2010 Vieux Chateau Certan
Buying options
Tasting notes
The vintage that Alexander has declared himself for over 2009, it lacks the openness of 2009 but is still silky and welcoming with notes of plum and coffee. Spicy notes develop enhancing these and drawing out the length. One for the cellar in our opinion and that of the man who made it!
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeannie Cho Lee MW
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
More reviews and scores
Rich yet restrained bramble fruits, which are ripe and precise (there’s 86% merlot here), together with meaty tones and less obvious cabernet franc leafiness. The attack on the palate is lush, with fine-tuned tannins, creamy weight and firm acidity. Power with grace. Youthful, with a huge potential for aging. Best from 2030, this will last for decades.
Just starting to wake up, but still, there is no denying the incredible character of this wine. Opulent, vivacious, deep, long, intense, and seamless, the wine coats and stains your palate with non-stop layers of velvet-textured, perfectly ripe, black and red, cherries and plums with background notes of chocolate, truffle, and spice that allow black raspberries to show in the back of the finish. Drink from 2024-2055.
The 2010 Vieux Château Certan feels a little disjointed at first, eventually manifesting more freshness with black fruit, freshly tilled earth, morels and cedar, all very well defined but I suspect requiring more bottle age. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins. Pretty red berry fruit laced with soy, white pepper and cedar, fanning out beautifully and exerting a very gentle grip towards the finish. Superb. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.
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.