Vieux Château Certan

Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol, 2010

Name: Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol
Brand: Vieux Château Certan
Price: 3406.25 GBP

98/100

Inside Bordeaux

97/100

Vinous

Available Vintages

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Broking

2010
12x75cl
DP
£3,406.25

Justerini & Brooks Tasting note

Alexandre Thienpont was one of the few who could describe 2010 in 'un mot'. He simply said, 'pleasure'. Pleasure is what one expects from VCC. This is a Pomerol with an exemplary track record at producing exquisitely textured, perfumed, sensual wines. The 2010 is another such example. Classically stylish and aromatic with hints of fine herbs, minerals, delicately spiced cold soaked cloves and black cherries. Bizarrely, Alexandre didn't use much of his old vine Cabernet Franc in the blend, he is convinced that 2010 is a great Merlot vintage. Wonderfully intense, vibrant palate packed with tiny berries, wild strawberries and a hint of truffle. There is excellent density and lots of complexity; rather intellectual, with haunting length, gorgeous purity and fine stone tannins. Opulent and very fresh at the same time. 86% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Franc.

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GUARANTEED PROVENANCE

Provenance in fine wine

When it comes to purchasing wine, provenance is of upmost importance. A wine’s history – where it’s sourced from and how it’s been stored – can have an enormous influence on the eventual enjoyment it provides. At Justerini & Brooks, we can trace nearly every case back to the domaine, estate or Château it originally came from; we ship from over 200 wine producers throughout the world.

Wines not bought directly from the vineyard are either sourced from trusted suppliers, with whom we share the same philosophy and rigour in buying, or from our own network of Cellarers customers. These customers’ wines are stored in optimal conditions in Octavian Corsham and, in the vast majority of cases, have been stored by us since the wine was first shipped. We do not purchase wine from auctions.

We feel it is equally important to for our customers that the case they buy and leave in storage with us is exactly the same case they subsequently have delivered. This may sound obvious and straightforward, yet we are one of very few merchants to have taken measures to ensure this.

We have created a system where every case is independent, thereby ensuring a trail of ownership and peace of mind for every customer.

The Journey

Justerinis ensures that every case of wine stored with Cellarers (Wines) Ltd has a unique identifier and customer’s name, almost unheard of in the industry as it is expensive to administer. These details are printed and placed on every case which is logged and recorded under your account name and kept in the world’s most renowned storage facility, Octavian Corsham.

This information is sent from our systems to the warehouse every day to ensure the trail of ownership is verified and upheld.

While customer reserves are stored in Corsham, our physical stocks are kept in Hoddesdon, further providing a geographical separation between customers’ wines with Cellarers and Justerinis’ own stock.

Further Reassurance

Cellarers (Wines) Ltd is a legally separate limited company from Justerini & Brooks which currently holds approximately £450 million worth of customer reserves. It is fully insured to catastrophic loss. Many merchants will state that wine in their care is fully insured, but in reality this is on an individual case basis with insufficient cover for total loss as this is prohibitively expensive. The cover provided by Octavian and Justerini & Brooks is unmatched.

Cellarers (Wines) Ltd is audited by PwC every year.

Critic Reviews

98/100

Jane Anson,

Inside Bordeaux

High floral and gunsmoke aromatics, this is intense and concentrated. Where the 2009 has more immediately appeal, this 2010 is clearly going to deliver over the decades. Coiled and reserved tannins, a ton of texture and powerful black fruits, precise and poised, this is exception.

drinking window 2025 - 2044

date of review 10/2024

97/100

Neal Martin,

Vinous

The 2010 Vieux Château Certan has been compared to the 1950 by Alexandre Thienpont, who mentioned that berries were usually small, with yields at 35hl/ha. It's slightly deeper in color than the 2009. This has an outstanding, concentrated bouquet with black fruit, melted tar, cedar and a touch of morels (as noted previously). There is better delineation compared to the previous vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with an almost Côte de Nuits-like texture and perfect acidity, and the tannins are present but fine. Incense and licorice join the fray with time. It's harmonious on the finish with ample freshness. This magnificent VCC is only in its first couple of chapters. Tasted at the VCC vertical in Etikhove, Belgium.

drinking window 2027 - 2060

date of review 07/2024

product details

Specifications

Country:

Region:

Appellation:

Producer:

style:

Grape Variety:

Merlot Cabernet Franc

abv:

12.5%

allergen information

This product may contain sulphites. Full allergen information is available upon request, please call our Customer Relations Team on +44 (0)20 7484 6430.