1998 Chateau Clerc Milon

Tasks are never really "finished" in the vineyard, but when we finished the shoot positioning of the penultimate row of Chardonnay, we decided that we were in need of a smoked steak that my husband has perfected. I was to make the baked potatoes. I can handle that. So, while the steak was slowly acquiring it's smokey exterior and the potatoes were in the oven, my husband brought out this 1998 Chateau Clerc Milon to pair with dinner. The Chateau Clerc Milon was listed as a fifth growth in the Bordeaux Grande Cru Classe of 1855. It was acquired in 1970 by Baron Philipe, of Mouton Rothchild and was run by his daughter, the Baroness Philippine until her death in 2014. Her son, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, has now succeeded her as Chairman of the family company’s Supervisory Board. There is a lot of information on the Chateau Clerc Milon Site, including information on the intriguing label design. It depicts the decorative work by 17th century German goldsmiths, a pair of dancers made of precious stones, that resides in the Museum of Wine in Art.

This wine is now nearly 20 years old. Since my husband had stored it on it's side, there was noticeable sediment that had precipitated out of the wine. The wine was inky purple and tasted of black cherries and the tannins had smoothed out wonderfully. It went very well with the steak and potatoes.