I reviewed the 2003 Chateau Clerc Milon a couple of years ago, and was not that impressed. Was I wrong or has this wine improved so much in the last couple of years? I am not sure, but it seems this is a different wine.
Clerc Milon is the second wine of Mouton Rothschild. It comes from a separate vineyard, neighbouring the Mouton vineyard. The treatment in the winery is similar, although oak is applied more conservatively. The colour of this 12 year old wine is still dark purple in the centre, but garnet along the rim points to the age of this wine. The blackcurrant fruit is concentrated and ripe, but still lively. The wine sails down the palate nicely and evenly, but does not feel in the mouth as well rounded as it could have been. The tannins are firm and dry, and dominate the finish in a typical Mouton style. It helps to match this wine with protein.
Clerc Milon needs airing to open up, even after 12 years. It is an example of a Bordeaux wine, which needs many years of cellaring, before it comes into its own. This Clerc Milon is certainly a strong second wine.
Score: 93/+
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2 comments:
I haven't tried the '03 but regard Clerc Milon very highly, so a re-rating on re-tasting doesn't entirely surprise.
You may well have intended this, but strictly, Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild is the second wine of Mouton Rothschild. Clerc Milon is under the same ownership. Looking at the vineyard maps, the vineyards of Clerc Milon (41 ha) are a little to the east of Mouton Rothschild closer to the Gironde, and Lafite Rothschild, d'Armailhac and Duhart-Milon literally adjoin Mouton. But they are neighbours for practical purposes.
Hello Sean,
Nice to hear from you. I wrote my post without referring to any notes and should not have done that, given the astute readership I have. Technically speaking, you are right about the second wine. However, when I visited Mouton Rothschild last year, they introduced Clerc Milon as their second wine. I guess this reflects the quality hierarchy as they see it. You are absolutely correct about the geography.
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