2023 Vieux Chateau Certan
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Tasting notes
This is a stunning wine in 2023, with an expressive, floral nose. Crystallised violets mingle with plump red fruit – vibrant cherry and plum. It’s juicy and fresh, with great concentration of fruit on the mid-palate, an elegant, sleek mouth-feel and powdered tannins that are very fine and supple. There is 14% alcohol here, but you don’t feel it at all; it’s gorgeously balanced with 3.7pH. Aged in two thirds new oak. Blend: 82% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Vieux Château Certan is wonderfully complex and dynamic in the glass. The layers here are just remarkable. That sort of dimension is one of the qualities that was hard to come by in 2023. Dark blue-toned fruit, lavender, scorched earth, new leather and menthol soar, lending tons of vertical, explosive energy. Floral and savory overtones develop with air, adding further shades of nuance. What a gorgeous and complete wine this is
Not harvested until after the rains in the middle of September, the 2023 Vieux Château Certan is based on 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc that was brought up in roughly 60% new oak. It's another ripe, medium to full-bodied, aristocratic, beautifully textured Pomerol that has ample black cherry, mulberry, chocolate, and tobacco-like aromatics, medium to full-bodied richness, flawless overall balance, and ripe tannins, as well as a certain salinity on the finish. Checking in at 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.74, it should surpass the 2014 and is a beautiful, elegant, classic wine that every reader would love to have in their cellar.
Black cherries, flowers, chocolate, truffles, blackberries and a touch of cinnamon produce the aromatic profile. Elegance and power do not always go together. But with 2023 VCC, this is exactly what you find. There is intensity, richness, velvety-tannins, chalky accents, and layers of chocolate-infused, dark pit fruits, with wet earth, and spice. The wine is rich, full, and deep, with uplifting acidities providing energy to the long, sensuous finish. The temperate conditions of the growing season, without extreme variances is what allowed the vintage to develop its characteristics. In the cellars, the extractions were slow, soft, and easy. Pump overs were reduced by 30% this year as well. The wine blends 82% Merlot, and 18% Cabernet Franc. 14% ABV, 3.74 pH. The harvest took place September 18 - September 29.
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.