VIEUX CHÂTEAU CERTAN

The 2022 Vieux Château Certan was picked between 6 and 21 September at 35hL/ha and matured in two-thirds new oak. Alexandre Thienpont thinks it is a combination of the 2019 and 2020 and said that the Cabernet Sauvignon, from younger vines, lowered the alcohol (14.4%) and lent perfume. The aromatics are spellbinding with brilliant delineation and a surfeit of freshness. Blackberry, briary, crushed stone and light iris flower scents, vivacious and so energetic. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, very supple tannins, and lashings of cracked black pepper, pencil box and tobacco infusing the black fruit. As Thienpont said, persistent on the finish and gently lacquering the vines. The Cabernet is very expressive this year and so while it is a real Left Bank/Right Bank hybrid, it is, at the same time, quintessentially Pomerol. Chapeau Alexandre et Guillaume Thienpont. Drinking range: 2032 - 2075 Rating: 97-99 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2023)

A blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon (very similar to the 2019), the 2022 Vieux Château Certan is a magical wine of exemplary harmony and balance. Offering up complex aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with notions of exotic spices, licorice, iris, violets and loamy soil, it's full-bodied, supple and seamless, its sweet structuring tannins entirely concealed by a multidimensional core of pure, vibrant fruit. This sensual, perfumed Pomerol is likely to rank alongside the 2019 and 2016 in the pantheon of recent Vieux Château Certan vintages. Rating: 97-99 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2023)

75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. 65% new oak. 14.4% alc 35 hl/ha. 75 IPT. 3.78 pH. Can you imagine a harvest where the average berry weight was only 1 gramme? This happened at VCC, and these tiny grapes, packed with heroic juice and densely populated skins, gave up their magical components to make this wine. They managed the drought and the heat well here, and while the drought was progressive, it was ultimately not a problem, and the theory is the 2021 season helped the vines in 2022, giving the toolkit to survive. There is a glorious nose here atop a fresh, ripe, concentrated palate. The Thienponts decided not to perform a drastic green harvest otherwise, the remaining berries would have been too concentrated, and this was a pivotal decision because the resulting fruit is perfectly balanced and measured. Having a little more crop on the vine gives you ‘freshness insurance’., something sorely needed in 2022. A massive vanguard of black fruit swamps the palate and then sets up camp on your taste buds. It does not fade nor does it grow – it just radiates class, composure and infinite detail. The Cabernet Sauvignon brings florals, and the Franc adds a brittle, refreshing finish while giving the Merlot a 3D lattice to populate, creating a beautiful shape on the palate. Dark, rich, indulgent and velvety, no press wine was added here because it was simply unnecessary. The tension on the finish offsets the decadence on the mid-palate, leaving your taste buds craving more. Rating: 19.5+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2023)