Wine Advisor
Certan de May 2004
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Full deep red with ruby highlights. Explosive aromas of berries, meat, truffle, smoke, mocha, coffee and caramel. Rich, lush and silky-sweet, with a juicy lift and a bit of medicinal restraint to the red cherry and redcurrant flavors. Finishes with firm, dusty tannins and slightly sauvage notes of iron and woodsmoke. This has turned out nicely.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Saturated ruby-red. Black raspberry, mocha, espresso, tobacco, underbrush and pepper on the nose. Creamy-rich and pliant, if a bit laid-back today. Shows more chocolate, licorice and minerals than primary fruit. Not especially sweet at present but offers good density and inner-mouth energy. Finishes with fine, dusty tannins and sneaky length. An improvement over recent vintages, with Michel Rolland now consulting here.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Another great from the Moueix stable. A wonderful nose of blackberry, raisin and dark chocolate. A very smooth entry, seamless tannins and velvety texture. Firm grip. Lithe and persistent on the finish. A decadent Pomerol that has an irresistible sensuous finish. Excellent. Tasted April 2005.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the chateau. The Certan-de-May 2004 is more reticent on the nose than the 2003: blackcurrant wine gums and very fine minerality. The palate exhibits superb balance and typically fine tannins, the Cabernet lending it a sturdy backbone but supported by some ripe, beautifully poised Merlot. I adored this in primeur and in bottle it is fulfilling its promise. Crushed stones on the finish. Wonderful. Tasted September 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Tannic, rough-hewn, and backward, but also dense and promising, this dark plum/purple-tinged 2004 offers notes of forest floor, roasted herbs, asphalt, sweet black cherries, and minerals. The complex aromatics are followed by a medium-bodied, tannic, muscular Pomerol that requires 3-4 years of bottle age. It should drink well for 15+ years.
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.
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