Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol, 2021

Name: Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol
Brand: Vieux Château Certan
Price: 831.56 GBP

Available Vintages

all 1995 2003 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2015 2017 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Alexandre Thienpont describes 2021 as a "A return to Bordeaux. Aromatic, elegant and persistent". Succinct and honest as ever. This is exactly the sort of claret we all want to drink. It's impeccably mannered, complete and very moreish. It's gentile, aristocratic and cheerful. The youngest vines used in the grand vin hail from a Merlot plot planted in 1982. Guillaume explained that there bring a smile and a roundness to the wine. The oldest vines were planted in 1932. Initially it is the Cabernet that you notice. Classic aromas of iris, violets cassis, red berries, and lovely leafy tobacco notes emerge from the glass. Noble crystalline flavours follow on the palate, there's a wonderful freshness and tension here with a florality that flows right through to its gorgeous saline finish. A wonderfully transparent VCC with all components integrated immaculately. 77% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon.

critic reviews

96/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

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!

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2049

date of review 04/2024

94/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Skilful winemaking, with fragrant curling aromatics, gunsmoke, cigar. This is a year for taking the pleasure in aromatics, so make sure you give it time to open up, as there is a lovely structure here that curls around red roses, raspberry puree, full of joy. No chaptilisation, very light fining. 65% new oak, 3.63ph. Harvest September 24 to October 6.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2040

date of review 03/2024

96/100Neal Martin,Vinous

As I mentioned during en primeur, the 2021 Vieux-Château-Certan is driven by the Cabernet components that represent 23% of the blend. Graphite, pencil shavings, tobacco and light gravelly scents percolate through the black fruit. This is unapologetically classic in style. The palate has exquisite balance and harmony—very poised with a perfect line of acidity. There is a linearity that suits VCC's style of Pomerol and wonderful salinity on the finish that lingers. This transcends the limitations of the growing season. Outstanding.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2058

date of review 02/2024

95+/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2021 Vieux Chateau Certan has turned out beautifully in bottle, unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cigar wrapper, black truffle, burning embers, mint and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with impressive density, beautifully refined tannins and a long, gently vanillin-inflected finish, it's a blend of 77% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, the latter imparting complexity and structure. The result is somewhat reminiscent of the estate's exceptional 2011, one of the wines of that unheralded vintage.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2051

date of review 02/2024