France

Vieux Chateau Certan

Vieux Chateau Certan Pomerol

Bordeaux

Pomerol

A blend of 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc, Vieux Chateau Certan 2023 has a pH of 3.74 and it is deep garnet-purple in color. Notes of fresh blackberries, juicy plums, and black cherries slowly emerge from the glass, opening out to fragrant notes of violets, star anise, and black truffles, followed by wafts of wood smoke and cardamom. The medium-bodied palate is taut and muscular with firm, rounded tannins and seamless acidity, finishing with many, many layers of earth, spice, and floral notes. This is pure latent power.

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

Fresh floral heights to the aromatics, then dark berry fruits and a core of muscles of the palate, classically-weighted with grip and texture, white pepper spice and salted cracker salinity on the finish. Stretches out through the palate, feels gloriously old school, full of hidden depths and pleasures. 43hl/h yield, harvest September 18 through to 29. Youngest vines here are 1988, which helps give the complexity that is so celebrated at VCC.

Inside Bordeaux

Ruby red. Delicate and velvety nose with violets, cherries, blueberries, herbs, licorice and exotic spice. Fresh acidity. Blackberries, blueberries, anise, licorice , salinity and spice. Smooth polished tannins. Very long. 96-98p

Drink from 2035-2070

The blend is:
82% Merlot
18% Cabernet Franc

Just so nice and elegant. Can't wait to taste it again 😊

Expert

Violet ruby with a vibrant rim, reflects the savoury vivid quality of the vintage in the wines that deliver. Clear chamomile tea, fragrant white blossom, redcurrant, blueberry, a touch of austerity and reserve compared to the past few vintages, but with purity and finesse, mouthwatering finish, 30hl/h yield, 3.7ph, harvest 20 September to 2 October. 3.70 pH, and a high Cabernet character in the final blend (despite one block less of Cabernet Franc after replanting), 66% new oak. An enjoyable wine from Alexandre Thienpont. 

2022 (barrel sample)

Aroma av jordbær, hylleblomst, perfyme, plomme, blåbær, søt lakris, vanilje, sjokolade,

Dette var noe helt spesielt, finesse og presisjon ut av en annen verden. 

Vertikalt ved siden av 2016 er 2022 mye mer rød frukt dreven og en litt mindre robust tanninstruktur.

Poeng 99-100

WSET 2

A blend of 77% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Vieux Chateau Certan has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It comes bounding out with exuberant notes of black cherries, juicy raspberries, and fresh, crunchy plums, giving way to nuances of lilacs, crushed rocks, forest floor, and garrigue. The medium-bodied palate has exhilarating tension, with fine-grained tannins and beautifully layered red and black berry flavors, finishing long with lots of mineral and floral sparks. Fireworks!

Tension, structure, complexity, waves of violet, rose petals and slate A serious VCC with tension and poise, this inches open to show graphite, pencil lead and sweet raspberry, blueberry and savoury cassis bud, almost an edge of petrol, elegant and balanced, and with a personality that is going to power through the decades. 50% new oak.

Nuanced, layered and elegant, still youthful but with plenty of stuffing, darker fruit, blackberry, cassis, violet, truffle and fine oak derived spiciness. The palate combines richness, density and vigour with elegance and finesse, supple dark fruit, fine spice and powdery tannin, nuanced and complex with tremendous length and polished finish. A good definition of a very complete wine!

Sommelier

Vieux Chateau Certan 2018 has a deep garnet purple color. It needs swirling to unlock scents of baked black cherries, mulberries, and smoked meats, with underlying hints of redcurrants, violets, and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is very nuanced, with a lively backbone and super-fine tannins, and is long, long, long. 

Aroma av blåbær, pepper, anise, vanilje, syltetøy, barnål, jordlig, blåbær, 

Bra konsentrasjon, fin tanninstruktur, balanse, litt alkohol touch, kompleks, 

Veldig utradisjonell 2017, oppleves som en napa cab, servert blindt, 

Poeng 94

Pure and intense nose with dense dark fruit, blackberry, crème de cassis, aniseed, sage and fine oak in the background, still youthful but layered and nuanced with fine precision. The palate is dense and powerful yet without heaviness,elegant with a very supple texture, finely polished tannin with gorgeous dark fruit flavours, finely spicy with wet tobacco, gravel and pure dark fruit, great flavour intensity, freshness and a remarkably long pure finish.

Understated brilliance, with restraint shown in its precisely carved cassis and bilberry fruit on the opening, softening through the mid palate to show creamier raspberry and damson fruit, with black truffles and cocoa bean delivering the Pomerol caress. Expert construction, tannic architecture fully in focus but overlaid with the succulence of the vintage, such a good wine that has decades of it. . 50% new oak for ageing. Alexandre Thienpont owner.

Deep garnet-brick in color, the 2014 Vieux Chateau Certan is a little shy to start, offering up faint notes of candied violets and licorice opening out to a core of preserved plums and Christmas cake plus a waft of sandalwood. The  full-bodied palate delivers a refreshing backbone and fine-grained tannins to support the taut, powerful black fruits, finishing long and earthy.

The 2013 Vieux Chateau Certan has a medium garnet color, with a touch of brick. The nose opens with notions of prunes, raisin cake, and dried herbs, giving way to hints of leather and incense. The medium-bodied palate delivers a good amount of mature fruit, with chewy tannins and a firm, earthy finish.

Tasted at the Duquesne club in Pittsburgh during a wonderful event to celebrate their 150th anniversary. Still young at 13 years old, but the tannins are beginning to melt into the raspberry and redcurrant fruits, and the violet aromatics that you can spend years searching for in Pomerol uncurl out of the glass with barely a coaxing. Fine but plentiful tannins suggest this has decades ahead of it. Particularly special because George Thienpont bought the estate in 1924, meaning that next year in 2024 they are celebrating their 100th anniversary in the family. 50% new oak.

Duft av modne plommer, bjørnebær, lær og treverk 
Modne mørke bær, sødmefull frukt med integrerte tanniner og en god lengde 

High floral and gunsmoke aromatics, this is intense and concentrated. Where the 2009 has more immediately appeal, this 2010 is clearly going to deliver over the decades. Coiled and reserved tannins, a ton of texture and powerful black fruits, precise and poised, this is exception.

Rich and deep plum in colour, still with a vibrant reflection. This is right at the top tier of the 2009s, juicy and controlled, capturing appellation typicty in the soft waves of grilled caramel without being sweet or heavy, opens to waves of violet and tomato leaf, sculpted, juicy, delicious.

I've found a number of 2000s finally overtaking the 2001s this year, after a long time when the 2001 vintage was clearly showing better. But there are still moments when 2001 reigns, and this Vieux Château Certan is a case in point. Slowly unrolls, gathering in power as it goes, blackberry, damson and raspberry fruits, together with truffle, toasted almonds, tobacco leaf, ash. A great moment to open and enjoy this wine, made for sharing.

Første flaske korket. Flaske nr 2; rett fra flasken, en del brett, mørke plommer, blyantspiss, noe søtlig tobakkspreg. Fin nese. I munnen flott anslag med klar rød frukt mot røde plommer og noe jordbær. Bra struktur, kjølig frukt, stram, fin syre. Presis. medium tanniner, finkornede. Medium pluss lengde. Etter 4t i åpen flaske; blåbær, noe rød paprika. I munnen, ganske stram, ren frukt, ikke like mye fruktsødme som i 86. Strukturert.

Rich, smoky, soft brambled fruits, grilled cedar and white truffles. A very pretty wine, slippery-smooth tannins, easy to love. Fully in its tertiary window, but with charm and lift. Léon Thienpont - father of current owner Alexandre and son of original purchaser Georges Thienpont - was completing his first vintage in 1966. Notable for including Malbec, which was more typical in the vines of Pomerol at the time.

2024	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2023	No priceNot available	Extraordinary
2022	No priceNot available	Extraordinary
2021	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2020	kr 3 852,40Not available	Extraordinary

Category	Red wine
Vinmonopolet no.
Producer	Vieux Chateau Certan
Vintages	2023
Country	France, Bordeaux, Pomerol
Bottle	75 cl

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Sugar	g/l

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