2012 Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol, Bordeaux

  • Red
  • Dry
  • Full Bodied
  • Merlot
Ready - youthful
Jancis Robinson MW
19/20
90-93/100
Jane Anson MW
99/100
Jancis Robinson MW
18/20
James Suckling
94/100
Antonio Galloni
96/100
Neal Martin MW
95/100
17.75/20
Julia Harding MW
18/20
Robert Parker
92-94/100
James Molesworth
92-95/100
James Molesworth
94/100
Product: 20121016082
2012 Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol, Bordeaux
Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2012
Maturity Ready - youthful
Grape List Merlot
Body Full Bodied
Producer Vieux Château Certan

Critics reviews

Jancis Robinson MW 19/20
Tasted blind. Lustrous deep crimson. Sweet yet refined. Recalls juggling or tightrope-walking with its mixture of ripeness and freshness. Dry finish on wonderfully precise sweet fruit. Still very youthful. Clean. Highest average score ever! 19.24 because of five 20/20s.Drink 2022-2050jancis_robinson_mw MW, JancisRobinson.com (2022-2050)
Drink 2022 - 2050
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com
90-93/100
A subtle but not invisible application of wood is present on the ripe but quite fresh aromas of poached plum, sandalwood and orange pekoe tea. The sleek, intense and very well-detailed medium-bodied flavors possess a gorgeous mouthfeel thanks to the fine grained tannins supporting the sneaky long finish. This is lovely and very well-balanced.Drink 2030+burghound_com (Jan 2020)
Drink 2022 - 2050
Burghound.com (Jan 2020)
Jane Anson MW 99/100
This is still closed, although a softening of the tannins is apparent. It has a gorgeous nose full of Pauillac power and finesse, with brambled fruits and touches of hedgerow as the Cabernet Sauvignon count heads upwards. The fresh core is clear from start to finish, giving that high-wire feeling that makes great Médocs so thrilling. There's a sense of drama to the cassis fruits, controlled but with impact and a sense of purpose, leading to a chewy finish. This is barely bedded down and has the shoulders and backbone to carry it for years. Don't approach it yet.Drink 2024-2046jane_anson_mw, Decanter (Feb 2019)
Drink 2022 - 2050
Jane Anson MW, Decanter.com (Feb 2019)
Jancis Robinson MW 18/20
Tasted blind. Lift, fragrance, almost stereotypical Margaux on the nose! Really very attractive indeed. Liquorice and lovely fruit. Throbbing with life. Dry finish.Drink 2019 - 2035jancis_robinson_mw, JancisRobinson.com (Feb 2016)
Drink 2022 - 2050
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (Feb 2016)
James Suckling 94/100
So complex and pure with mushrooms, tobacco, chocolate and berries. Full-bodied yet refined, fresh and lively. The texture is so silky and intense. A real beauty and balance that both make you want to drink it.james_suckling, jamessuckling_com (Feb 2015)
Drink 2022 - 2050
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (Feb 2015)
Antonio Galloni 96/100
Unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage, the 2012 Vieux Château Certan is pure class. So many Pomerols speak to power in 2012, but VCC is all finesse. Forward and open-knit with that classic sense of translucent beauty that is the most identifiable attribute of VCC, the 2012 is simply magnificent. Veins of minerality give the wine its precision and energy, while lifted notes of sage, lavender, mint and tobacco captivate all the senses. The blend is 87% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Readers who can find the 2012 should not hesitate, as it is superb.Drink 2018 - 2037antonio_galloni, Vinous.com.com (Jul 2015)
Drink 2022 - 2050
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (Jul 2015)
Neal Martin MW 95/100
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux tasting. The 2012 Vieux Chteau Certan has a potent, smoke, cooked meat, Cabernet Franc-scented bouquet that is beautifully definedquintessentially Pomerol. You want typicit? Come right here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite gentle as it sashays across the mouth. The acidity is very well judged and leads to an elegant tobacco tinged finish. Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont have produced one of the finest wines of the Right Bank in 2012, one that is up there with the greats. Tasted January 2016.Neil Martin - 28/10/2016
Drink 2022 - 2050
Neal Martin MW, (Oct 2016)
17.75/20
Great wine but doesn't quite hit the heights of 2011. 12% Cabernet Franc compared to 30% in 2011. Fresh, floral and fragrant on the palate and nose. Great purity and finesse on the palate.
Drink 2022 - 2050
Decanter.com
Julia Harding MW 18/20
Strong graphite aroma on the nose even though there is less Cabernet Franc than in some years. Silky tannins pull you along to a dry, polished finish. Cool and fresh with sweet blueberry fruit on the mid palate and a touch of earthiness adding savour. Very fine tannins. Earlier drinking wine than 2009 or 2010. julia_harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, 29 Apr 2013
Drink 2022 - 2050
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2013)
Robert Parker 92-94/100
A top success, the 2012 Vieux Chateau Certan is composed of 87% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep mulberry, plum and black cherry fruit notes intermixed with touches of graphite and subtle smoke lead to a medium-bodied wine with beautiful intensity, well-integrated oak, a velvety opulence and a long, impressively pure finish. A strong effort, it should drink well for 15 or more years. Alexander Thienpont continues to turn out brilliant wines from this property situated on the high Plateau of Pomerol. The harvest took place between October 1 and 11, producing 33 hectoliters per hectare. The 2012 achieved 13.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.8 and an index of polyphenols as high as the 2010, which was somewhat surprising. It is not nearly as powerful or rich as the 2010 or the 2009. All the old vine parcels of Merlot made it into the final blend. robert_parker - Wine Advocate - Apr 2013
Drink 2022 - 2050
Robert Parker, RobertParker.com (Apr 2013)
James Molesworth 92-95/100
Very fresh, with lots of brightly defined red currant, damson plum, anise, violet and white pepper notes. The lacy but persistent structure and energetic acidity lead to a long, tobacco-filled finish. Tasted non-blind. james_molesworth, Wine Spectator, April 8 2013
Drink 2022 - 2050
James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com (Apr 2013)
James Molesworth 94/100
Very distinctive, with a terrific smoldering tobacco and charcoal frame around a core of steeped fig, blackberry and plum fruit. The fruit drapes beautifully across the finish, while the charcoal edge extends on and on, picking up warm stone, chestnut and alder_yarrow notes along the way. Shows serious grip, and should be among the longest-lived wines of the vintage. Best from 2018 through 2030. 2,830 cases madejames_molesworth, Wine Spectator (Mar 2015)
Drink 2022 - 2050
James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com (Mar 2015)

About this wine

Merlot

The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux and a grape that has been on a relentless expansion drive throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils and is relatively simple to cultivate. It is a vigorous naturally high yielding grape that requires savage pruning - over-cropped Merlot-based wines are dilute and bland. It is also vital to pick at optimum ripeness as Merlot can quickly lose its varietal characteristics if harvested overripe.
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Vieux Chateau Certan

The Vieux Château Certan estate, which in 1745 already figured on Bellayme's famous map under the name of  "Sertan", is located in the heart of the Pomerol plateau. Covering 14 hectares (35 acres) in one single block, the Vieux Château Certan vineyard is the fruit of a century of painstaking work and careful decision-making. The estate vineyard is today made up of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.This varietal mix enables the best possible balance to be sought in each vintage between the Merlot and the Cabernet Franc. The latter performs exceptionally well in this terroir and reaches perfect ripness levels. The grapes are picked by hand and sorted meticulously at the end of each row of wines. After a gentle crushing they are put into oak vats, by variety. Those vats destined to make up the blend of the Grand Vin are run off into 100 % new French oak barrels and aged for 18 to 22 months. Vieux Château Certan is regularly ranked by the world's press and international tasting panels among the very top wines.
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