Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol, 2016
By the time we had got to VCC, we had already become accustomed to using the words: tension, vibrant, freshness; all words that we associate with Alexandre Thienpont's wine. So it was no great surprise that this was wonderful. Produced from 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon and cropped at 40.5 h/Ha. Alexandre is not a man prone to hyperbole, quite unusual among the Bordelaise... it must be his Belgian ancestry... he described 2016 as 'an outstanding year', and it clearly was for VCC. This is brimming with purest Merlot expression, it really is quite regal, with sweet plums, ripe loganberry, dark cherry and loganberry. This is so fluid and graceful; a refined, effortless, sophisticated, multi-layered effort that gentle grips and seduces. As refined and handsome as they come...
critic reviews
The 2016 Vieux Château Certan was tasted on two occasions. Blind, there was just a patina of wood on the finish that made it difficult to read. The bottle at Bordeaux Index's tasting tallied with my previous encounter. A multi-faceted bouquet with pure black and blueberry fruit, crushed stone and light graphite scents from the Cabernet component. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiselled tannins, tensile and demonstrating incredible length on the finish. Profound. Tasted at Bordeaux Index's 10-Year-On tasting in London.