Vieux Chateau Certan 2012

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux tasting. The 2012 Vieux Château Certan has a potent, smoke, cooked meat, Cabernet Franc-scented bouquet that is beautifully defined—quintessentially Pomerol. You want typicité? Come right here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite gentle as it sashays across the mouth. The acidity is very well judged and leads to an elegant tobacco tinged finish. Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont have produced one of the finest wines of the Right Bank in 2012, one that is up there with the greats. Tasted January 2016.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

A top success, the 2012 Vieux Chateau Certan is composed of 87% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep mulberry, plum and black cherry fruit notes intermixed with touches of graphite and subtle smoke lead to a medium-bodied wine with beautiful intensity, well-integrated oak, a velvety opulence and a long, impressively pure finish. A strong effort, it should drink well for 15 or more years. Alexander Thienpont continues to turn out brilliant wines from this property situated on the high Plateau of Pomerol. The harvest took place between October 1 and 11, producing 33 hectoliters per hectare. The 2012 achieved 13.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.8 and an index of polyphenols as high as the 2010, which was somewhat surprising. It is not nearly as powerful or rich as the 2010 or the 2009. All the old vine parcels of Merlot made it into the final blend.

robert_parker97

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

This is a Merlot year for Alexandre and his son Guillaume: the 2012 a blend o 87% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and just 1% Cabernet Sauvignon (the latter due to a parcel being replanted at the moment.) The nose is very well defined and lively, real “energy” coming from the glass. There are crisp scents of blackcurrant, wild strawberry and a tangible stoniness – very expressive of its terroir. The palate is superb: real tension and purity here, crisp acidity, tensile tannins that lend this VCC edginess and race. The fruit is black rather than red with a sense of poise and superbly assimilated oak on the nervous finish. What a great Pomerol for the vintage! Tasted April 2013.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage, the 2012 Vieux Château Certan is pure class. So many Pomerols speak to power in 2012, but VCC is all finesse. Forward and open-knit with that classic sense of translucent beauty that is the most identifiable attribute of VCC, the 2012 is simply magnificent. Veins of minerality give the wine its precision and energy, while lifted notes of sage, lavender, mint and tobacco captivate all the senses. The blend is 87% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Readers who can find the 2012 should not hesitate, as it is superb.

vinous92

Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata

Good full ruby. Cool, medicinal aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, violet and mint. Then silky and deep on the palate, offering pure dark berry and floral flavors and an attractive combination of stuffing and energy. Finishes perfumed and very long, with suave, fine-grained tannins. Another very successful VCC in the making.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2012 Vieux Château Certan is relatively complex on the nose: red fruit, leather, balsam and lavender, well defined and nicely focused. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, a keen thread of acidity, harmonious and nimble yet with a filigree and detailed finish that beckons you back for another sip. This is one of the most sapid 2012 Pomerols. Tasted twice at Bordeaux Index's Ten Year-On tasting and blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2012 Vieux Château Certan comes from a late harvest picked from October 1. The Cabernet is potent on the nose, not dissimilar to the 2008 with Montecristo cigars and undergrowth infusing the black fruit. Certainly, this is pretty Left Bank in style. The palate is well-balanced with a slightly herbaceous, peppery entry. Espresso notes infuse the black fruit with a structured finish. I just feel the oak a little here and find more composure on the 2011 by direct comparison. Tasted at the VCC vertical in Etikhove, Belgium.