The 1998 vintage in Pauillac
Vintage benchmark: 89/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)
Vintage character: The August heatwave followed by September rain favored the Right Bank; in the Médoc, the wines remain classic and a touch firm.
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 very dense, dark garnet red, the colour has evolved as one would expect.
Initially discreet, the nose opens with airing to reveal warm aromas of black cherry, humus and delicate oak on vanilla and cigar-box notes.
A supple attack paves the way for powerful, fully mature tannins. The palate, substantial and invigorating, shows good balance, leading into a fresh and mineral finish.
Clerc Milon 1998 has already matured well but can still keep for another 5 to 8 years.
Blend of the 1998 vintage
- 50 % Cabernet Sauvignon
- 33 % Merlot
- 14 % Cabernet Franc
- 3 % Petit Verdot
Shares for this vintage, as recorded on the 1998 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 29 September to 7 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 1998
Availability, allocations and terms: the Compagnie Médocaine will reply promptly. The estate and vintage are already filled in in the message.
Texts and documents 1998
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.