Château Clerc Milon Rothschild, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac,

Made from 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36.5% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, and 0.5% Carmenere, the 2020 Clerc Milon is deep garnet-purple in color. Quite shut down on the nose, it offers glimpses at notes of black and red cherries, blackcurrant jelly, and forest floor, with suggestions of charcoal and bay leaves. The medium-bodied palate is soft and refreshing, with delicate red and black fruit layers and a lifted finish.

The label of the 2020 Clerc Milon contains a discrete celebration of its half-century ownership by Baron Philippe de Rothschild. The nose is quite strict at the moment, leaning more towards the red fruit side of the spectrum, touches of gravel and tobacco, gaining more black fruit as it opens in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy blackberry and bilberry fruit, gentle grip, maybe not quite as delineated as the 2020 d'Armailhac, yet with a subtle pencil lead note enhancing the finish. Very fine.