Wine Advisor
Certan de May 1990
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The dark garnet/purple-colored, full-bodied 1990 exhibits a distinctive nose that offers huge, herbaceous, cassis scents intertwined with aromas of roasted nuts, smoky new oak, and peanut butter. This dense, concentrated wine reveals super extraction, soft tannins, and a voluptuous, even thick finish. It is reminiscent of the 1982, only less tannic. Anticipated maturity: 1995-2010. Last tasted, 1/93.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1990 exhibits a distinctive nose that offers huge, herbaceous, cassis scents intertwined with aromas of roasted nuts and peanut butter. This dense, concentrated wine reveals super extraction, soft tannins, and a voluptuous, even thick finish. Anticipated maturity: 1995-2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This is a Pomerol-drinkers’ wine, one that accompanies a meal rather than stands alone for all to admire. A fine, earthy nose with graphite, Morello, leather, hay barns and sous bois characteristics. Perhaps a little fungal with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied, perhaps a year or two past its peak and just lacking some vigour. But the acidity and absence of the summer heat makes this a pleasurable Pomerol with bitter cherry, coca and leather leading towards a tannic, off-dry finish. Rustic certainly, but with charm. Tasted June 2007. Drinking now.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1990 Certan de May is a more conventional wine, with loads of jammy, sweet, cedary, and herbaceous cassis scents intermixed with a roasted herb, toasty wood character. Rich and full-bodied, as well as low in acidity and soft, the wine is already revealing some amber at the edge, and a precocious, flattering personality. Drink it now and over the next 15 years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This proved to be a very quick-evolving vintage for Certan de May. Somewhat loosely knit from its early days, the wine now has a dark garnet color with considerable amber at the edge, and its aromatics suggest an open-air Provencal market with the addition of creme de cassis. The wine is expansive, very low in acidity, very good, but hardly has inspirational levels of concentration or depth. The tannins are, as the French say, fondu (meaning melted), and the wine is not likely to get any better. It is such a great vintage, one would have hoped for greater concentration and intensity, but the wine is still very good. Anticipated maturity: Now-2008.Last tasted, 4/02.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This wine has had a positive evolution since I first tasted it in 1991. It is a far stronger effort from Certan de May than their 1989. The distinctive nose offers huge, herbaceous, cassis scents intertwined with aromas of roasted nuts and peanut butter. In the mouth, this extremely tannic, dense, concentrated wine reveals good extraction, but this broodingly backward Pomerol will require considerable patience. Anticipated maturity: 1996-2010.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1990 Certan de May is a more conventional wine, with loads of jammy, sweet, cedary, and herbaceous cassis scents intermixed with a roasted herb, toasty wood character. Rich and full-bodied, as well as low in acidity and soft, the wine is already revealing some amber at the edge, and a precocious, flattering personality. Drink it now and over the next 15 years.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Medium color, hint of development. Smoke, toffee, coffee and a charred-barrel nuance on the nose. Supple but restrained on the palate, with good but not outstanding concentration and intensity of flavor. There's an edge of austerity and a firmness on the finish that promise a graceful evolution. Still, we expected more richness.
About the Producer
Château Certan de May (or to use its full name, Château Certan de May de Certan) is a critically well-regarded wine estate in Pomerol on the Right Bank of Bordeaux, known for its highly sought-after Merlot-based red wine. The De May (or Demay) family were said to be of Scottish origin, but had lived in France since the Middle Ages, and in Pomerol since the late 1500s. The family became masters of the fief of Sertan, the oldest vineyard in the district. This area also covered the modern vineyards of Vieux Château Certan (which lies just over the road from the winery building) and Château Certan-Giraud (since renamed Château Hosanna), but was divided up after the French Revolution. Since the death of the last de May in 1925, the estate has been owned by the Barreau-Badar family and is currently managed by Jean-Luc Barreau. The vineyard covers five hectares (12 acres), with 70 percent planted to Merlot, 25 percent Cabernet Franc and 5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is aged for 12 to 14 months in French oak barrels, with 60-80 percent new oak. Around 2000 cases are produced each year.
1967(1)1988(1)
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