Part of the vast estates of the seigneury of Lafite in the 18th century, Château Clerc Milon was sold as a “national asset” in the Revolution. The Clerc family acquired it then and joined its name to that of the Pauillac hamlet of Milon where it was located.The rank of Fifth Growth was bestowed on Château Clerc Milon in the famous 1855 Classification in recognition of its standing, even then, among the elite Médoc châteaux. The vineyard at the time covered some 30 hectares (75 acres).

Pauillac is home to several of the world's most famous wine and the region lies in an inauspicious small village in Médoc. Pauillac sprawls over the land size of about 8.8 square miles, is highly optimised for wine production and accounts for a rather disproportionate amount of fine, expensive wine in Bordeaux.