The 1996 vintage in Pauillac
Vintage benchmark: 92/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)
Vintage character: A dry, windy September saved the Médoc's cabernets: the cabernet vintage par excellence, structured and slow to open.
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
The wine is a deep red, starting to shade very slightly. The intense first nose opens on black cherry and redcurrant with some floral notes. It becomes more complex with airing, revealing a succession of notes of graphite, cold smoke and a touch of liquorice towards the end.
The attack is supple, the structure refined and elegant, striking a beautiful balance between a brisk and refreshing acidity, a succulent reminder of wild berry fruit and solid though not boisterous tannins. A touch of warmth brings a youthful note to the wine's texture.
With very full length on the palate, distinguished by a hint of bitter chocolate, this lovely Clerc Milon is at its peak but has the potential to continue for several more years.
Blend of the 1996 vintage
- 51 % Cabernet Sauvignon
- 37 % Merlot
- 12 % Cabernet Franc
Shares for this vintage, as recorded on the 1996 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 30 September to 9 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 1996
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Texts and documents 1996
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.