Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol, 2005
Aléxandre Thienpont’s old vine Cabernet Franc suffered dramatically from the water shortage in 2005, and so had to be replaced by his younger vines to make up the blend, with 80% Merlot. The colour is deep ruby/garnet, and the nose is sensual damson and dark berries, with floral overtones, quite beautiful. The wine gradually builds to show considerable power on the palate, and remains at an engaging level of fresh purity as the long velvety tannins extract an array of rich flavours: chocolate, cherry and redcurrant. There is great length and balance on the finish; a wine of special character and charm, quite delicious.
critic reviews
The 2005 Vieux Château Certan was picked from September 12 after cool nights had led to a slow accretion of concentration. "There was a lot of drought in 2005," Alexandre Thienpont recalls, "and it was a season a bit like 1982." This has a winsome bouquet, more powerful than the preceding 2004, as you would expect, laden with predominantly red fruit laced with anise and wilted rose petals. Impressive delineation and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannins, fresh and sapid in style, more open than the bottle tasted four years earlier. It veers towards a more savory finish. Subtle, ferrous, almost meaty notes lend complexity and typicité. Persistent on the aftertaste, this is a VCC that is just getting going. Tasted at the VCC vertical in Etikhove, Belgium.