1982 Vieux Chateau Certan
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
‘Bordeaux’s first modern vintage started out warm so that vegetative growth began early. By May, there were serious worries about drought but heavy rain in May came just before flowering, which was early and successful. It was a hot summer with some welcome showers towards the end. As picking began in mid-September, the heat reappeared. High yields and high temperatures created a challenge during winemaking.’ Not enough selection. Surprisingly, less-intense colour than I might have expected, and much paler than the wines from the 1940s. Though charming. Sweet and attractive with some richness but much lighter than it might have been if Georges had not been in charge and wanting to maximise volume. A little dilute and this might have been one of the wines that convinced Alexandre to insist on introducing a second wine, La Gravette de Certan, from 1985. A bit simple and lacks real fruit concentration in the middle. Charming but not magnificent. Slightly buttery. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 1982 Vieux Château Certan has never been one of the best vintages in the context of a lauded season. In fact, Alexandre Thienpont commented that it would have been better if cropped at 10hl/ha less. It offers brambly red fruit on the nose, sous-bois with a touch of aniseed emerging with time. However, it does not convey the complexity of its Pomerol peers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. There is a very slight lactic note and a kind of ersatz sweetness on the finish. It is pleasurable, but certainly nothing compared to the legends of the postwar era or recent years. Tasted at the VCC vertical in Etikhove.
The 1982 Vieux Château Certan didn't make waves in its youth, yet it is going from strength to strength today. Produced by Léon Thienpont, four years before his son Alexandre took the helm, it offers up rich aromas of mulberries, black truffle, forest floor, spices and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with an ample core of fruit, melting tannins and an expansive, sapid finish, this is a comparatively underrated 1982 Bordeaux today.
The 1982 Vieux Château Certan has an endearing nose with plenty of red fruit, raspberry and crushed strawberry, laced with black truffle and melted tar. The palate is medium-bodied with fine balance, quite structured with insistent grip. Fully mature, this 1982 has a delicate spicy finish, though comparing this with previous notes, it suggests that this is beginning a graceful decline. Drink over the next decade or try to seek out a large format. Tasted at the Vieux Château Certan dinner at La Trompette.
About the producer
The original Château at Vieux Château Certan dates back to around 1770 but the modern history of the estate begins in 1924 - the year that Belgian wine merchant Georges Thienpont purchased the property.