
Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol, 2022
Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont are usually amongst the most diffident gentlemen of Bordeaux, but even they couldn't help but be impressed by their 2022. Their assessment, "a great wine". And indeed it is. It's the sort of Pomerol that makes you weep. In all the years I've been tasting here, I can't remember a more wonderful example - it's almost a caricature of VCC enhancing all the noble, charming, perfumed elements, whist still remaining refined, harmonious and a touch reserved. The bouquet is magical - aromas of violets, iris, griotte and bullace mingle with radiant cassis, high toned blue and minty fruits. Sumptuous and stylish on the palate, this oozes charm with wonderfully perfumed fruit; dense and unctuous, yet vibrant and vivid. It's easy to be seduced by the polished fruit, however, this is truly multi-layered, full of pliable, juicy fruit, blackcurrants, balsamic and cocoa. The tannins are like lace, shimmering with vibrant, charming, aromatic fruit and fine minerals. Exceptional. 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.
critic reviews
A blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the élevage here was 100% in barrel, with malolactic fermentation in same, using two-thirds new oak and the rest second-fill. A gloriously dark and focused nose here, perfumed fruit, all griottes, currant, blackcurrant, coffee bean and olive, the overall sense one of fragrant juiciness rather than anything too heavy or overdone. And this is exactly what I find on the palate, a deceptively easy-going and seamless body of dark fruit, with currant, olive and damson, with violet nuances, gorse flower Cabernet notes, and a fine bed of rich, voluminous, but tightly knit tannins. Such wonderful approachability, stunning concentration without ever giving the sense this has gone too far, filled out with dark fruits, great structure, rich complexity and a long finish packed with tightly knit tannins. And it finishes long too, with savoury tannins, all lithe and sinewy, and an absolute delight. This is a stunning VCC set to charm for many decades to come. The alcohol is 14.5% on the label.
The 2022 Vieux Château Certan was stellar from barrel. Now, just a week after I retasted the immortal 1947, this latest iteration proves that quality remains as high under Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont as it did during the golden postwar era under Georges Thienpoint. Boasting an intense bouquet of blackberry, briar, iodine and iris flower, this is one of the most complex and mesmerizing wines in all of Bordeaux this vintage, let alone Pomerol. The palate offers exquisite balance, razor-sharp tannins, real sapidity and a fabulous grainy texture. The Cabernet components are very expressive and lend a completely different dimension to the finish. This is exceptional.
A blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon (very similar to the 2019), the 2022 Vieux Chateau Certan is a magical wine of exemplary harmony and balance. Offering up complex aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with notions of exotic spices, licorice, iris, violets and loamy soil, it's full-bodied, supple and seamless, its sweet structuring tannins entirely concealed by a multidimensional core of pure, vibrant fruit. This sensual, perfumed Pomerol is likely to rank alongside the 2019 and 2016 in the pantheon of recent Vieux Chateau Certan vintages.
product details
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