Chateau Clerc-Milon 5me Cru Classe, Pauillac 2005

Château Clerc Milon is a wine estate in the Pauillac appellation of the Haut-Médoc region north of Bordeaux city, on the so-called "left bank" of the Gironde estuary. It was rated a fifth growth in the 1855 Classification of the Médoc and Graves. Clerc Milon's Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant wine is known for its supple texture and is regarded as something of a bargain for the appellation. The estate vineyard covers 41 hectares (101 acres) of vines in the northeast of Pauillac, between the Mouton Rothschild and Lafite Rothschild properties on a crest overlooking the Gironde estuary. The soil is predominantly made up of sandy clay over a clay-limestone base, and a slight slope helps with drainage. The Clerc Milon vineyard also benefits from the close proximity of the estuary, whose large body of water helps to moderate the local climate.