Bottles produced: 250,000
Grapes: 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
Yield: 40 hL/ha
Alcohol: 13.5%
Format: 750 ml
Drink from/to: 2020-2025
Price UK: $50
Price US: £40
The vintage: 2003 was a hot vintage with the summer heatwave ripening fruit and bringing great aromatic finesse, high alcohol content and good extraction of the colour. Ideal conditions in September tended to favour the later ripening Cabernets over the earlier Merlots, but across the board producers were very happy.
The wine: Château Clarke is named after the Irish family that acquired the estate in 1771. The property was acquired by Baron Edmond de Rothschild in 1973. This Merlot-Cabernet blend is hand-picked and sorted before fermentation in oak vats then maturation in new French oak barrels for 14-18 months. It’s a concentrated and powerful wine, made for aging.
