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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.3 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 112 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Dionysos55 on 10/26/2023 & rated 92 points: Bouteille arrivée à maturité qu'il faut boire dans un horizon à 2-3 ans.Fait honneur à son appellation mais manque un peu de tout aussi bien au nez qu'au palais pour mériter davantage de considération.Le bouquet manque d'intensité et de complexitécela reste du pruneau et des fruits rouges.La bouche est bien élégante mais cela manque de matière,surtout en milieu où un creux se fait sentir.Belle longueur cependant. (1043 views) | | | Tasted by Burgnick on 7/26/2023 & rated 91 points: Good aromatics but thin on the palate. (1484 views) | | | Tasted by joshabramson on 11/20/2022 & rated 93 points: Mature palate with soft, round fruit and good acidity. A bit thin but silky and elegant. Solid wine. (2234 views) | | | Tasted by Sean Tay on 9/5/2022 & rated 93 points: Decanted for 3 hours and nose its still closed. Probably need longer decanting to open up the wine. When swirl, notes become more pronounced and you have mushroom, ripe red and black fruits, prune. Medium+ acidity and medium tannin. Tannin is integrated. (2270 views) | | | Tasted by vintage_whine on 12/30/2021: thinner, acid bright and lively, fruit red toned, tannins showing a bit thinner but still not melted. unfortunately also slightly corked so i won't evaluate aromatics (3071 views) | | | Tasted by Nutty08 on 12/12/2021 & rated 94 points: Needs a couple hours air to open up as it a bit shrill upon opening. Ended up being a lovely bdx in early maturity. Tannins integrated and soft, with some the fruit with mature elements but still forward. Lovely herbal leafy notes mixed in. Excellent Pomerol. More elegant and refined than powerful. (2681 views) | | | Tasted by dbkitc on 7/25/2021 & rated 94 points: I am totally digging this wine. Brilliant ruby color is followed by a nose that has fruit, leather, dark chocolate and spice - A+. Mature palate that is sweet, structured and balanced. Totally resolved with a tobacco finish. I wish I had more of this in the cellar. (94) (3026 views) | | | Tasted by mjdixon on 1/9/2021 & rated 93 points: Nice bottle with lots of fruit which started out a little tart after a 3 hour decant but ended very well.
That said, Pomerol tend to be a little too plummy for me these days, preferring Pauillac or St Emillion (3019 views) | | | Tasted by In2wines on 12/29/2020 & rated 93 points: Bordeaux September 2020
First bottle out of 6 & it's a very good 1995' a lot of "cool" fruit and not as dry as many can be in 95 - very precise, stellar Pomerol nose, chocolat, burned brown sugar, and still quite young at the age of 25, most have been store in a cool cellar, this may not be as good as La Fleur Petrus Christmas eve (95) and La Conseillante (94) but close it's very close, would be great fun to have those against each other ! !
Drink 2020-2030 (2814 views) | | | Tasted by MC on 11/27/2020: Decanted 3 hours. Classic Bordeaux. Dark fruits, minerals, nice balance. Great with food. Sure maybe it could use a touch more in the mid-palate to be great but this is very good. A- (2271 views) | | | Tasted by liber on 11/20/2020 & rated 94 points: 6th of 12, decanted 80 minutes, perfect cork and level, in line with March's bottle, fragrance developing nicely, maybe rounder, silkier and even more layered, upside yet. F+ (18). (2141 views) | | | Tasted by liber on 3/7/2020 & rated 94 points: 5th of 12, opened 160 minutes, decanted 80, perfect cork and level, flavour profile as noted in May 15 bottle, but more energy, silk and harmony, big step up, now properly mature and with 10 plus years of further development. F+ (18)...these 95s are at last losing their austere edge! (2387 views) | | | Tasted by dchain on 1/13/2020 & rated 90 points: Bit underwhelming back in 1995 but much better in more recent vintages. Light berry notes and touch of milk chocolate. Medium bodied and medium length. Balanced but lacks a sense of energy and purpose. Well made but just didn't set off any of the senses. Drink up. (2150 views) | | | Tasted by djhammond on 12/18/2019 & rated 93 points: This most certainly benefits from a few hours in the decanter, and it shrugs off the typical 1995 tannic austere backbone with sufficient aeration. The nose is deep and aromatic with raspberry, plum, tobacco, and cedar prominent. The tannin is now smooth on the palate and it has a typical Pomerol opulence, and is well balanced with good depth. The finish does not really match the quality of the rest of the wine, and is on the shorter side and a little unbalanced towards the end. I would probably have scored this a point higher, but the bottle was slightly off kilter, and probably had been stored badly. 93+ (2248 views) | | | Tasted by MaxSiegel on 11/17/2019 & rated 94 points: Leathery, smoky nose, with redcurrant and plum. Lightly floral. Becomes meatier and reveals coffee and toffee after an hour. Some truffle after three hours. Palate features very ripe plum and black cherry, as well as a touch of earth. Lush mouthfeel. Still a hint of tannin to resolve. Medium-plus alcohol, medium acidity, and medium-length floral finish. Quite nice Pomerol at or near its peak. (2230 views) | | | Tasted by MC on 7/22/2019: Decanted 90 minutes. Dark red fruits, earth, some tannin still present on the finish. Medium bodied, elegant, and a very good match with food. Has a bit of the 95 austerity to it, but overall this is just really good Bordeaux. Just a bit short on the finish, but possible a longer decant would have opened this up a bit more. A-/A (2415 views) | | | Tasted by drjb on 4/7/2018 & rated 94 points: Deep crimson red this wine has a lovely nose of raspberry, blackcurrant, plum, tobacco and cedar with a touch of Provencal herbs. the palate was initially quite stern but a couple of hours in the decanter revealed a luscious fruit component balanced by fine tannins and a terrific savoury note. Early bottles of this were very stern and it now seems to be entering a fine maturity. (4101 views) | | | Tasted by Papies on 12/17/2017 & rated 92 points: Decanted for a good hour and advisable.
Once again a bit of a hit n miss wine and we have had variable TNs on this wine over the last 7 years ( Papies 91-95).
On this occasion the wine was very good albeit not great and definitely was below the Evangile 95 (Papies 94) and lacked a bit of depth. Very classic, elegant wine, subtle with good notes of dark fruits, earthy notes, tobacco and with a herbaceous side all along. Very pretty wine and definitely well enjoyable but lacked the greatness factor we experienced with better bottles. 92 on this occasion. (4284 views) | | | Tasted by nstow on 12/13/2017 & rated 90 points: 10th of 12. Dark brooding black berry fruits, gamey and tobacco but with some greeness on the finish. 4/5 (4038 views) | | | Tasted by dream on 11/15/2017 & rated 93 points: This is a beautiful VCC in the making with plenty of sweet plum and dark berry fruit along with notes of smoked earth, tobacco and spices. There is good structure underneath making this a beautifully balanced wine that can be enjoyed now but will clearly continue to age beautifully. 93+ (4102 views) | | | Tasted by RayOB on 10/1/2017 & rated 93 points: Drank at 67
Fully mature with a wonderful nose of tobacco, earth and dark brooding fruit. (3784 views) | | | Tasted by BillyT on 5/20/2017 & rated 93 points: CT in DC at ericindc. WOTN for some. Stood up against 99, 00, 03 and 04 Leo illegal Barton which were outstanding as well as was an 06 Tiffany Grande Selection Bordeaux blend from Hungary. Other wines were excellent but I don't have notes on any. Too much fun meeting new wine friends and extremely interesting conversations on all matter of subjects. (3359 views) | | | Tasted by CamWheeler on 9/9/2016 flawed bottle: GMs - 1995 Bordeaux Tasting: Corked. (4481 views) | | | Tasted by MC on 5/9/2016: Decanted 2 hours, and improved a bit more at 3 hours. Dark cool fruit and minerals. Elegant, and very good with food. Won't blow you away but I really enjoy the delicate combinations of this wine, you just need to be in the mood for it. A- (4895 views) | | | Tasted by pclin on 4/30/2016 & rated 93 points: Clean but shy nose, not as forward as earlier bottles. Sweet and smooth on entry, firm mid-palate with some tannins yet to resolve, lush and almost full-bodied, seems to have put on weight vs previous bottles. Strong burnt tobacco aftertaste. Good balance overall, based on this showing, should last for years. 93-94 pts. (4657 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Sep/Oct 2020, Issue #89, Recently-Tasted Bordeaux And Revisiting the 1855 Left Bank Classification
(Vieux-Château-Certan (Pomerol)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Jul/Aug 2009, Issue #22, Vieux Château Certan: A Legendary Pomerol Marching to its Own Beat
(Vieux Château Certan) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/25/2005)
(Vieux Château Certan Pomerol Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, March 2002
(Vieux Chateau Certan Pomerol) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 1998, IWC Issue #78
(Vieux Chateau Certan Pomerol) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, 1995 and 1994 Bordeaux (May 1996) (5/1/1996)
(Vieux Château Certan Vieux Château Certan) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of View From the Cellar and JancisRobinson.com and Winedoctor and Vinous. (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 EnglishRed 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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