2017 Vieux Ch. Certan
By Chateau Vieux Ch. Certan
2017 Vieux Ch. Certan from Château Vieux Ch. Certan, Pomerol, Bordeaux
In the pantheon of Bordeaux's finest offerings, the 2017 Vieux Ch. Certan from Château Vieux Ch. Certan embodies a particularly remarkable narrative. Emerging from the historic soils of Pomerol, this vintage exemplifies the resilience and grace inherent to its terroir, navigating a season touched by climatic whimsy.
Savouring a Season of Contrasts
The year 2017 unfurled as one of contrasts, where whimsical frosts in late spring proffered challenges yet were triumphantly followed by a summer that shaped well-ripened fruit. It is this oscillation between hardship and reprieve that has distilled into a wine marked by its layered complexity and harmonious expression.
The 2017 Vieux Ch. Certan reveals an olfactory tapestry threaded with ripe black fruits and a whisper of truffles—hallmarks of Pomerol's iron-rich clay soils—which marry seamlessly with refined tannins nurtured by this unique season’s weather. Despite a backdrop of adversity, this vintage has emerged with a poised structure and an accompanying repartee of acidity that invigorates the remembrance of dark berries on the palate.
A Testament to Terroir and Time
In terms of investment appeal, the 2017 release from this storied château represents not just an acquisition of liquid artistry but also a testament to the resilience of Pomerol's terroir. The constrained yields have given rise to a scarcity that underpins its value—a nectar born from nature's challenge yet destined for longevity in both cellar and marketplace.
Negotiating the climatic gauntlet of the 2017 season, the composition of Merlot and Cabernet Franc found within has successfully rendered a wine that is indicative of Pomerol’s profound potential—a bottle wherein each sip resonates with its distinct vintage narrative.
For connoisseurs and investors alike, undertaking a venture into the nuanced depth of the 2017 Vieux Ch. Certan from Château Vieux Ch. Certan promises more than the appreciation of an exemplary wine; it is an immersion into a story woven through the loam of Pomerol—one suffused with resolve, beauty, and inevitable grace.
Market price (SGD)
$2,420.00
12x75cl
Highest score
98
POP score
80.56
Scores and tasting notes
This is a dense and compact center palate with a solid and pointed intensity. Full body, firm and silky tannins and an energetic finish. Complete. Harmonious.
James Suckling - jamessuckling.com
Composed of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Vieux Château Certan sports a deep garnet-purple color. No mincing about, the bouquet absolutely prances out of the glass with stunning scents of candied violets, chocolate-covered cherries, roses and eucalyptus over a core of black plum preserves, mulberries, black raspberries and blueberry pie plus wafts of licorice, iron ore and truffles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has fantastic balance and expression, with very fine-grained, silt-like tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing with epic length and perfume.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 16 March 2020
Composed of 81% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Vieux Château Certan gives up gorgeous black raspberries, crushed black currants and warm black berries on the nose with chocolate-covered cherries, violets and star anise suggestions plus black truffles and wood smoke. The palate is medium to full-bodied with wonderful concentration in the mid-palate and firm, very finely pixelated tannins, with seamless freshness and fantastic length.
Wine Advocate - Lisa Perrotti-Brown - robertparker.com
The 2017 Vieux Château Certan is a rapturously beautiful wine. Dark, sumptuous and seamless in the glass, the 2017 is going to tempt readers early. This is the first vintage that includes a bit of young vine Cabernet Sauvignon planted in 2012 to complement the old-vine Merlot and Franc that are the core of Vieux Certan. A wine of exceptional balance and purity, the 2017 dazzles from start to finish. There is an element of tension in the 2017 that is incredibly appealing. "We are back to Bordeaux," adds Alexandre Thienpont in reference to the personality of the year as compared to both 2016 and 2015. The blend is 81% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, aging in 70% new oak.
Antonio Galloni - Antonio Galloni - vinous.com - May '18
The 2017 Vieux Château Certan was picked in three passages through the vineyard, 12 and 13 September, 18 and 19 September and finally 25 September to 2 October. The yields are 37hl/ha with 14.2° alcohol and a 3.75 pH. It is the first vintage to contain Cabernet Sauvignon for several years. It has a very pure, Merlot-driven bouquet with black cherries, redcurrant and wild strawberry scents, just a hint of iris and incense in the background. The 70% new oak is nicely integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy tannin, a deep well of black and red fruit interwoven with allspice, truffle, white pepper and a little sage. This Vieux Château Certan manifests more complexity and profundity as it aerates, delivering genuine, spine-tingling mineralité on the persistent finish. It gains even more precision when I return to the property to re-taste it again. Tasted twice, ten days apart at the property.
Neal Martin - Neal Martin - vinous.com - May '18