- Colour Red
- Producer Vieux Château Certan
- Region Pomerol
- Drinking 2030 - 2058
- Case size 6x75cl
- Available En Primeur
2023 - Vieux Château Certan Pomerol - 6x75cl
- Colour Red
- Producer Vieux Château Certan
- Region Pomerol
- Drinking 2030 - 2058
- Case size 6x75cl
- Available En Primeur
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Neal Martin, April 2024, Score: 94-96
The 2023 Vieux Château Certan was picked from September 18 to 29. This year, there is no Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend as the fruit did not reach full ripeness, according to winemaker Guillaume Thienpont. The fruit was cropped at 43hL/ha as they suffered no mildew, there were one-third fewer pump-overs, and this vintage matured in two-thirds new oak. It has a well-defined bouquet, a little sultry at first: black cherry, iodine, violet flower and a touch of crushed stone. This unfurls beautifully in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins. Broader in the mouth compared to the Le Pin that I tasted right before, this is slightly more savory in style thanks to the 18% Cabernet Franc, landing gently on the finish. This is an elegant, slightly earthier VCC that will age beautifully in the bottle. Drink 2029-2055.
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Wine Advocate, April 2024, Score: 94-96
The 2023 Vieux Château Certan bursts from the glass with demonstrative aromas of dark berries, pencil shavings, violets mingled with notions of burning embers, iris, crushed mint and black tea. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and sensual, with a gourmand attack that segues into a layered, enveloping mid-palate, it's polished and perfumed, with a sweet core of fruit and a long, gently oak-inflected finish. This year's blend of 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc checks in at 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.74.
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Antonio Galloni, April 2024, Score: 96-98
The 2023 Vieux Château Certan is like a drug. Its exotic aromatics, deeply layered fruit and sublime textures are just captivating. I tasted the 2023 from an assembled base blend and four core components. Every wine was nothing short of breathtaking. When I think of the archetypes of greatness in Bordeaux, VCC is one of them. The 2023 is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Like all producers, Alexandre and Guillaume were forced to decide whether to pick their Cabernets before or after the September rains. As it turned out, none of the lots picked before the rain made it into the Grand Vin. Only those picked later were deemed of high enough quality. Drink 2031-2063.
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James Suckling, April 2024, Score: 97-98
A very fine and polished young VCC with subtle density and a racy backbone of tannins. Compact with well-toned muscles and a persistent finish. Very silky. Really grows at the end. 82% merlot and 18% cabernet franc.
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Goedhuis Waddesdon, April 2024, Score: 96-98
Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont’s spectacular 2023 stands out within the wines of Pomerol. Never as noticeably exuberant as some of its neighbours, Vieux Château Certan always possesses a fragrance and subtle tension akin to its St Emilion neighbour, Cheval Blanc. This is a total beauty, and as Alexandre describes, a wine of “timeless style”. 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, the Merlot unfurls on the nose, with luscious black cherry and liquorice. On the palate, the opening flavours revert more to the red fruits of Cabernet Franc. A wine of tremendous poise, the tannins are fine. Rewardingly this is not a turbo-charged Pomerol, but a wine of distinction and thoughtful grace. Very, very lovely.
Producer
Vieux Château Certan
What is there not to like about this château and its amiable owner, Alexandre Thienpont? Sensitive,reflective and wonderfully humble, he is of the school who believes that wine makes itself. He is just the assistant who helps it along the way. And the wine certainly seems to be spectacular year after year.Region
Pomerol
The small sub-region of Pomerol is situated north-east of the industrious city of Libourne. Pomerol's soils are predominately iron-rich clay with a smattering of gravel that produce wines with extraordinary power and depth. As a result of this clay-dominance, it has the highest percentage of Merlot planted in all of Bordeaux. Certain châteaux are produced exclusively from this grape, but most incorporate smaller quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc as well. Despite its hefty (if not exclusive) proportion of Merlot, many people think of wines from this region as separate entities. As one wine aficionado stated recently, "It's not Merlot. It's Pomerol." Despite the region's small size, Pomerol contains some of the world's most sought after (and expensive) wines including Pétrus, Le Pin, Lafleur, l'Evangile and Vieux Château Certan. Unlike other Bordelais subregions, there is no system of classification. The châteaux are traded on reputation alone.