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| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.7 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 65 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Mag357 on 3/31/2024 & rated 93 points: I have always found year in year out, that VCV is the most underated pomerol from the plateau, and this mat vintage proves the point. Very fine scents of red and blue berries, with just a tad of very fine oak, the mouth is still very primary with geogeous red and blueberry flavors, with nascent complexity, in a soft structure. I very much like the silky mid palate, ending in an elegant finish. Give this beauty another 10 years and it should reach great aromatic complexity. It will never be a blockbuster but a wine of finesse and complexity. Thank you D. (2007 views) | | | Tasted by Luap1111 on 3/30/2024 & rated 93 points: So young. (1562 views) | | | Tasted by D!n@sh on 3/30/2024 & rated 94 points: A completely different wine but so good. Bottle no 3 out of a case of 12. Mostly primary. Very floral nose. Delicious raspberries on the palette. I find this wine very Burgundian and looking forward to tracking its evolution. (1619 views) | | | Tasted by Stanrocks on 3/28/2024 & rated 95 points: This was the highlight of our trip
I took time to post and write down a note, as I needed to have better insight, not used to Bordeaux blends so much anymore but after 2 days and many tastings this really stood out !! Even for friends who had Lafitte 2005 earlier this week.
We tasted also Le Pin and Lafleur on more recent vintages but that guy ...
So here are the notes, Nose is spicy, a black peppercorn and dried tomato touch, oak is very integrated, blueberry but it's a lot more spicy than fruity, and tertiary notes come in with a little truffle later.
Palate is vivid, with acid drive, salty and fresh, long, elegant, integrated tannins, and the aftertaste will stay long after the visit is finished ... One gem here (1727 views) | | | Tasted by Noremedy21 on 3/28/2024 & rated 94 points: This was beautiful, but it still requires time.
Decanted for 2hrs, initially very red fruited, slightly herbal, beautiful nose, but not much else to it. After about 4 hours it closed back up and became relatively tannic. After 6 hours it opened back up again, seemingly transformed with blueberry, dark black fruits, perfectly smooth tannins, it was glorious. Probably the best wine I’ve drank in the last 6 months, Palmer 2019 was probably the last one on this level. No rush to drink these, I think they’ll get better, but also irristiable now; but the next one you open, make sure to give it 5/6 hours for now to make the most of it. (1626 views) | | | Tasted by MJP Hou TX on 3/12/2024 & rated 95 points: Fantastic bottle of wine regardless of the vintage. Take advantage of the discount and load up as this one is just getting started.
12 Hour slow decant with cork pulled and replaced.
95+ (2464 views) | | | Tasted by Teaky on 2/24/2024: Decanted over 5 hours, plus saved an extra glass for the next day. First day was fruit and oak, but was ever evolving no single sip was the same, fruit was slightly brambly, bit of chocolate and vanilla, tannic and low acid with a long finish, still had a very nice mouthfeel. Felt like this was much more fruit forward on day 2, no vanilla or chocolate with more red fruited strawberry and cassis, was very nice, preferred it on day 2, will sit on my remaining bottles at least another 5 years. This was my first time having the grand vin and it did not disappoint as it was very nice, one of those special wines that really evolves a lot as you drink it and is hard to describe. (2298 views) | | | Tasted by barryjkeller@gmail.com on 2/11/2024: Decanted for 3 hours. Gorgeous. It was a few days ago so I wont right much, however was easy to pick up a high quality producer from Pomerol from the line up (Blind). Still needs time though. (2800 views) | | | Tasted by jviz on 1/30/2024 & rated 95 points: A really amazing bottle that performed well from the pop. I decanted for about 3 hours before pouring this at a broad 2014 tasting (but no other bordeaux, oddly).
Violet florals, blue and purple fruits, medium plus weight on the palate. This is both expressive and classic/sturdy at the same time. Beautiful depth with a velvety texture and some savory underpinning, maybe a hint of pyrazine that had folks clued in to Pomerol. I was really impressed with it. (3207 views) | | | Tasted by Nutty08 on 1/27/2024 & rated 95 points: Took a little while blind but eventually was able to nail it (only good call of the day). This is so refined and elegant, seamless from start to finish. Shows it's cab franc influence well, with savory tobacco notes and a little herbal flair mixed in. Palate again is seamless, elegant, with a cashmere texture. Hard not to love. Drinking very well for a young bdx. (2996 views) | | | Tasted by cos65 on 1/27/2024 & rated 94 points: Really lovely stuff
Ripe, rich fruit
Quite supple (2611 views) | | | Tasted by Bantoft97 on 11/16/2023 & rated 93 points: Very nice but expected a little more. Fine, long finish, still young. Cherry nose, well made.
Decanted and drank over 4 hours.
Only got 2 more bottles and they will be gone soon so will buy more if find value. (3111 views) | | | Tasted by AVB001 on 11/3/2023 & rated 90 points: Expected more of a wow-factor. A bit restrained. Properly made though. Will it develop into something better? Lost out strongly against a Rauzan-Ségla 2005 served at the same time. (3024 views) | | | Tasted by LiteItOnFire on 7/4/2023 & rated 92 points: Pulled this 375 to celebrate my daughters birthday & vintage as well as America. Happy 4th! Wanted a bordeaux and kind of forced it with this pull.
Decanted for 1.5 hours. The wine is perfectly built with a lean towards freshness as it is my favorite 2014 (although that in itself is not saying much) as it is a solid food wine (although drinking it solo). This is less coiled and locked than the last time but I should have listened to my note from 1.25 years ago. Hold off on opening for another few years to gain a bit more complexity and for the acid to settle in a bit more.
2.5 hours in, the mouthfeel becomes more creamy and velvety but still needs time in the cellar.
Sour blackberry, dark red sour cherries, cranberry, black raspberries, hint of nondescript citrus (I know makes no sense- like an Orange rind wirhout the orange) dark earth, rock and a laser finish that goes on for more than I would have expected.
HOLD UNTIL 2026 - 2028 before pulling another. (4888 views) | | | Tasted by D!n@sh on 7/4/2023 & rated 95 points: Loved the freshness and minerality. Enjoyed it quite a bit more than 2019 that I had recently, though that's really not a good comparison given 2019 is a baby.
medium to full-bodied character, rich dark fruit and well-integrated tannins. (3768 views) | | | Tasted by Isaac L on 6/8/2023 & rated 93 points: By the glass from magnum @ 67PM. Tar, soil, minerals, black fruits. Elegant. Medium to full bodied, but not unctuous. Enjoyable now. (3955 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 6/8/2023 & rated 93 points: Vieux Chateau Certan 2014-2017 tasted side -by-side. No detailed notes taken. Winner was the 2016 as it had the most finesse and a precision and purity unmatched by the other vintages. The other vintages were a bit less exciting today (all 92/93pts) but all have potential for more. Once thing that was striking: at least this young, I couldn‘t find the big common denominator. Blind, I wouldn‘t have guessed these wines to be all from the same Chateau.
2014 - 93pts: I like this wine quite a lot and rated it 95pts before. But this bottle was a bit more muted (it was a root day). Constantly evolving this was all about minerality and soil notes with a fresh, a bit timid fruit component. With time some coffee notes got this to a higher level. Quite elegant but without the depth (15/16) or precision (16) of great vintages.
2015 - 93pts: This was the most sensual, smooth, satiny wine with loads of ripe fruit and a bit too much spices for my taste. While this can become a great vintage, it is a bit too much today for my taste. A bit too Napa-esque. The alcohol is quite well covered. My guess is that once this sheds its baby fat and better integrates, this could become a great wine in the 95+ point category.
2016 - 95pts: This wine perfectly reflected the elegance, depth and hyper purity of the vintage. That extra kick of freshness and all the cooler blue fruit notes got me. This could become a masterpiece and has a lot of upside. It was a joy to drink today and hence the 95pts but once mature, this should reach the 97+ pts category.
2017 - 92 pts: In the best moments this showed great promise with fine pure red fruit, coffee and minerality. But throughout the evening this never fully opened up but especially never fully integrated well. I‘ve had some other 2017s which are drinking exceptionally well today. This bottle didn‘t. 91/92pts today but I see higher potential for this.
Decanting: All wines needed time to open up and improved markedly with air. I would at least go for two hours in the decanter for all of them. (4288 views) | | | Tasted by merlotsmile on 5/29/2023: To be tasted 1/6 (3714 views) | | | Tasted by Vinumming & Ahhing on 5/17/2023 & rated 93 points: Amazing Bordeaux To Mark A Special Birthday (Noizé, London): Whilst clearly a young wine this is not unready and really will be belter in a decade's time. Nose opens out with some subtle mintiness some Earl Grey tea leaves, some hints of dark chocolate Bounty and some freshly carved and juicy rare venison. Later some steeped Morello cherries too. Palate is subtly spicy, mouth coating and oh-so more-ish. Impressive length. Chapeau. (3809 views) | | | Tasted by Decanting Queen on 1/13/2023 & rated 92 points: One of two underperforming (IMO) ‘14 Pomerols that we had tonight. I am guessing this could be down to wine preparation (I am not exactly sure if or when it was decanted). Oak quite evident. Pure red fruit. Bodes well for the future but not great on the night. (5399 views) | | | Tasted by Triforwine on 12/30/2022 & rated 94 points: Couldn't help myself and put a coravin in this. Sipped on it and while it did improve with time in the glass, it is still too young even with lots of air the finish is a bit too acidic even if not overly tannic. But, there is a lot going on here. The cabernet franc seems to be dominant on this one with a hint of truffle and smoke where the nose is more evolved than the palate at this point and just enough of the fruit coming through which makes it enjoyable even now so I wound up opening and drinking over a couple of days. When this reaches maturity, I will probably regret having opened one of these so young. I do have 5 left so HOLD! 93-95++ (4062 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 12/16/2022 & rated 95 points: HDH auction at avec River North (Chicago, IL): Stunning, archetypal Bordeaux from a critically unacclaimed vintage. A brilliant and complex mix of pyrazines and fruit; just an outstanding classically-styled Pomerol. Not quite as merlot-driven as I would expect for VCC. I'm a huge fan of this and will be looking to put some in my cellar. (4635 views) | | | Tasted by ayalao3 on 11/10/2022 & rated 95 points: 94-95 can gain complexity in a couple of years. Elegant. (4191 views) | | | Tasted by Sun_Ship on 10/20/2022 & rated 94 points: A generous nose of well-defined blackcurrant, plums and dark fruits, with delicious hints of dark chocolate. Super-smooth tannins and decent acidity sit alongside a well-integrated touch of oak on the long finish. Classically proportioned Pomerol. (3219 views) | | | Tasted by rossi.wine on 9/15/2022 & rated 94 points: Tasted after 2011, 2012, 2013. Certainly the best in this line-up (2012 had a slight cork taint for me). Quite accessible already. Generous, ripe, nicely balanced and quite complex. Polished tannins but good structure. Vibrant finish. Quite persistent. Drink or keep. 93-94+ (4665 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Neal Martin
Vinous, Test of Endurance: Bordeaux 2014 Ten Years On (Mar 2024) (3/1/2024)
(Vieux Château Certan Vieux Château Certan Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (2/8/2024)
(Vieux Château Certan Pomerol Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Sep/Oct 2022, Issue #101, Recently-Tasted Bordeaux In The Bottle Report Indian Summer 2022
(Vieux Château Certan (Pomerol)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jane Anson
Decanter, Pomerol: Six châteaux, six vintages 2017 - 2012 (11/16/2020)
(Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, Bordeaux 2014: The Southwold Tasting (Mar 2018) (3/18/2018)
(Vieux Château Certan Vieux-château-certan Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Up From The Cellar #2 and Misc New Releases (2/15/2018)
(Vieux Chateau Certan) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (2/7/2018)
(Vieux Château Certan Pomerol Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (2/28/2017)
(Vieux Château Certan Pomerol Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2014 Bordeaux: A September Surprise (Feb 2017) (2/1/2017)
(Vieux Château Certan Vieux Château Certan) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (1/27/2017)
(Vieux-Château-Certan Pomerol, France) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, October 2016 (10/1/2016)
(Vieux Château Certan Pomerol Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (7/16/2015)
(Vieux Château Certan Pomerol Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Lawther MW
Decanter, Bordeaux 2014 EP Right Bank & Sauternes (4/12/2015)
(Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/2/2015)
(Vieux Château Certan Pomerol Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2014 Bordeaux: It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over (Apr 2015) (4/1/2015)
(Vieux Château Certan Vieux Château Certan) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, April 2015 (4/1/2015)
(Vieux Château Certan Pomerol Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and JancisRobinson.com and View From the Cellar and Decanter and JebDunnuck.com and JamesSuckling.com and Winedoctor. (manage subscription channels) |
| Vieux Château CertanVieux Château Certan, or simply “VCC” as many people call it. The pink capsule is really so catchy. That was also the reason for me to get my first bottle of VCC. VCC is one of the oldest estates in Pomerol - even earlier than Petrus. In the 15th century, the Portuguese settled near the old VCC property. They called the place "Sertan" at that moment, which means desert. Most of the plants could hardly grow there, but it was perfect for grapes. Over time, "Sertan" gradually developed into the homophonic "Certan", which has been passed down as part of the name of the winery today.
There is also an interesting story about the pink capsule. In 1924, the Belgian Bordeaux wine merchant Georges Thienpont took over the château. He wanted to find out which of his clients were buying VCC. So he decided to add the pink capsule, so this pink capsule would stand out when he visited his clients’ cellars. He can easily know if without asking. In late 1980s, Alexandre Thienpont began managing Vieux Château Certan and he renovated the winemaking facilities twice - the second time in 2003. He also created a second wine ‘La Gravette de Certan.’ He is the one who began green harvesting, picking riper fruit, and reducing yields. These moves led to VCC to becoming an amazing château and Guillaume Thienpont is today following his father’s footsteps.
Producer website - Read more about Vieux Chateau Certan
Producer Website English2014 Vieux Château Certan2014 A pleasant surprise
From winter to the beginning of June, the first half of 2014 began with mild temperatures and frequent periods of rain.
The flowering process that followed was even, helped by glorious weather in mid-June.
Despite a summer with scattered stormy periods, the weather changed for the better with consistent summer sunshine from the end of August till the harvest.
As a precaution, we carried out vine canopy work in several stages as from the veraison. One week before the harvest, de-leafing was necessary on the west side of the rows in order to enhance ripening.
Thanks to this glorious Indian summer, the Cabernet Franc was of excellent quality.
It brought to the blend delicacy, excellent length and breed. It gives the wine its flamboyant side.
The Merlot is rich, perfumed, round and vinous. It brings liveliness and pleasantness.
The 2014 Vieux Château Certan displays many facets: it shows a balance between freshness and roundness and between fruit character and length of flavour.
It is charming and delicious.
Technical data
Crop thinning and de-leafing from 29th July to 14th August, then from 9th to 12th September 2014
Harvest 19th and 20th September, then from 29th September to 2nd October and finally on 7th and 8th October 2014
Yield 38 hectolitres/hectare
Blend 80% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcoholic degree 14 %/ vol
Bottling from May 17th to May 25th, 2016
"The first bottles of this vintage may be enjoyed in the six to eight years while the rest can be kept a further twenty years or more."
Alexandre ThienpontRed 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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