Vieux Château Certan 2020

A pure, classy, understated VCC that manages to be elegant and delicate while hinting at its potential for glamour and star power. Coiled and tightly knit with rich, ripe black-fruit flavors—currants, plums, figs, and blackcurrants—with scintillating energy and grip. Effortlessly stylish yet beguiling, more of a sleeping beauty right now; concentration is clear, with such detail to the fruit, well-integrated tannins, and thrilling acidity, but delivered sleekly. Confident winemaking on show, a wine that has been “crafted for our children and grandchildren,” says Alexandre Thienpont.

Restrained minty notes with cassis, anise and clove, straw and assertive balsamic character. Full-bodied with a milk-chocolate flavor coming through and youthful tannins that are still oaky and chewy. The acidity drives long and gives a crunchy, ripe aftertaste. Still austere, but there’s a lot of good substance for the long haul. Just a little warming. There is no cabernet sauvignon in this vintage. Best after 2030.

The 2020 Vieux Château Certan is a wine of total harmony and finesse. Absolutely nothing is out of place. Supple and seamless, the 2020 is an infant, but it is so impressive. Crème de cassis, lavender, mocha and licorice are some of the many notes that emerge from the glass, but more than anything else, the 2020 is a majestic Pomerol that will thrill those lucky enough to own it. There's not much else to say. The 2020 spent 18 months in barrel, 65% new.

An extraordinary effort, the wine is almost opaque in color. The haunting perfume offers a bouquet of flowers, black, red and blue fruits, chocolate, spice, espresso and hints of truffles on the nose. Incredibly concentrated, but equally light on its feet, the wine is effortless to taste. With polished, velvet textures and fruits that express purity coupled with spice, chocolate, wet earth and sensuality, the finish crosses the 60-second mark and keeps on going! This is a youthful look at one of the future legendary vintages for Vieux Chateau Certan. If this is your thing, and if you have the extra income, buy it now as prices will only rise from here. Drink from 2027-2065.

Bright fresh fruit, wild berries, peppery tones, impressively clear, nuanced and intense. Perfectly ripe Cabernet Franc. On the palate, ultra-silky tannins, creamy, polished, perfectly integrated acidity; any tension is juicily resolved. The whole wine is fine, intense and complete, mineral, with integrated alcohol. A wine with density and drive, yet entirely crafted for finesse, very long.

Pure and intense with high ripeness yet with the notion of fresh dark berries, black cherry, cassis, violet and finely tuned oak already well integrated. Excellent density and vigour with powerful and concentrated fruit with a millefeuille of very ripe and silky tannin adding freshness leading to a very long and persistent finish with great purity and nuance.

Moving to the Grand Vin, the 2020 Vieux Château Certan is another legendary wine from this vintage, ranking with the best Bordeaux ever produced. Based on 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc that spent 18 months in 65% new French oak, it has a deep, powerful, full-bodied style as well as incredible purity and precision in its darker cassis, graphite, gravelly earth, and tobacco-driven aromatics. With perfectly integrated oak, again, incredible purity, and perfect, ultra-fine tannins, it deserves 8-10 years of bottle age and will be a 40- to 50-year wine.

Beguiling bouquet: Alpine blueberry, jasmine, licorice, wisteria, blackberry jelly and minerality. On the sublime palate, a texture like velvet and silk, cocoa‑like tannins, a dancing verve and a perfectly shaped body. In the slingshot‑like finish, elderberry jelly, Brazilian tobacco and profound minerality; less hedonistic, more intellectual than 2015, it now (as expected) reaches the top score. I wanted to know why the VCC was so good this year. “On the one hand, it was due to the dry summer and the fact that (almost) no water was stored in the soil; otherwise the wine would have been too rich, too high in alcohol and would have lost freshness; it wasn’t my fault,” Alexandre adds wryly. A flawless and great VCC. We are already looking forward to the 2022, which we will be tasting shortly.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: (85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc) Fresh, complex, elegant, finely structured, sweet, Burgundian-style bouquet, a medley of various red berries, with blue berries in the background, balsa wood. Densely interwoven, elegant, multi-layered palate, finely concentrated, with a very dense, super-elegant, delicately creamy texture, sensational aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, fresh, dense, refined fruit, and an almost endless, dense, fresh finish with abundant lingering aromas.

(85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc) Fresh, complex, elegant, finely structured, sweet, Burgundy-style bouquet, a medley of assorted red berries, with blue berries in the background and balsa wood. Densely interwoven, elegant, multi-layered palate, finely concentrated, with a very dense, super-elegant, delicately creamy texture, sensational aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, fresh, dense, refined fruit, and an almost endless, dense, fresh finish with abundant lingering flavors. 20/20 2028 - 2050

Tension, structure, complexity, waves of violet, rose petals and slate. A serious VCC with tension and poise, inching open to reveal graphite, pencil lead and sweet raspberry, blueberry and savoury cassis bud, almost a hint of petrol—elegant and balanced, with a personality set to power through the decades. 50% new oak.

Deep purple-black in color, the 2020 Vieux Chateau Certan is composed of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, the youngest vines being 41 years old and the oldest 80 years old. The nose is shut tight to begin, needing a lot of air to call forth beguiling scents of rose oil, sandalwood, star anise, and black truffles—to begin—giving way to a profound core of plum preserves, blueberry compote, boysenberries, and molten chocolate with a fleeting waft of vanilla pod and sassafras. The full-bodied palate is fantastically structured, with very firm yet very fine, smooth tannins and amazing tension supporting the dense, multilayered fruit, finishing with epic length and a whole firework display of mineral and floral notes. This is superb.

96-97

A superb red-fruit nose that purrs by your ear before giving way to more floral notes. The palate is immediately buried under a wave of red fruit. A true aromatic bomb, extending into a warm finish with raspy tannins, cat’s-tongue style.

So much density and precision in this bouquet, revealing a wealth of elements—from floral nuances to the ripe, inviting character of Merlot. Beautiful density on the palate, where the wine stands out for its power as well as its tension. A masterfully crafted wine: very precise, complete, compact, and one that calls for time in the cellar. A great achievement.

95–97. Barrel Sample. With a higher percentage of Merlot than usual, the wine is open, packed with rich fruits as well as very fine tannins. The concentrated structure gives a core that is velvet, rich and impressively perfumed. A very fine wine that will surely age well.