Wine Advisor
Vieux Chateau Certan 2008
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This is a beautiful wine, much more developed and evolved than the 2010, as one might expect, with perfumed notes of camphor, cedar, charcoal, herbs, and black and red fruits. A blend of 70% of Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine has very complex aromatics, medium to full body, outstanding ripeness, a spicy, perfumed character, and light to moderate tannin. It can benefit from 2-4 years of cellaring and should keep for two decades.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted ex-chateau and single blind in Southwold. Two bottles opened: one a little showier than expected but the other I feel more representative. It has a lovely, very well defined bouquet with redcurrant jam, wild strawberry, minerals and a touch of spice. It is demonstrating great vivacity and poise. The palate is medium-bodied with lush, rounded tannins. It is very succulent and symmetrical in the mouth, caressing the palate, a lot of well integrated new oak with a multi-dimensional finish. Superb. Tasted January 2012.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This bottle is consistent with previous examples. The nose is very generous, though not ostentatious with plenty of vibrant, here quite glossy red fruit mixed with a touch of oyster shell. The palate is medium-bodied, more foursquare than I recollect but still with that classic sense of symmetry and poise towards the finish. Alexandre Thienpont created a superb VCC in 2008, one destined for longevity. Tasted June 2013.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2008 Vieux Chateau Certan was still going through * malolactics when I tasted it, so my score is probably on the low side. Yields were a strikingly low 34 hectoliters per hectare, and the harvest was slightly earlier than at most properties, starting on September 28 and ending on October 8. The final blend had not yet been determined, but what I tasted was 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. As one might expect, this wine was among the least evolved and judge-able wines I tasted in late March. Nevertheless, it reveals outstanding potential, and once malo is finished, I would expect the wine to put on more weight and flesh. It reveals a dense purple color, plenty of depth, beautiful sweet, pure blue and red fruits, and notes of camphor as well as incense. The wine’s striking freshness, length, and overall potential are promising. Production is off by 25% as there will be 3,000 rather than the normal 4,000 cases of the 2008.Given the structure, acids, and overall concentration, this wine should evolve for 25-35 years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the chateau, the 2008 is a blend of 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, which is the most Cabernet year. Very classic. The Vieux Chateau Certan ‘08 has a very alluring bouquet, very classic in style with the Cabernet lending the aromatic darker fruit with touches of boysenberry, blackcurrant pastille and touch of blueberry confit with great delineation. The palate is medium-bodied, a tensile, linear VCC at the moment, but beautifully poised with crisp acidity, the Cabernet dictating the complex finish. This is not a powerful wine from Alexandre Thienpont, but in his words: “true wine to marry with lunch” and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Drink 2013-2030. Tasted October 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
En primeur barrel sample. Just blended ten days ago, so it is no surprise to find the nose lacking the usual harmony at this stage. But a few swirls and it starts to come together - bright cherry fruits, a touch of clayey earth with nice definition. The palate is medium-bodied, more fruit-driven than usual with red cherry, wild strawberry, a touch of mulberry. Good acidity, lovely rounded finish. Nice tension but lacking a bit of persistency and weight on the finish. Tasted April 2009.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
(70% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 10% cabernet sauvignon) Ruby-red. Perfumed, sweet nose offers red cherry, raspberry, cinnamon and mineral aromas. Sweet and round on entry, then polished and smooth in the middle, with raspberry and red cherry flavors extended impressively by bright, harmonious acidity. A potential knockout. By the way, the acidity is higher than usual at 3.45 grams per liter, and the wine does in fact have a very fresh feel. For the first time since 2000, cabernet sauvignon is back in the blend. People believe you can only use cabernet sauvignon two years out of ten in Pomerol, and I'm proving them right, said Alexandre Thienpont, who limited the percentage of new oak to 80%, as he had done in '07 (previously he used 100% new barriques
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright red ruby. Vibrant aromas of kirsch, chocolate, mint and tarragon. Intensely flavored and juicy, with excellent precision and a restrained sweetness to the dark fruit and mineral flavors. With its strong impression of energy, this is less easygoing than most 2008 Pomerols but built for a slow and graceful evolution in bottle. Serious and strong: I would not be surprised if this wine merited an even higher score by about 2020.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2008 Vieux Château Certan has a timid bouquet at first and demands a lot of coaxing from the glass. I wonder if this is in the middle of a closed down phase? This VCC seems to leave all the action on the palate: filigree tannin, a silver bead of acidity, very pure and complex towards the finish with truffle and smoke infusing the red berry fruit. Wonderful persistence (as usual for VCC). Keep it for a few more years is what Alexandre Thienpont suggests and who am I to disagree. (Tasted at BI Wine & Spirit’s annual 10-Year On tasting.)
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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Package Size
12 x 75cl3 x 1.5L
