Vieux Château Certan

5/7/2019 WeinWisser WEINWISSER : 19,5 / 20 5/1/2019 Vinous VINOUS (ANTONIO GALLONI) : 94-97 / 100 The 2018 Vieux Château Certan is a very pretty wine built more on elegance, finesse and aromatic nuance. Relative to the recent past, the 2018 shows a much more mid-weight structure and less of the creaminess of either 2015 or 2016. Much of that is attributable to a blend that includes 30% Cabernet Franc. Lavender, rose petal, mint and blueberry fruit all grace the 2018. Far from an obvious wine, the 2018 is going to need a number of years to be at its best, as it is a wine of total understatement and class. Fine beads of tannin support the understated finish. In 2018, VCC is a wine of refinement and subtlety more than anything else. I don't see the same visceral thrill as in a number of vintages of the recent past. Perhaps that will come in bottle. 5/1/2019 Jeb DUNNUCK JEB DUNNUCK (JEB DUNNUCK) : 96-98 / 100 Liquid violets, cassis, blueberries, and beautiful floral notes all emerge from the 2018 Vieux Château Certan, which is deep, profound, and layered on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins. Full-bodied, with thrilling purity, it builds on the palate, with beautiful tannins, and notable freshness. It's showing its Cabernet Franc component today, with beautiful purity, elegance, and balance, as well as tons of structure. The 2018 is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc that hit 14.4% natural alcohol with an IPT of 77 and a pH of 3.78. It’s another brilliant wine from Thienpont family that’s going to evolve for decades. 4/24/2019 My Bettane + Desseauve MY BETTANE + DESSEAUVE ( BETTANE & DESSEAUVE) : 98 / 100 Les 30% de cabernet franc construisent un milieu de bouche vibrant en apportant une complexité et une fraîcheur unique. Ils entraînent et tempèrent la légère rugosité des merlots, ce qui fait toute l’originalité de l’assemblage. Un millésime de légende. 4/24/2019 La Revue du Vin de France LA REVUE DU VIN DE FRANCE : 18,5-19,5 / 20 4/23/2019 The Wine Cellar Insider THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER (JEFF LEVE) : 98-100 / 100 With a dark hue, the initial scent you'll notice is the robust floral crux before discovering the truffle, spice, cocoa, black plum, red fruit and licorice. Elegant, polished, silky, refined with a gorgeous sense of purity in the fruit, the wine has density but it also dances on tiptoe. The 2018 is a striking expression of Pomerol with a mix of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. The wine reached 14.4% alcohol with a pH of 3.78. Picking took place September 19 to October 10 and 65% of the harvest was used to produce the Grand Vin. 4/23/2019 Wine Advocate WINE ADVOCATE (LISA PERROTTI-BROWN) : 97-100 / 100 The 2018 Vieux Château Certan is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Yields were 40 hectoliters per hectare. The wine has a pH of 3.78, 14.4% alcohol and an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 77. Medium to deep garnet-purple—it has a very vibrant color—it drifts effortlessly out of the glass with wonderfully intense, beautifully delineated scents of red roses, black raspberries, kirsch and Darjeeling tea before the powerful, profound black fruits kick in: baked plums, wild blueberries, molten licorice and mulberries with touches of cigar box, cinnamon stick, tapenade and truffles. Full-bodied, rich, densely packed and revealing layer upon layer of red and black fruits with an incredible array of floral and spicy sparks, it has a high level of super ripe, incredibly fine, velvety soft tannins and fantastic freshness (not just from acid but from bright, crunchy fruit). It finishes very long, marvelously layered and with such jaw-dropping brightness from the fruit, the end is almost electric. Incredible. 4/17/2019 Wine Enthusiast WINE ENTHUSIAST (ROGER VOSS) : 98-100 / 100 While the tannins give this wine a firm character, it is the perfumed, ripe Cabernet Franc that is so expressive and gives the wine its structured, complex character. Spice from the wood aging shines through, but the weight of the fruit is impressive and adds elegance. There’s long aging potential for this fabulous wine. 4/17/2019 Decanter.com DECANTER.COM (JANE ANSON) : 99 / 100 This is complex, precise and concentrated but tempered with stunning potential. There is so much flavour and juice here with crushed tobacco and liquorice root alongside richly textured raspberry and blueberry fruits - all extremely well balanced and yet reaching down into the depths promising great ageing. A VCC that is full of layers, with the beauty of this vintage making them all relatively discernible even at this early stage because the tannins are not balled together but allow the light in between. An excellent year for Cabernet Franc, which always favours this estate - owner Alexandre Thienpont said that they weren’t just useful but essential this year, giving freshness and focus to the hedonism of the Merlots, and dampening down the alcohols. No press wine in the blend as yet, and not sure if they will use it. A yield of 40hl/ha. 4/12/2019 Jamessuckling.com JAMESSUCKLING.COM (JAMES SUCKLING) : 99-100 / 100 This is a significant VCC with masses of fruit and juicy tannins. It’s fresh, but impresses you with the rich and powerful fruit. A tower of a wine. Incredible depth and density. Thick and muscular. It is 30 per cent cabernet franc, the rest merlot. 4/1/2019 Beck YVESBECK.WINE (YVES BECK) : 95-97 / 100 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc Pourpre violacé. Bouquet intense, complexe, marqué par des parfums de fruits et de fleurs. Notes de mûres, de cerises, de violettes et, même si cela semble évident, de vin ! La fraîcheur est de mise et marque le nez puis également l’attaque. Au palais VCC (c’est plus court) est fin, compact, doté de tannins précis et d’un corps onctueux, structuré et frais. Je retrouve les caractéristiques olfactives en bouche. Un vin tout en finesse avec de la race et du fruit. Violettes et cerises. Caractère équilibré, onctueux et tannins élégants, fins en fin de bouche qui assurent bien les arrières. 2024-2040