Wine Advisor
Vieux Chateau Certan 2007
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the 2007 Bordeaux horizontal in Southwold. The VCC 2007 is really beginning to show its class with bottle age. It has a lovely nose: blackberry, roasted chestnut, hot gravel and smoke that is very subtle and refined. The palate is beautifully balanced with crisp acidity, very structured with the Cabernet Franc defining the spice-tinged finish. Great authority here, this is a serious wine that will repay cellar age. Tasted January 2011.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The nose has good intensity, with ripe black cherry, boysenberry and that slight clayey scent that I found in some of Denis Durantou’s wines. With time, a stony aroma become evident. The palate is medium-bodied, well-defined, the Cabernet Franc component exerting more an influence at this early stage. Texturally similar to L’Eglise-Clinet, but with a slight animally note towards the finish that moves towards an espresso flavour. Very good length although of course it does not have the weight and persistency of either the 2005 or 2006 on the finish. Still a very fine wine. Tasted April 2008.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Spicy notes of pepper, herbs, licorice, and black currants jump from the glass of this round, medium-bodied, easy to drink, cleanly made, soft wine. Enjoy it over the next decade.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits' 10-Year On tasting, the 2007 Vieux Chateau Certan offers enticing aromas of black fruit, melted tar, mint, rooibos tea and undergrowth—complex and enticing, almost matching L'Eglise-Clinet in terms of sophistication. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit on the entry and white pepper and cloves on the mid-palate, while the Cabernet component lends structure and a sense of symmetry towards the finish, although it does fade in the glass, whereas the L'Eglise-Clinet "motor" on. This is just beginning to drink now but should last for another 8-10 years. Tasted February 2017.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Rated - No tasting note given.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2007 Vieux Château Certan has a nonchalant, earthy, well-defined bouquet that you might be tempted to locate on the Left Bank rather than the Right. Hints of wild mint, clove and bay leaf become more pronounced as it unfolds, though this is a Pomerol that is not inclined to click into fifth gear. The palate is medium-bodied, the Cabernet component quite noticeable with slightly leafy black fruit, sage and leather towards a finish whose patina of dryness suggests this VCC should be drunk over the next 5-6 years, as I cannot envisage it improving further. This is a "useful" and well-crafted wine from the very able hands of Alexandre Thienpont. Tasted February 2016.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2007 Vieux Château Certan is a great success for this challenging growing season. It has an attractive bouquet with scents of melted asphalt and mint infusing the black fruit (less of the rooibos this time!). The palate is medium-bodied and sappy in style, not terribly complex but very well balanced. It just seems to run out of puff in the glass. Tasted over lunch in London.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright ruby-red. Smoke, minerals, spices, tobacco leaf and a whiff of green olive on the nose; almost exotic but not in a classical Pomerol way. The exotic quality carries through in the mouth, which is firm and rather uncompromising today. A structured style of VCC but showing limited flesh today.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(a blend of 72% merlot and 28% cabernet franc) Bright, deep ruby-red. Aromas of blackberry and licorice. Sweet and supple but lively, with good pepper and violet lift to the black fruit and chocolatey oak flavors. A very fresh wine with lovely persistence but a slightly peppery aspect on the back. The palate-coating tannins reach the teeth. This should evolve slowly for a 2007 Pomerol.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2007 Vieux Château Certan is a great success for this challenging growing season. It has an attractive bouquet with scents of melted asphalt and mint infusing the black fruit (less of the rooibos this time!). The palate is medium-bodied and sappy in style, not terribly complex but very well balanced. It just seems to run out of puff in the glass. Tasted over lunch in London.
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.
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