2021 Vieux Chateau Certan - Pomerol AC

Decanter.com - 96 pts - GH: *A wine you don’t want to put down. Not light, but round and full for 2021, with body and concentration, carrying its frame well with a direct piercing of flavour through the middle. Tension and tang, bite and grip, gravel and clay nuances in texture and flavour. Juicy and succulent with tobacco, wet stones, slightly creamy and chalky with red and black fruits. Not the longest in terms of the initial expression, but lovely terroir character with lots of energy. Sublime.* - 11/2023

Falstaff Magazin – 96 pts – PM: *Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Dunkelbeerig im Duft, sehr klar, sehr reif. Florale Noten, Baumharz. Im Mund seidig und füllig, weich grundiert, mürb-körniges Tannin ohne Grüntöne, sehr dicht, dennoch mild wirkend, viel Saftigkeit, große Homogenität und Länge, feinfruchtig begleitet. Ein makellos reif gelesener Charmeur mit Tiefe und unglaublicher Eleganz.* - 05/2022

The Wine Advocate – (94-96) pts – WK: *A blend of 77% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Vieux Château Certan wafts from the glass with lovely aromas of violets, rose petals, sweet wild berries, exotic spices, orange rind and smoke. Medium to full-bodied, supple and enveloping, it's an elegant, fleshy wine with a bright core of fruit, ultra-refined tannins and a precise, saline finish. Despite its almost Burgundian finesse, this Pomerol's remarkably penetrating, perfumed finish gives the lie to any notion that it's in any way lacking in intensity of flavor. As is almost invariably the case, Vieux Château Certan is one of the finest wines of the appellation this year.*

Vinum Magazin – 19/20 pts: *Sehr stiltreuer VCC, präzise gezeichnet, mit betörendem aromatischen Potential, schlank, Tannin mit Schliff, subtile Eleganz trotz der Dichte: einmalig, stilvoll, herrlich.*

WeinWisser – 19+/20 pts - TB: *Der Vieux Château Certan ist ein Pomerol von epischer Frische und Tiefe. Er übertrifft deutlich die Bewertung der Primeurs-Verkostungen, und eigentlich hätte ich stundenlang mit Alexandre Thienpont von diesem köstlichen VCC genießen können. Denn was ihn so animierend macht, ist seine enorme Frische und tiefgründige Reife, likörig leichte Aromatik, die mit den niedrigen 13.5 Vol.-% eine besondere Trinkigkeit erlangt. Dunkle Farbe, viskos. Im Duft erzeugt er eine sehr feine, delikate Frucht mit grandioser Eleganz und liköriger Aromatik, dabei auch Rosenblätter, Schokolade und vielschichtige Würze. Die 3 % Cabernet Sauvignon bewirken im 2021er eine ganz besondere Präsenz im Obertonbereich. Superdelikat und finessenreich beginnt er im Mund und wirkt wie ein Burgunder mit Cabernet-Händedruck. Enorm konzentriert und mittig strukturiert, ewig frisch und durchdringend aromatisch im Nachhall. Ein unnachgiebiger VCC mit enormem Druck, extrem lang, sogar länger als in einigen wärmeren Jahren. Viel dunkle Früchte im Rückaroma. Wer vom Charme eines Vieux Château Certan schon oft begeistert war, wird den 21er absolut lieben! Sollte unbedingt auf der Kaufliste des Klassik-Liebhabers stehen.* - 02/2024

JancisRobinson.com – 17,5/20pts – JL: *77% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. 38 hl/ha. Cask sample. Rich, racy and aromatic with floral notes to the fore. Old-vine intensity, something not always evident this year. Smooth, elegant texture with fine, persistent tannins. Sweetness to the fruit on attack then fresh and driven on the finish. Good potential.* - 04/2022

JamesSuckling.com – (96-97) pts - JS: *Medium to full body with a supple, textured and firm tannin structure. Velvety and perfumed with fragrant notes of flowers, cloves, plums and raspberries. Broad and layered. Very supple and evolving. Opens on the palate. 77% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 3% cabernet sauvignon.*

Vinous.com – 98 pts – AG: *The 2021 Vieux Château Certan may very well be the wine of the vintage on the Right Bank. Intensely aromatic and nuanced, with exceptional balance, the 2021 is super-classy right out of the gate. Naturally, it doesn't have the richness or density of most prior vintages, but it more than makes up for that with its sublime harmony and overall freshness. All the elements are so well proportioned. Readers should plan on cellaring this beauty for at least another handful of years.* - 12/2023

Vinous.com – 96 pts – NM: *As I mentioned during en primeur, the 2021 Vieux-Château-Certan is driven by the Cabernet components that represent 23% of the blend. Graphite, pencil shavings, tobacco and light gravelly scents percolate through the black fruit. This is unapologetically classic in style. The palate has exquisite balance and harmony—very poised with a perfect line of acidity. There is a linearity that suits VCC's style of Pomerol and wonderful salinity on the finish that lingers. This transcends the limitations of the growing season. Outstanding.* - 11/2023

Thewinecellarinsider.com – 97 pts – JL: *In contention for wine of the vintage, and even better in the bottle than it was in the barrel, this gem pops with its display of flowers, spices, truffles, tobacco leaves, cherries, plums, and chocolate. The palate is influenced by its wealth of Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. This is a wine of finesse, freshness, refinement, elegance, and vibrancy, leaving you with lift, and energetic, red fruits with tension, precision, complexity, and length that builds during the finish. The wine blends 77% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2026-2055.* - 03/2024