Wine Advisor
Certan de May 2020
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Offering up aromas of sweet berries and plums mingled with notions of aniseed, licorice and mint, the 2020 Certan de May is medium to full-bodied, broad and layered, with a rich and enveloping core of ripe, somewhat baked fruit. This is a solid effort, but it can't quite match the 2019.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 Certan de May gives up compelling notes of ripe, juicy black plums, fresh blackberries and black cherry compote, plus suggestions of lavender, wild sage and clove oil. The medium to full-bodied palate is softly textured with bags of freshness framing the generous black fruits, finishing on a savory note.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2020 Certan de May has come together nicely. It remains a powerful, perhaps even monolithic, Pomerol, and yet it offers very good balance. A blast of black cherry, gravel, dried herbs, licorice and incense announces this decidedly brooding Pomerol. There's certainly plenty of depth and big tannins to match. The substantial finish is impressive. I would give this a few years in bottle to see what happens. The 2020 is a bruiser, that much is pretty evident.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2020 Certan de May is a powerful, imposing Pomerol. Swaths of tannin enshroud the palate. Blue/purplish fruit, grilled herbs, gravel, chocolate and leather add to a feeling of gravitas. The 2020 has plenty of depth, and yet it feels rather monolithic. There is no flow here, the wine feels static.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
I expressed strong reservations towards the 2020 Certan de May in barrel, and sad to say, there is no reason to alter my view from bottle. For a start, the nose feels very herbaceous and lacks the complexity of the preceding Hosanna. Despite rigorous coaxing, it just doesn't click into gear. The palate shows marginal improvement with a little more substance, but where is the nuance, the depth, the complexity that this Pomerol can deliver in spades?
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
I meted out criticism towards the 2020 Certan-de-May from my sample bottle sent to the UK. To be honest, I was hoping I would eat my words when re-tasting soon after in Libourne. This bottle confirms that this is a Pomerol that could do better, especially in benevolent vintages, but it is an improvement. It just lacks presence on the nose, maybe a little less herbaceous but truth is, the aromatics are stuck in second gear. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fresh with fine acidity. It is a mid-weight Pomerol, balanced, a little conservative with a peppery finish. Not bad, but having encountered many a lovely Certan-de-May’s, I expect more.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
I meted out criticism towards the 2020 Certan-de-May from my sample bottle sent to the UK. To be honest, I was hoping I would eat my words when re-tasting soon after in Libourne. This bottle confirms that this is a Pomerol that could do better, especially in benevolent vintages, but it is an improvement. It just lacks presence on the nose, maybe a little less herbaceous but truth is, the aromatics are stuck in second gear. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fresh with fine acidity. It is a mid-weight Pomerol, balanced, a little conservative with a peppery finish. Not bad, but having encountered many a lovely Certan-de-May’s, I expect more.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This is very refined with polished, chewy tannins and black olives. Medium-to full-bodied, the tannins are chiseled and energetic. 65% merlot, 25% cabernet franc and 10% cabernet sauvignon.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Lots of violets and flowers with hints of smoke and spice. Then dried flowers. Full and broad with tannins that flow across the palate. Chiselled. The real deal here for Pomerol. 65% merlot, 25% cabernet franc and 10% cabernet sauvignon. Give this four to five 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.
1967(1)1988(1)1990(3)2000(1)2001(1)2004(3)2005(6)2006(3)2008(7)2009(1)2010(5)2011(2)2014(3)2015(5)2016(5)2017(5)2018(3)2019(2)
Package Size
1 x 3L1 x 6L
