Pastourelle de Clerc Milon 2020

When the owner of Château Mouton Rothschild, Baron Philippe de Rothschild, acquired Château Clerc Milon in 1970, the property was in a tremendous state of disrepair.  The Baron’s choice raised more than its fair share of eyebrows, considering he owned one of the créme de la créme estates in Pauillac - the First Growth Château Mouton Rothschild.  People couldn’t help but wonder why one of the most prominent figures in wine would take interest in a dilapidated estate that was on the verge of fading into obscurity.  This did not dissuade him as the Baron had grandiose plans for Château Clerc Milon. He described it as, “... a pretty estate that was in high quality terroir that was currently in poor condition.”  It turns out, the Baron’s instincts were correct and he revitalized the property, restoring it to its former glory as a well-respected Fifth Growth. 
 
Prior to the Baron’s acquisition of Château Clerc Milon, the history of this property is a bit of a muddled one.  First records of the estate mention that Château Clerc Milon was neighbors with the more well-known property, Château Duhart Milon.   Château Clerc Milon belonged to the Clerc family when it was classified in 1855, and this is how it receives its namesake.  Before the Rothschilds acquired the property, the estate was parceled off and sold many times. 
 
By 1970, there were only 10.5 hectares left of the estate and it was pretty much unknown outside of Pauillac.  Once the Baron got involved, all this changed however, and he implemented his marketing prowess to change the trajectory of the estate. Anyone who is familiar with Château Mouton Rothschild will know that the estate is not only well known for its wines, but for its artistic labels.  It would make sense that the Baron in his own typical, artistic fashion would change the label of the wine to feature dancing clowns traipsing around on precious stones.  If one visits Château Mouton Rothschild and goes to the Wine Museum, they will see the label on display. 
 
The labels weren’t the only thing the Baron changed about Château Clerc Milon.  The Baron introduced a new, modern gravity flow winery – eliminating pump overs to soften the wines.  Half of their cellars are now underground to keep cool.  The grapes are now hand selected from 247 different parcels. Before vinification, the plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Carmenere are farmed 50 percent organically on the property.  Interestingly enough, Château Clerc Milon has one of the largest plantings of Carmenere in all of Bordeaux. 
 
The wines from Château Clerc Milon do require a bit of time before being enjoyed – as one can expect with the best of Pauillacs. The wines possess a perfect balance of power and fruit.  Château Clerc Milon tends to appreciate when purchased en primeur, increasing in value and critical acclaim as the years progress – especially in noteworthy vintages. They have plenty of charm and are considered a cult wine because of their loyal following.

"The 2020 Pastourelle de Clerc Milon is fabulous. Rich, ample and explosive, the 2020 packs a huge punch. A rush of inky dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, spice and mocha builds as this sumptuous Pauillac shows off its immense charm. Merlot takes the leading role. This is a ridiculously gorgeous second wine. Best of all, this should be a tremendous value." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, (02/24/2023), Ratings: 93

''Including plenty of Merlot (51% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Carmenère), the 2020 Pastourelle De Clerc Milon is a broader, more expansive beauty that is loaded with notions of black cherries, currants, chocolaty herbs, and graphite. Medium to full-bodied, plush, and round on the palate, it's a mouth-filling, already impossible to resist Pauillac to drink over the coming 10-15 years.'' - Jeb Dunnuck, 2020 Bordeaux from Bottle (05/28/2021), Ratings: 90-92 

"A lovely sappy juicy wine, they have carefully controlled the extraction and it is less monolithic than many of the second wines this year. Still some astringency to the tannins, and a powerful punch of blackberry fruit that keeps up an excellent pace through the palate. Caroline Artaud began as technical director in July 2020, so halfway through this vintage, with Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy becoming head winemaker across at Mouton. To be partly sold en primeur this year for the first time (before it was just in bottle). 1% Carmanère completes the blend (and is all in the Pastourelle this year, except for the 0.6% of oldest vines). Yields 45hl/ha." - Jane Anson, (05/25/2021), Ratings: 91