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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.8 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 23 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by DaleW on 1/8/2024: Someone calls Burgundian, black and red cherries with leather and herb, a little horsey note, but balanced. B+ (202 views) | | | Tasted by salil on 1/5/2024 & rated 91 points: Champagne and claret (John's place, Croton): Liked although didn't love this, a touch leathery and slightly bretty with a faint murkiness to the red fruited flavours that made it feel a bit muddled next to the '89 Conseillante poured alongside (alas, comparison, the thief of joy). Time helps bring it together as it clears up in the glass and gains focus; it's a pretty wine though never (for me) became an especially compelling or exciting one this evening. (423 views) | | | Tasted by 831900_ on 12/3/2023 & rated 92 points: Strong tertiary notes of earth, soft leather. Longer finish than Ausone, Magedelaine in same vintage. After a few hours, thinned out significantly, became flabby. I really enjoyed this one, but many others did not find it on point. Edited to add: interestingly, all of the tasters in my group seemed to find this more pleasant than the CT notes of late. (181 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 8/25/2021 & rated 88 points: Not much, but a bit past full-maturity, and already on the gentle slope of decline, the wine is soft, medium-bodied, elegantly textured, but the red plums and cherry fruits are fading, with much more truffle, tobacco leaf, forest floor, olive, and herbal notes. Drink up if you have any. (2489 views) | | | Tasted by Dave Mac on 11/26/2020 & rated 85 points: This thing slogged through the mud like a broken pony that had 3 legs, one of which was graphite, one pine, and the other jet fuel. Came on way too strong, roasted my nose hairs and left me gasping for a Triscuit or Cheezit to cleanse my palate. If you like aromas of sandalwood with burnt oregano, you'll love this wine. (1361 views) | | | Tasted by Axelpeter on 10/12/2019: Carli60) (1667 views) | | | Tasted by DaleW on 4/10/2019: This was somewhat brutish at first, but calms down. Black cherry, mushrooms, cigarsmoke, just a hint of barnyard. Lovely but needs time. B+ (1856 views) | | | Tasted by pepmi on 3/24/2017: I'm glad that I did not read the mixed reviews among Cellar Trackers prior to choosing this wine for dinner tonight. Our bottle provided a very enjoyable tasting experience with praise echoed across the dinner table. Decanted and poured. In the glass, Burgundian color, perhaps a bit muted with age -- yet no browning or orange on the edges. A remarkable nose of cedar, eucalyptus, pencil and cassis. Lush and full in the mouth. Quite balanced. The finish has a touch of wood, faint hints of green pepper and plenty of spice. (3114 views) | | | Tasted by Griffeyfan04 on 12/14/2016 & rated 83 points: This is old. Orange on the rim and not real red in the center either. There is not much fruit there but some. Tannins are totally resolved. There is some tertiary notes but some vegetal notes that detract from the enjoyment of this wine. Drink up if you haven't yet or hope you have a larger format bottle (2507 views) | | | Tasted by EhrlichDY on 10/18/2013: Score reserved as this may have been an off bottle. An off putting metalic taste marred the bottle. It diminished over time but never did go away completely. With so many other good bottles to choose from, this one didn't get much attention. (4686 views) | | | Tasted by buveurdevins on 3/15/2013 & rated 92 points: Tannins completely resolved leaving a mature pomerol with tertiary aromas and a light digest succulent drink. Almost Burgundian. Some may feel it was not powerful enough but I thought the thin texture and light matter combined with perfect mature aromas and taste made it a delight. (4716 views) | | | Tasted by johnh1001 on 2/18/2013 & rated 86 points: Decanted and drank over 4 hours. Maybe this was an off bottle. Very medicinal on the nose. Palate had some violet, dried red fruit and flowers. Dusty mouth feel and a short angular finish. Didn't seem to be flawed in any way. Just wasn't that great. (4637 views) | | | Tasted by 60ouvrees on 4/18/2010: A nice enough wine that was outshone by the 89 and 90 conseillante also in the flight. This appears to be fully mature but there are still some unresolved tannins and it just seems sort of unfocused and diffuse. (4822 views) | | | Tasted by redz on 12/30/2009 & rated 82 points: Bought from large store bordeaux clearance sale, so not chateau-stored. Typical medium-quality old bordeaux stale nose, scant fruit. The aftertaste makes me feel like I just smoked a cigarette. Worked on it for about 5 hours before pouring the last glass down the sink. (4931 views) | | | Tasted by noppakit s. on 5/12/2009 & rated 93 points: From my magnum bottle, I got this bottle in 1997 and don't have a chance to drink until my birthday dinner...2009....
After we failed with the sleeping beauty 1990, we still worry about this 1989 ( because of 87/100 PP ) but...
The cassis shows up nicely, good Pomerol scent in the left-bank style, very classic Bordeaux. Terroir-express !!!
Delicious, good balance, great structure, nice tannin impact and I can't stop drinking it.
The aftertaste is beautifully deep and very fine, stays long, sensational finished.
Drink now - 2015.................93+++/100.................... (3628 views) | | | Tasted by DaleW on 9/29/2007: Very sweet black plum fruit, a hint of mocha. There's just a touch of barnyard after a while, not intrusive. Smooth, although maybe a little less lush texturally than a true top Pomerol, I still found this quite enjoyable, and mourn the corked bottle. Holds up well over 2 hours. B+/A- (3353 views) | | | Tasted by MRichman on 9/28/2007: Bet Dinner (Vice Versa in NYC): A little dusty initially with a very nice sweet cassis core. Lively with some nice acidity and intense espresso. Finishes a little light. I think I liked this more than some other people around the table did.
B++ (3812 views) | | | Tasted by french16 on 9/17/2007 & rated 91 points: The nose is simply one of the greatest I have ever smelled: complex and enticing with dark fruits, red fruits, tobacco and hint of meat and cedar..wow !
In the mouth, it is a little below but still great and very Pomerol. Needed 2 hours to open up a gain some weight, it offered a full bodied wine with great dark fruits flavors (mainly blueberry) and nice tobacco and spices. Good stucture with integrated tannins with a very light green touch.
Finish is very good and keeps you wanting for more.
May hold for a few years but I don't see it improving. Drink now. (3166 views) | | | Tasted by jmp on 1/1/2006 & rated 89 points: Nicely aged, tannins fully mellowed, enough fruit remaining to make the wine enjoyable. Good finish. Drink now as the wine is beginning to fade, but still very enjoyable. (3711 views) | | | Tasted by AndrewSGHall on 9/9/2005: This bottle had clearly suffered somewhere between France and Columbus. Tasted older than it should and a bit baked. Tar notes, some black fruit poking through. Off-putting finish with cigarette ash. Got worse over time - drinkable at first, then not. (3783 views) | | | Tasted by Henman on 11/2/2003: Barnyard and cigarbox on the nose.Cassis,dried fruit on the little flat palate. (2422 views) |
| Château Certan de May Producer website - Read more about Chateau Certan de May
VINEYARD: Château Certan de May, fully named Château Certan de May de Certan, is located on the Right Bank of the Bordeaux wine region, in the commune of Pomerol in the department Gironde. As all wine produced in this appellation, Château Certan de May is unclassified but the estate is long estimated among the great growths of the region. It is located in the east of the appellation, on the Pomerol plateau between Vieux-Châteaux Certan and Pétrus, and directly opposite Le Pin.
The estate's name has origins from the founding family, presumably of Scottish origin sometimes documented as Demay, who lived in France since the Middle Ages and were installed in Pomerol at the end of the 16th century. Archives state the family by Royal ordonnance became masters of the fief of Certan, or Sertan, making this the oldest vignoble of the district, an area that also encompassed present day Vieux Château Certan and Château Certan-Giraud. The French Revolution led to the division of the domain, leaving the de May family with a small parcel of the original property, then called Petit-Certan.
WINEMAKING: The 14-acre vineyard made of 1/3 clay and 2/3 deep gravel is entirely located on the famous south-east part of the Pomerol plateau, which produces the best wines. It is planted with 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanLibournais Libournais (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux) - Read more about St. Emilion and its wines - Read more about Pomerol and its wines
Saint Emilion Grat Classified Growth, Classified Growths, Grands Crus Classes, GCC
In 1954, while the "Graves" growths had just published their own classification, the wine syndicate of Saint-Emilion, composed by wine growers, brokers and wine traders with the approval of the INAO - Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (A.O.C), decided to work on a classification for the wines of Saint Emilion. Initially, four grades were defined. These were reduced to two - First Great Classified Growth (A and B) and Great Classified Growth - in 1984.
As of Medoc's 1855 historical grading, the Saint-Emilion Great Classified Growth classification is not only based on qualitative criteria by tasting the wines on a ten years period previous to the assessment, but also on commercial considerations such as:
- sales price levels
- national and international commercial distribution
- the estate's reputation on the market
Properties who don't manage to join the club of about sixty Classified Growths are given the denomination of Great Growth ("Grand Cru"), while the remaining wineries of the A.O.C are simply reported as "Saint-Emilion". It is to be noted that the owners must officially apply to appear in the official classification. Thus for example the famous Chateau Tertre-Roteboeuf, whose quality and reputation would easily justify to be listed among the First Great Classified Growths, does not appear here by the will of its owner, François Mitjaville.
The Saint-Emilion Great Growth classification was revised in 1969, 1985, 1996 and 2006. The only two guaranteed vintage (A.O.C) who can apply to the classification are the "Saint-Emilion Grand Cru" and "Saint-Emilion" areas.
By grading 61 properties, the 2006 revision confirmed many growths from the former classification, but also caused a number of surprises and a few inevitable disappointments. Many observers thought that the impressive progression of Perse's Chateau Pavie since 1998 would be rewarded by an upgrade into the First Great Classified Growths (A) category, but finally such was not the case.
Among the estates promoted to the First Great Classified Growths B category are Chateau Troplong-Mondot and Pavie-Macquin, whose efforts made since the Nineties fully justify their new grade. It should be noted that no First Great Classified Growth was relegated to the lower Great Classified Growth class.
Promoted growths from the status of Great Growth ("Grand Cru") to Great Classified Growth ("Grand Cru Classe") are: Chateaux Bellefont-Belcier, Destieux, Fleur Cardinale, Grand Corbin, Grand Corbin-Despagne and Monbousquet.
The demoted growths from the status of Great Classified Growth to Great Growth are: Chateaux Bellevue, Cadet Bon, Faurie de Souchard, Guadet Saint-Julien, La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Belivier), La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Moueix), Lamarzelle, Petite Faurie de Soutard, Tertre Daugay, Villemaurine and Yon-Figeac. If the recent samples of some of the above mentioned properties may justify their current downgrade, there are great chances that estates like Bellevue, Tertre Daugay or Yon-Figeac will be upgraded to their previous rankings by the next revision in 2016 as the progresses noted after 2000, but not entering in the range of vintages (1993 - 2002) appointed for the criteria of selection for the 2006 classification, are noticable.
The two following estates have completely disappeared from the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classification: Curé-Bon-la-Madeleine (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Canon) and La Clusière (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Pavie).
Finally, no estate considered as "garagiste" has integrated the classification. Valandraud, Mondotte, Le Dome, Bellevue-Mondotte or Magrez-Fombrauge have, for the least, the potential to be ranked as Great Classified Growths. In sight of the very fine quality reached by the above mentioned estates in recent vintages as well as all the innovative wine making methods used by the "garagistes", it remains to be seen whether the authorities will dare to cross the line in 2016..?Pomerol Wikipedia | French wine guide - Read about Pomerol |
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