2009 Vieux Ch. Certan
By Chateau Vieux Ch. Certan
An Oenophile's Retrospect: 2009 Vieux Ch. Certan from Chateau Vieux Ch. Certan, Pomerol, Bordeaux
A vintage to remember, the 2009 Vieux Ch. Certan from Chateau Vieux Ch. Certan in Pomerol materialises as a superlative testament to a season graced by the benevolence of nature. The vintage encapsulates an era where the phrase 'investment grade wine' finds concrete expression within the liquid bounty of Bordeaux's much vaunted terroirs.
Mastery Over the Elements: The Making of a Stellar 2009 Vintage
The year 2009's climatic generosity can very well be an oenological masterclass—warm days and cool nights crafted a stage for phenolic ripeness and preserved acidity, yielding grapes of profound balance. It was this natural equilibrium that the artisans of Chateau Vieux Ch. Certan harnessed, fostering a vintage displaying both immediate allure and promissory longevity.
The Quintessential Investment Calibre of Pomerol's Finest
Tasting the 2009 Vieux Ch. Certan is like peering into a looking glass at once reflecting past époques and potential futures. Clad in its dense robe, this wine delivers disciplined tannins intertwined with a lavish texture—an aristocratic carriage of black fruits, anise, and warm earthenware keeps company with supple whispers of truffle and violet. Its finish, intricate and persistent, leaves one pondering both the complexity bestowed by time and the skilled hands that coaxed such opulence from exceptional soils.
In contemplating the investment fabric woven into this Bordeaux masterpiece, it bears noting that the poise found within this bottle parleys into promising cellar potential—a radiant beacon for portfolios seeking to blend passion with patrimonial foresight.
Connoisseurship and Coveting: The Sage Collector's Choice
As pages turn on the calendar and wines evolve within their silent chambers, the 2009 Vieux Ch. Certan continues to enrapture those whose palate savours depth, detail, and distinction. One must duly recognise this vinous composition as not merely a beverage but a vessel through which we encounter time itself; each sip offers a synoptic view of history, mirrored by our own forward-looking aspirations as wine investors.
Choosing this Pomerol paragon is more than an act of acquisition—it's an affirmation of connoisseurship, a pledge towards the future anchorage of value—a distinguishable thread in the tapestry that is fine wine investing.
Market price (HKD)
HK$27,100.00
12x75cl
Highest score
100
POP score
142
Scores and tasting notes
This is a wine that had extreme intensity of electrifying tannins and acidity, with supercharged fruit. Full-bodied, yet agile and lively. It touches every taste bud on your palate. Chocolate mousse and fruit. I am lost for words. Legendary 1950 all over again. Try it in 2020.
James Suckling - jamessuckling.com, February 14th 2012
The 2009's nearly 14% natural alcohol, exquisite ripeness, and incredible complex bouquet of Asian spices, fruitcake, licorice, smoke, blackberries and black currants are to die for. A blend of 84% Merlot and the rest equal parts Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, it possesses a viscous texture as well as a freshness and vibrancy that are remarkable given the wine’s weight, richness and potential massiveness. This extraordinary effort is one of the finest Vieux Chateau Certans made over the last sixty years. It will undoubtedly shut down in bottle, requiring a decade or more of cellaring. It should keep for 50 years thereafter. Proprietor Thienpont thinks it is a modern day version of the 1948. As I wrote in my barrel tasting notes, the 2009 ranks alongside four of the legendary vintages of Vieux Chateau Certan’s ancient past, 1945, 1947, 1948 and 1950. It is undoubtedly a cleaner wine than those older vintages, and the selection process under proprietor Alexandre Thienpont was far more severe in 2009 than it would have been sixty years ago.
Robert Parker Jr - The Wine Advocate, 22 December 2011
Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Merlot is completely in the driving seat here: fragrant and floral with rose petals, boysenberry fruit and a touch of leather. The palate is well balanced with good density, the tannins a little more succulent than its peers and the style erring more towards Saint Emilion. But it is very well balanced with a lavish, stylish finish. Tasted January 2013.
Neal Martin - Wine Journal Jul 2013