Vieux Château Certan - Pomerol
100 points - The Wine Advocate
99 points - The Wine Advocate
96 points - The Wine Advocate
95 points - The Wine Advocate
100 points - The Wine Advocate
99 points - The Wine Advocate
93 points - The Wine Advocate
95 points - The Wine Advocate
93 points - The Wine Advocate
93 points - The Wine Advocate
95 points - The Wine Advocate
92 points - The Wine Advocate
Vieux Château Certan - Pomerol
100 points - The Wine Advocate
99 points - The Wine Advocate
96 points - The Wine Advocate
95 points - The Wine Advocate
100 points - The Wine Advocate
99 points - The Wine Advocate
93 points - The Wine Advocate
95 points - The Wine Advocate
93 points - The Wine Advocate
93 points - The Wine Advocate
95 points - The Wine Advocate
92 points - The Wine Advocate
Regular price€473.11
€473.11
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- In stock
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The 2016 Vieux Château Certan is blended of 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it leaps from the glass with pristine, vivid notions of candied violets, chocolate-covered cherries, blackberry compote and mulberries with fragrant touches of raspberry leaves, crushed rocks, licorice, cumin seed and yeast extract plus a waft of red roses. Medium to full-bodied and beautifully elegant, the palate builds from a quiet intensity to an incredibly well-sustained aria of crunchy red and black cherries notes plus tons of floral undertones, framed by exquisitely soft yet firm tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long with lingering mineral and floral sparks. How does this 2016 compare to the also amazing 2015 vintage? Stylistically they are very different, as my notes on each should convey, but beyond this I am struck by the incredible harmony and seamlessness of the 2016 along with its amazing depth and energy this year. Bravo!
Blended of 80% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Vieux Chateau Certan opens with profound notes of blueberry compote, dried mulberries, black forest cake, licorice, violets and garrigue with wafts of black truffles, sandalwood and rose hips. Medium to full-bodied, very earthy/savory and beautifully layered with very plush yet present tannins, it offers lovely freshness and a very long minerally finish. So very Pomerol!
The 2014 Vieux Chateau Certan is a blend of 80% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, picked in three stages: 19-20 September, 29 September to 2 October, and 7 and 8 October. It is endowed with an exquisite bouquet, really one of the best I encountered throughout my tastings: perfumed blackberry, wild strawberry, cold stone and wilted rose petals. Like in barrel, it is not powerful, yet it is blessed with wondrous precision. The palate is medium bodied with crisp acidity and fine tannin, a slightly masculine VCC due to its linearity and precision.
There is tension here from start to finish, a sophisticated and cerebral Pomerol that transcends the growing season. It is a totally different kettle of fish to the 2015 (and doubtless the pre-natal 2016). This is unashamedly classic in style, fanning out towards the mineral-rich finish with great frisson and energy. A cellar without the 2014 Vieux-Château-Certan would be a great pity.
The 2012 Vieux Château Certan has a potent, smoke, cooked meat, Cabernet Franc-scented bouquet that is beautifully defined—quintessentially Pomerol. You want typicité? Come right here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite gentle as it sashays across the mouth. The acidity is very well judged and leads to an elegant tobacco tinged finish. Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont have produced one of the finest wines of the Right Bank in 2012, one that is up there with the greats.
The 2010 Vieux Château Certan is deep garnet in colour, and —POW—the nose opens as a complete spice-bomb, featuring notes of fenugreek, cumin seed and cinnamon stick over a core of Black Forest cake, plum preserves and blueberry pie with hints of fragrant earth and crushed stones. Full-bodied, rich and seductive in the mouth, it is laden with layers of black and blue fruit preserves, framed by super plush tannins, finishing epically long and perfumed.
The 2009's nearly 14% natural alcohol, exquisite ripeness, and incredible complex bouquet of Asian spices, fruitcake, licorice, smoke, blackberries and black currants are to die for. A blend of 84% Merlot and the rest equal parts Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, it possesses a viscous texture as well as a freshness and vibrancy that are remarkable given the wine’s weight, richness and potential massiveness. This extraordinary effort is one of the finest Vieux Chateau Certans made over the last sixty years. It will undoubtedly shut down in bottle, requiring a decade or more of cellaring. It should keep for 50 years thereafter. Proprietor Thienpont thinks it is a modern day version of the 1948.
This is a beautiful wine, much more developed and evolved than the 2010, as one might expect, with perfumed notes of camphor, cedar, charcoal, herbs, and black and red fruits. A blend of 70% of Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine has very complex aromatics, medium to full body, outstanding ripeness, a spicy, perfumed character, and light to moderate tannin. It can benefit from 2-4 years of cellaring and should keep for two decades.
A stunning effort from Alexander Thienpont, the 2005 Vieux Chateau Certan (a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc) reveals an inky/blue/purple color along with a rich, sumptuous perfume of black olives, lavender, roasted herbs, licorice, pain grille, and oodles of truffles as well as creme de cassis. In the mouth, hints of chocolate and charcoal also make an appearance along with good acidity, fabulous purity, and a full-bodied, powerful mouthfeel. In keeping with the style of this terroir, the wine is reserved and restrained, but deep. It should develop magnificently, and age for 30-40 years. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035.
This stunning blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc boasts a dense ruby/purple color along with a big, sweet bouquet of black cherries, licorice, roasted herbs, smoke, and cassis. Elegant, medium to full-bodied, pure flavors reveal moderately high tannin, but superb concentration and richness. Vieux Chateau Certan should be one of the longer-lived and most complex wines of the vintage.
A terrific effort, this classic blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits a dark ruby/purple color as well as a complex bouquet of cedar, spice box, black cherries, and cassis. With impressive purity, medium body, moderate tannin, and a long finish (40 plus seconds)
A gorgeous wine of grace, elegance, and power, this youthful 2000 will benefit from another five years of cellaring. It appears to have 25 more years of life ahead of it. A deep ruby/purple color is just beginning to lighten at the edges. The bouquet offers up scents of cedar wood, melted licorice, black currants, blackberries, caramel, and mocha. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, and pure with low acidity as well as formidable tannins in the long finish, the 2000 should rival vintages such as 2005, 2006, and 2009.
The 1990 Vieux Château Certan is drinking exceptionally well at the moment, although it does not quite possess the charm of the 1989. There is more primary fruit here than the previous vintage: black cherries, iodine and boysenberry, mingling with clove and tarry aromas that emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin. There is similar depth here to the 1989 and yet the finish does not quite deliver the same delineation, although that cheeky dab of kirsch is pure delight.
Type: |
Red |
Country: |
France |
Region: |
Bordeaux |
Appellation: |
Pomerol |
Producer: |
Vieux Château Certan |
Grapes/Blend: |
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot |
Serving temp: |
16° - 18° C |
ABV: |
14.5% |
Pairing Sugesstions: |
Lamb, Beef, Venison, Game Birds, Duck, Charcuterie and Cured Meats |
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