Vieux Château Certan - Pomerol 2017 6b11bd6ba9341f0271941e7df664d056

Le Point

18 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe6/20/2018

Fruits rouges, note boisée, bouche élégante, fraîche, ronde, touche épicée, long, fin, délicat, finale serrée, joli fruit, tonique, élégant sans faiblesse.

Vinifera

95 / 100

byJacques Perrinthe5/28/2018

Nez fin, floral et fruité, avec une touche de camomille. Attaque souple, ensemble charnu, belle texture. C’est un vin racé, pulpeux et velouté en milieu de bouche, avec de la tension et qui précède un beau tanin satiné. Très pur.

Vinous

95-98 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/15/2018

The 2017 Vieux Château Certan is a rapturously beautiful wine. Dark, sumptuous and seamless in the glass, the 2017 is going to tempt readers early. This is the first vintage that includes a bit of young vine Cabernet Sauvignon planted in 2012 to complement the old-vine Merlot and Franc that are the core of Vieux Certan. A wine of exceptional balance and purity, the 2017 dazzles from start to finish. There is an element of tension in the 2017 that is incredibly appealing. "We are back to Bordeaux," adds Alexandre Thienpont in reference to the personality of the year as compared to both 2016 and 2015. The blend is 81% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, aging in 70% new oak.

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98 / 100

byJeff Levethe5/11/2018

Deep in color, the wine pops with the perfume of cocoa, flowers, black plums, truffle and licorice. From there you'll find depth and concentration of flavor. The fruit is dark, polished, sensuous, velvety and long. There is vibrancy, florality, old vine intensity and chocolate coated cherries in the finish -- a denouement that goes on for 50 seconds or more. Blending 81% Merlot with 14% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine reached 14.2% alcohol with a pH of 3.75. Picking took place September 12, September 17, September 18 and October 2. It is interesting to note the picking dates and blends are quite similar to 2017. Sixty-seven percent of the harvest was included in the Grand Vin, which is much higher than usual.

Vinous

94-96 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/1/2018

The 2017 Vieux Château Certan was picked in three passages through the vineyard, 12 and 13 September, 18 and 19 September and finally 25 September to 2 October. The yields are 37hl/ha with 14.2° alcohol and a 3.75 pH. It is the first vintage to contain Cabernet Sauvignon for several years. It has a very pure, Merlot-driven bouquet with black cherries, redcurrant and wild strawberry scents, just a hint of iris and incense in the background. The 70% new oak is nicely integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy tannin, a deep well of black and red fruit interwoven with allspice, truffle, white pepper and a little sage. This Vieux Château Certan manifests more complexity and profundity as it aerates, delivering genuine, spine-tingling mineralité on the persistent finish. It gains even more precision when I return to the property to re-taste it again. Tasted twice, ten days apart at the property.

Wine Advocate

96-98 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/27/2018

Composed of 81% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Vieux Château Certan gives up gorgeous black raspberries, crushed black currants and warm black berries on the nose with chocolate-covered cherries, violets and star anise suggestions plus black truffles and wood smoke. The palate is medium to full-bodied with wonderful concentration in the mid-palate and firm, very finely pixelated tannins, with seamless freshness and fantastic length.

Decanter.com

93 / 100

byJane Ansonthe4/25/2018

Extremely bright, dark fruit aromas are joined by hints of gooseberry and redcurrant in the mouth, but a deeper, richer cassis comes through on the mid-palate. The high level of acidity emphasises a floral note, yet this has an austerity that is more pronounced than in recent vintages, which should settle in over time. This is a fairly concentrated vintage at VCC, more than at many properties, and was their fifth earliest harvest in the past 20 years, similar to 2011 in terms of dates, although this time it was in three stages, from 12 September to 2 October. This is different in profile to the 2016, with more Cabernet Sauvignon (planted in 2012). It's an elegant style with pure fruit; an extremely focussed and linear wine that's far from exuberant. No frost here, so a final yield of 37hl/ha. 3.75pH. IPT 73.

Drinking Window 2025 - 2038

WeinWisser

19 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe4/25/2018

Wine Enthusiast

95-97 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/17/2018

Rich yet fresh, this is a beautifully balanced wine. Its tannins act as a support to the great fruit and juicy acidity. Ripe, classic and sophisticatedly rich, it will certainly age well and shouldn't be opened before 2025.

Jamessuckling.com

97-98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/6/2018

This is a dense and compact center palate with a solid and pointed intensity. Full body, firm and silky tannins and an energetic finish. Complete. Harmonious.