External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.9 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 62 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Zitan on 9/15/2023 & rated 94 points: Sublime. Last of six. I wish I had more. At peak. Lovely, violet/rose nose. Tannins mostly resolved but still just enough to give structure. Powerful with good length, but still feminine. Beautiful bottle! (489 views) | | | Tasted by peter.mancell@mfg.com.au on 6/6/2023 & rated 88 points: 10 years on …..just a bottle of wine!
A Bordeaux that has not improved with careful cellaring and time.
Se La Vi. (622 views) | | | Tasted by Tao on 1/5/2023 & rated 93 points: Always a huge fan of this wine and this one performing exceptionally well! Tons of ripe red fruits attacking the palate, at the same time it demonstrates its class in a graceful manner, rich and yet subtle, elegant, and rather poised. In a beautiful ruby red colour! Superb value, not to be missed! (930 views) | | | Tasted by rossi.wine on 9/15/2022 & rated 92 points: Another great bottle of this wine. More depth and complexity compared to the 1998 tasted alongside. Generous fruit, nicely balanced, good structure, fine length. Drink or keep. 91-93 (1477 views) | | | Tasted by whits on 11/11/2021 & rated 91 points: opaque with a ruby rim, aromas of black cherry, beef juice and tobacco, dark and sultry in character, full bodied, medium acidity, savoury flavors of salted plum, blackberry, dark chocolate and herbs, very solid, drink now (1701 views) | | | Tasted by Jd6725 on 2/13/2021 & rated 93 points: Probably the sexiest second wine that I have had. Came out ready to go, although a little time in glass didn't hurt. Some good fruit still lurking, along with just a touch of green pepper that I didn't mind here. Best at just a little above cellar temp. Only thing that would have made it a little better would be for it to be closer to 13-13.5 in alc. It sits at 14 and you can feel it just a touch on the finish. In a good spot, but not in a hurry to drink up. Might gain a touch more complexity with time. (1884 views) | | | Tasted by JonathanP on 2/7/2021 & rated 90 points: Decanted 3 hours before consuming. Drinking well and fully open for business. Despite shedding its baby fat, this is still clearly a hot season, ripe wine. Ripe fruit covers both red and black spectrum with Merlot and Cab Franc characteristics present including plum, ripe cherry, cassis, and some herbaceous tones which include tobacco. Although this hasn’t seen much new oak, there is a clear cedar/oaky note. Generous on the palate and round. Not drying. Could almost be new world. Almost. Pleasurable, if not an intellectual Pomerol. Drink now. (1714 views) | | | Tasted by signotim on 12/28/2020 & rated 90 points: Very elegant on night 1 showing dark fruit with herbal accents. The Cab Franc definitely comes through. On night 2, there is more ripeness in the fruit but it's not overdone. This is easy to enjoy (1620 views) | | | Tasted by mat600 on 5/30/2020 & rated 92 points: Deuxième vin de vieux château certan. Ce vin est souple, long et possède un fruit éclatant. Très très bon. 92 sur 100. (2034 views) | | | Tasted by ddingley on 1/6/2020 & rated 92 points: A week ago but was drinking very nicely (2013 views) | | | Tasted by mvande21 on 12/8/2019 & rated 92 points: Short decant. Muted nose. Rusticity and acidity diminished vs. previous taste Apr 2018. Also more balanced and smooth. No second day taste as I consumed the entire bottle day one! That in itself reflects a very favorable opinion. (1757 views) | | | Tasted by SparkyMI on 11/28/2019 & rated 92 points: Wonderful bottle of Bordeaux for Thanksgiving. (1758 views) | | | Tasted by samzicomposer on 3/15/2019 & rated 89 points: C'était bien mais il manquait un petit quelque chose pour un vin de plus de 50$. Les tanins sont fondus, la texture est bien ronde. Ce fut tout de même agréable. Prêt à boire. (2367 views) | | | Tasted by Steve Fishback on 3/2/2019 & rated 92 points: Drank with roasted veal and roasted hearty root vestibules. Wine was a wonderful pairing with classic merlot based Pomerol, pencil lead, beautiful subtle dark fruit and just right tannins. Wine is drinking well, I’m glad I have more (2060 views) | | | Tasted by rossi.wine on 1/21/2019 & rated 92 points: Dark fruit - plums cassis, spices, smoke, tobacco on the nose. On the palate good structure, quite grippy with a nice mineral spice. Generous fruit, good acidity, bright finish. Lovely. 91-93 (2124 views) | | | Tasted by DrinkBordeaux on 10/4/2018 & rated 92 points: As good as this was three years ago. Still with a very dark purple color. Did seem to soften after 30 minutes of air. The nose was a nice mix of plum, blackberry, spice, tobacco, and dark chocolate. Soft and silky on the palate, and with medium body. Far different in complexity and concentration than the 2009 grand vin, but this represents VCC well. It does seem that there's soft structure, so I do wonder how long this will age. (2122 views) | | | Tasted by mtarrant003 on 5/7/2018 & rated 92 points: Consumed with trout and steak, both cooked on the BBQ, following a two hour decant. Floral on the nose with violets coming to the fore together with cherries, cedar and spice. The aromas really developed with time in the glass with it giving a little more each time you went back. Rich, smooth and velvety on the palate with a medium finish. Good acidity to balance the ripeness of the fruit in this vintage. A very enjoyable wine. (2440 views) | | | Tasted by mvande21 on 4/10/2018 & rated 90 points: One hour decant. First day, a bit rustic with more acidity than expected. Second day, smooth, with fine tannins and medium finish. I would decant at least a couple hours. Improves with time in the glass. (2087 views) | | | Tasted by misterstarre on 1/8/2018 & rated 93 points: Delish! Earthy, gamey, losing its suppleness. Absolutely ready and wonderful. (2310 views) | | | Tasted by Pfleonard on 12/20/2017 & rated 90 points: what I noticed is the mouthfeel. round and velvety. Long finish. Altogether very very nice. (2124 views) | | | Tasted by Touchais59 on 4/12/2017 & rated 93 points: Wow! (2983 views) | | | Tasted by ddingley on 10/17/2016 & rated 92 points: Might be hitting a peak drinking window. Very smooth and tannins not much in evidence, pleasant medium body with subtle black/blue fruit and hint of tobacco, this was good out of bottle and better after a couple of hours of air. (3207 views) | | | Tasted by Themarts on 3/27/2016 & rated 94 points: Very pleasant Cabernet, drank with roast lamb leg and ratatouille (4365 views) | | | Tasted by ddingley on 1/4/2016 & rated 90 points: Tannins very light, this doesn't seem built to last, but pleasant enough now. Medium bodied, herbaceous/black fruit nose and palate but not long lasting. Drink up (4039 views) | | | Tasted by f22nickell on 9/29/2015 & rated 85 points: Seattle Wine Group - Sep 2015 Tasting - Theme: BDX - 2009 vs. Pre-2000 (Amaroso Room - Wine Storage Bellevue): This is really rich, ripe, fruity stuff, almost over the top. It crossed the line into candied flavors, deep and dark, came across like a typical Caymus tragedy. Too muddled to identify individual characteristics or even fruit. Minimal tannins, minimal acid. This wine was built to drink days after release.
No thank you ... I say again ... No thank you (not my style)
Bottle D:
My Ranking: 9th (of 9)
Group Ranking: 9th (of 9) apparently, not the group's style either (4258 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By David Lawrason
WineAlign (2/1/2012)
(La Gravette De Certan, Ac Pomerol, 2nd Wine Of Vieux Château Certan red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (1/25/2012)
(La Gravette De Certan, Ac Pomerol, 2nd Wine Of Vieux Château Certan red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of WineAlign. (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 |
|
