2022 Chateau Clerc Milon Pauillac Grand Cru Classe

Owned by Rothschilds. Priced for the Rest of Us.

The Rothschild name is synonymous with Pauillac in a way that no other family can claim. Two branches of the family, long separated but equally entrenched in the Medoc, each control one of Bordeaux's most storied First Growths: Domaines Barons de Rothschild owns Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, and Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA owns Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. What fewer people know is that each of those First Growth estates controls a classified sister property right in Pauillac. Chateau Clerc Milon belongs to the Mouton side of the family, farmed and vinified by the same team, on gravel soils that literally border Mouton's own vines. Chateau Duhart-Milon belongs to the Lafite side, situated on the plateau north of Lafite's vineyards with the same winemaking philosophy and technical oversight. Both are Grand Cru Classe estates in the 1855 Classification, and both are showing the generosity of the 2022 vintage earlier than you'd typically expect from Pauillac. These are not bottles you need to cellar for a decade before they start making sense.

Clerc Milon and Duhart-Milon represent two distinct faces of Pauillac. Clerc Milon tends toward a more perfumed, supple style with plum, cedar, and fine-grained tannin. Clerc is closer in character to Mouton's generosity than to left bank austerity. Duhart-Milon is structurally firmer and more classically austere, with more grip and a longer drinking arc, bearing the unmistakable graphite and pencil shaving signature of the Lafite house style. Together they give you two points of entry into the Rothschild universe of Pauillac, from the same vintage, at prices that are a fraction of what you'd pay for either name on the label. Lafite and Mouton in 2022 will each run you $600 or more per bottle. These are your 90 percent off solution, without compromise on pedigree or address.

95 points, William Kelley, Wine Advocate: "Aromas of sweet crème de cassis, licorice, violets and creamy new oak introduce the 2022 Clerc Milon, a full-bodied, rich and layered wine that's deep and vibrant, with ripe, integrated tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long finish. As I wrote en primeur, its clay-limestone terroir lends it a distinctive signature that sets it apart from the rest of the portfolio."