Wine Advisor
Vieux Chateau Certan 1997
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This dark ruby-colored wine displays an elegant, charming personality with low acidity, evidence of moderate new oak, and a medium-bodied, weedy, fruit-driven finish. It will drink well young and keep for 10-12 years. It is good, but uninspiring.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Typically elegant, suave, and graceful, Vieux-Chateau-Certan's 1997 exhibits a dark ruby color, an herb-tinged, berry, spicy-scented nose, well-balanced, medium-bodied, refined flavors, good sweetness, and well-integrated acidity and tannin. Nothing stands out in this unaggressive, measured, attractively-styled wine. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Nose a little unexciting. Plenty of fruits on palate though. Robust and appealing. Sweet finish. Quite feminine, elegant and with good acidity. A nice purity here. Excellent. Tasted April 1998.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Pomerol off-line at The Ledbury. It is many years since I have tasted the Vieux-Chateau-Certan 1997. It has a rather innocuous, leafy bouquet with touches of cedar, loganberry and iodine. Quite simple but not offensive. The palate is relatively light-bodied, fresh and lively with pert red-berried fruit, just a little hardness and dryness marring the finish, but still a pleasurable wine that does well for the vintage. Drink now-2016. Tasted September 2010.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Tobacco, cedar, herbs, cherry and plum notes are light in intensity, but elegant and pleasant. Although it lacks depth, the wine possesses medium body, sweet tannin, and weediness. Drink it over the next 4-5 years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1997 Vieux Château Certan does not really transcend the limitations of this off vintage. It has a rather ordinary leafy bouquet with touches of cedar, simple but clean. The palate is on the light side, the tannins always just a bit too hard for my liking; what you might call a quaffing VCC that should be consumed in the near future. Tasted from a bottle from my own cellar.
About the Producer
Among all the Pomerol appellations, Vieux Chateau Certan is one of the oldest, and even Petrus is a latecomer to it. It was called "Sertan" by the Portuguese, meaning desert, poor land and unsuitable for growing crops, but the soil was very suitable for growing grapes. Over time, the name "Sertan" evolved into the homonym "Certan", which is part of the winery's name to this day. The vineyard of Château de la Vieux Sedan covers approximately 14 hectares and is divided into 23 plots. The upper layer of the vineyard is about 30 cm of clayey gravel, while the iron-bearing clay is in the lower layer of the soil. The grape varieties planted are predominantly Merlot (about 70%), with Cabernet Franc (25%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (5%) making up the rest of the vineyard. The average age of the vines is about 50 years. The harvest is rigorous, with fermentation taking place in temperature-controlled oak barrels and aging in 2/3 new oak barrels, while some vintages, such as 1987, are 100% new oak and aged for 18-22 months. The wines of Old Sedan are made from Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a stylistic departure from the absolute dominance of Merlot in Pomerol. Old Sedan is the most similar to the Medoc style in Pomerol, with a color that is usually less intense, but with firm tannins and a robust body. After a few years of ageing, it is sweet, mineral and perfectly smooth, with a strong persistence in the mouth. The old Sedan has a unique and flawless structure, the new wine has a rather prominent charred leathery taste and the tannins take at least 5 years to soften. The mature wine has concentrated flavors and a perfect balance, not as "powerful" as Château Petrus, but a perfect combination of strength and softness, a unique Pomerol wine.
1958(1)1969(2)1970(1)1974(1)1977(1)1978(1)1981(2)1982(1)1986(1)1987(1)1988(2)1989(1)1990(3)1993(1)1995(2)1996(3)
Package Size
