1970 Château Clerc Milon, Grand Cru Classe, Pauillac, Red Bordeaux, France.
Château Clerc Milon, a Pauillac Classified Fifth Growth and owned by the Rothschild’s of Mouton fame, can and often is a real teat and a surprise in the cellar, as this fresh still, lively bright 1970 proved to be recently with good garnet color, just a touch of brick and a little brackish, and a lighter framed and elegant palate of dark berry, currant, dried cranberry and dusty cherry fruits holding on nicely. Mature notes of autumn leafs, old cedar, sous bois and wilted flowers mix well with subtle earthy tones, a bit of leather, mint, anise and gravelly loam in the background in this only 11.5% Bordeaux, which opened up to provide a very rewarding performance. This bottle, which was a fine effort, definitely was on the crisp and lighter side, but was ripe enough to come together in the glass, not as an outstanding wine, like a bottle of Château Lynch Bages 1970 was not long ago, from the same cellar. My friend, ex-Sommelier and former colleague Jacques Melac graced me with this one, and has long been a great mentor, pulling some wonderful old wines out to celebrate the gift of time and place in a time capsule. The traditional and slightly austere 1970 Clerc Milon took some coaxing and time to deliver its best, but the nose became deeper floral and lingering reduced strawberries filled the after taste after 30 to 40 minutes, adding a bigger smile to the experience. I would have enjoyed it more if it had a bit more density and richness, if I’m honest, but it was seriously a treat and brightened rainy Monday in November, so thank you Jacques.
The 1855 classified Château Clerc Milon, which derives its name from its historic owners, the Clerc family, who acquired it when it was sold as a national asset after the French Revolution, is as noted above part of the Mouton-Rothschild holdings and has lived in the shadow of the mighty first growth. The winery notes that, Milon, a reference to the eponymous neighbouring Pauillac hamlet, was added in 1850 to give the estate the name it still bears today. They add, as testimony to the reputation it had acquired, (thus) it was included in the mentioned1855 Classification of Médoc and Sauternes Growths. Interesting for our purposes, in 1970, same year as this wine’s birth, Baron Philippe de Rothschild purchased Château Clerc Milon, as he was convinced of the high quality of its terroir, just down the road from his own Mouton, Latour and Lafitte of course. He immediately started to renovate the vineyard in order to reveal its personality and give it a special position among the Classified Growths in the neighborhood. Also In 1970, Baron Philippe illustrated the label with a reproduction of a Jungfraubecher, a silver-gilt marriage cup made by a 17th century German goldsmith, that was part of his collection exhibited at the Museum of Wine in Art at Château Mouton Rothschild. In 1983, it was replaced by a pair of dancers which still grace the label today. The older wines here, like this one, were close to 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, though in modern vintages the wines feature all of the main varietals and are more forward in style.
($125 Est.) 88 Points, grapelive