
Coordinates: 45°13′18″N 0°45′55″W / 45.221615°N 0.765319°W