Vieux Château Certan 2016

Some of the most complex, elegant, and richly perfumed wine from Pomerol is made at Château Vieux Château Certan.   This property is, without a doubt, one of the crown jewels here and as a result it fetches a high price in today’s marketplace.  Château Vieux Château Certain hosts some of the best terroir as it sits on the Pomerol plateau.  It has its fair share of famous neighbors, such as Château Pétrus, and though critics such as Robert Parker Jr compare the two producers as equal in quality, they could not be more different in style.  Because of the higher percentages of Cabernet Franc, the wine of Château Vieux Château Certan is lengthy, profound, and some of the finest wine the region has to offer. 

Château Vieux Château Certan hosts one of the oldest histories in the entire region.  It dates to the 1700s where it was founded by Jean Demay de Certain who was well known for his work in the Bordeaux wine trade.  The original château was constructed closer to 1770 and after the French Revolution, the land was divided many times.  In early years, Château Vieux Château Certain was considered the best wine in Pomerol, yet shortly after World War II the estate diminished in popularity due to the meteoric rise of Château Pétrus.  As time passed, the estate was acquired by Georges Thienpont in 1924 and thus it began its spectacular rebound. 

You may have heard of the Thienpont name in association with another Pomerol giant – the iconic cult producer Le Pin, which is run by Georges Theinpont’s grandson, Jacques Theinpont.  The Theinponts have a rich legacy within the wine trade and more specifically with some of the top estates in the Right Bank, such as Troplong Mondot in Saint-Émilion they once owned.  There is a common philosophy within the Thienpont family, which is that great winemaking is about as little intervention as possible.  They are a true family of vignerons who believe most of the work is done in the vineyard.  Guillaume Theinpont currently runs Château Vieux Château Certan and the property is without a doubt the pride and joy of the Thienpont family. 

Château Vieux Château Certan has some of the oldest vines in Pomerol, more specifically Merlot vines that date back to 1932.  Here, varietals like Merlot and Cabernet Franc are all planted in a single block and the soil mostly consists of rich clay with gravel deposits.  The Merlot thrives in this deep clay that helps the vines absorb the water and nutrients they need.  The wine is vinified using minimal intervention in oak vats, resulting in full bodied wines that are effortless to drink at the same time.  It is incredibly age worthy and offers chocolate aromas with rich blackberry and plum.  Though Château Vieux Château Certan produces consistent wine that is a true knockout in terms of quality, the ratio of Cabernet Franc switches depending on the vintages. Because of this, Château Vieux Château Certan is a fun producer to follow throughout the years – as no two vintages are truly alike in personality.

"The 2016 Vieux Château Certan is the first vintage to be entirely bottled by the estate’s own bottling machine (just in case that ever comes up in a wine quiz). Alexandre Thienpont mentioned that he assiduously left out the stressed vines, and he places this above his more hedonistic 2015. The wine takes a few minutes to open in the glass, but boy, is it worth the wait: it reveals pixelated red fruit (crushed strawberry and raspberry) and crushed stone, plus a hint of graphite emanating from the Cabernets. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, slightly chalky tannin that frames pure black and red fruit infused with graphite and almost flint-like notes. This is one of the most mineral-driven VCCs that I have encountered in over 20 years, with dizzying precision on the finish. A very intellectual Pomerol, in the realm of the profound." - Neal Martin, vinous.com (January 2020), Rating: 100, Drink: 2024-2060

"The 2016 Vieux Château Certan is blended of 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it leaps from the glass with pristine, vivid notions of candied violets, chocolate-covered cherries, blackberry compote and mulberries with fragrant touches of raspberry leaves, crushed rocks, licorice, cumin seed and yeast extract plus a waft of red roses. Medium to full-bodied and beautifully elegant, the palate builds from a quiet intensity to an incredibly well-sustained aria of crunchy red and black cherries notes plus tons of floral undertones, framed by exquisitely soft yet firm tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long with lingering mineral and floral sparks. How does this 2016 compare to the also amazing 2015 vintage? Stylistically they are very different, as my notes on each should convey, but beyond this I am struck by the incredible harmony and seamlessness of the 2016 along with its amazing depth and energy this year. Bravo!" - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, (11/30/2018, Interim Issue), Rating: 100, Drink: 2021-2070