Chateau Clerc Milon

A well known strategy of buying Bordeaux is to buy the second label of a first growth winery in a good year. The theory is that the wine gets all the benefits of first class wine-making, while terroir or viticulture is unlikely to be at that level.

The 2003 vintage was regarded as top notch at the time. Oh well, 2005, 2009 and 2010 came later, how would you know. So I was curious how the 2003 Chateau Clerc Milon, owned by Mouton Rothschild, would taste after 10 years.

This is a medium bodied Cabernet, in fact a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend. The flavours are typical Cabernet redcurrant, also dried cherry. The wine is quite well balanced, with the oak in the background, but supporting the structure of the wine. However, the mouthfeel of the wine is quite shallow. The wine is not very complex and the finish flat. The grapes simply do not measure up to exceptional quality. So the strategy did not really work in this case. Having said this, the 2003 Clerc Milon is a pleasant wine to drink. It will not get better. If you have it, drink up.

Score: 89/0