2008 Vieux Chateau Certan
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
65 % Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Cool summer delayed ripening. Started to pick 28 September. Bit of sediment. Deep crimson. Maturing rim. Nicely married nose with slight inkiness. Really chunky texture. Tannins are quite notable, and slightly furry somehow, but there is good ripe, well-integrated fruit, tannin and acidity on the way to maturity. A sturdy VCC, very much of the vintage. A wine for traditionalists. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 2008 Vieux Château Certan was cropped at 34hl/ha and contains more Cabernets compared to other vintages. Their contribution is tangible on the nose: pencil shavings and tertiary scents are pretty potent and lend it a Left Bank allure. The palate is fresh and vibrant with grainy tannins, graphite-driven, fresh and tensile with a persistent finish. Certainly, one of the best Pomerols in this challenging growing season, VCC at its most Médoc. Tasted at the VCC vertical in Etikhove, Belgium.
60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Still quite dark crimson. Quite firm and reticent on the nose. Round and without obvious tannins but with great concentration and composition. Tastes as though it should be served a degree or too cooler to emphasise its definition. Lots of Cabernet influence! Middle-aged rather than a charmer at the moment. Not an expressive bottle; a great disappointment in view of how well it has tasted in the past. (JR)
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.