The 1990 vintage in Pauillac
Vintage benchmark: 96/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)
Vintage character: Summer drought and a scorching September gave rich, sun-drenched wines, even more generous than 1989 and remarkably age-worthy.
Overall reading of the year’s season across Pauillac. An estate can depart from it sharply, in frost or hail years, where two neighbours did not make the same vintage. What this particular wine actually gave is on its technical sheet and in the scores above.
Tasting
A deep, dark red, the colour has evolved as one would expect.
The nose opens on fresh leather notes, then goes on to develop aromas of roasted coffee, black cherry, humus and oriental spices.
From the attack, the full and richly smooth palate highlights mature and supple, very well-integrated tannins. The spherical structure is supported by an assertive freshness which magnifies the great maturity of the tannins.
A beautifully balanced wine in a less classic vintage, it culminates in an utterly elegant finish.
Blend of the 1990 vintage
- 51 % Cabernet Sauvignon
- 42 % Merlot
- 7 % Cabernet Franc
Shares for this vintage, as recorded on the 1990 technical sheet. The vineyard itself is planted with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot, carménère — a vintage blend departs from the area under vine as the year dictates.
Winemaking
Harvest 18 September to 10 October.
Terroir
Château Clerc-Milon is a 5ème cru classé of 1855 in the Pauillac appellation, which alone holds three premiers crus and many other crus classés. Made up of gravelly and sandy ridges, often ideally exposed, this terroir produces wines that combine power and structure with elegance and finesse. Château Clerc-Milon, whose vines lie immediately next to those of the premiers crus Mouton and Lafite, belongs to Mouton-Rothschild, which applies the same rigour in viticulture and winemaking. The plantings at Château Clerc-Milon are 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère.
An offer on Château Clerc Milon 1990
Availability, allocations and terms: the Compagnie Médocaine will reply promptly. The estate and vintage are already filled in in the message.
Texts and documents 1990
The texts below copy in one click for your product sheets, catalogues and social channels. The printable sheet condenses the whole page onto a single A4 page.
Visuals
This wine’s visuals are grouped in the media library. High-definition packshots, labels, back labels and lifestyle photos are reserved for clients and partners, on the Compagnie Médocaine’s VinCod media library.
Sheet checked on September 28, 2026. Technical data: the estate’s VinCod sheets. Critic scores: sources cited above, with their date. Vintage benchmarks and character: Compagnie Médocaine’s own editorial read. Soils and relief, where shown: the Compagnie Médocaine’s parcel survey and the Mapbox/IGN terrain model.