Château Vieux Château Certan 2023 Pomerol

Falstaff
99/100 punten
Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening. Delicate herbal savouriness, nougat, dark cherry, a hint of clove, candied orange zest. Complex, juicy and silky, fine extract sweetness, nuances of black cherry and blackberry, fine, round tannins, fresh minerality on the finish, animating, hides its muscles perfectly, shows great length, secure and certain ageing potential. A classic.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent
(97-99+)/100 punten
A blend of 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc, Vieux Chateau Certan 2023 has a pH of 3.74 and it is deep garnet-purple in color. Notes of fresh blackberries, juicy plums, and black cherries slowly emerge from the glass, opening out to fragrant notes of violets, star anise, and black truffles, followed by wafts of wood smoke and cardamom. The medium-bodied palate is taut and muscular with firm, rounded tannins and seamless acidity, finishing with many, many layers of earth, spice, and floral notes. This is pure latent power.

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
(97-99)/100 punten
Black cherries, flowers, chocolate, truffles, blackberries and a touch of cinnamon produce the aromatic profile. Elegance and power do not always go together. But with 2023 VCC, this is exactly what you find. There is intensity, richness, velvety-tannins, chalky accents, and layers of chocolate-infused, dark pit fruits, with wet earth, and spice. The wine is rich, full, and deep, with uplifting acidities providing energy to the long, sensuous finish. The temperate conditions of the growing season, without extreme variances is what allowed the vintage to develop its characteristics. In the cellars, the extractions were slow, soft, and easy. Pump overs were reduced by 30% this year as well. The wine blends 82% Merlot, and 18% Cabernet Franc. 14% ABV, 3.74 pH. The harvest took place September 18 - September 29. Drink from 2029-2060.

Jane Anson
96/100 punten
Fresh floral heights to the aromatics, then dark berry fruits and a core of muscles of the palate, classically-weighted with grip and texture, white pepper spice and salted cracker salinity on the finish. Stretches out through the palate, feels gloriously old school, full of hidden depths and pleasures. 43hl/h yield, harvest September 18 through to 29. Youngest vines here are 1988, which helps give the complexity that is so celebrated at VCC.

Neal Martin, Vinous
(94-96)/100 punten
The 2023 Vieux Château Certan was picked from September 18 to 29. This year, there is no Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend as the fruit did not reach full ripeness, according to winemaker Guillaume Thienpont. The fruit was cropped at 43hL/ha as they suffered no mildew, there were one-third fewer pump-overs, and this vintage matured in two-thirds new oak. It has a well-defined bouquet, a little sultry at first: black cherry, iodine, violet flower and a touch of crushed stone. This unfurls beautifully in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins. Broader in the mouth compared to the Le Pin that I tasted right before, this is slightly more savory in style thanks to the 18% Cabernet Franc, landing gently on the finish. This is an elegant, slightly earthier VCC that will age beautifully in the bottle.

Antonio Galloni, Vinous
(96-98)/100 punten
The 2023 Vieux Château Certan is like a drug. Its exotic aromatics, deeply layered fruit and sublime textures are just captivating. I tasted the 2023 from an assembled base blend and four core components. Every wine was nothing short of breathtaking. When I think of the archetypes of greatness in Bordeaux, VCC is one of them. The 2023 is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Like all producers, Alexandre and Guillaume were forced to decide whether to pick their Cabernets before or after the September rains. As it turned out, none of the lots picked before the rain made it into the Grand Vin. Only those picked later were deemed of high enough quality.  

Decanter
98/100 punten
Beautiful purple colour in the glass, vibrant and alive. Great florality; raspberry, cherry, cranberry, lots of fresh red summer berries and lots of aromatics. Broad and expansive on the palate, delicate yet powerful with flavours of crushed herbs, stones and mint - sappy and saline. Feels very VCC on the palate, combining grippy Cabernets with fruity, fleshy Merlot. A statuesque and structured wine with no harshness. Effortless and totally moreish. I love it, classicism in the very best way. There’s something incredible about this wine, full of life and juiciness. Excellent. 3.74pH (lower than usual). 4% press wine. Ageing two thirds new oak. 42hl/ha yield.

James Suckling
(97-98)/100 punten
A very fine and polished young VCC with subtle density and a racy backbone of tannins. Compact with well-toned muscles and a persistent finish. Very silky. Really grows at the end. 82% merlot and 18% cabernet franc.

Jeb Dunnuck
(96-98)/100 punten
Not harvested until after the rains in the middle of September, the 2023 Vieux Château Certan is based on 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc that was brought up in roughly 60% new oak. It's another ripe, medium to full-bodied, aristocratic, beautifully textured Pomerol that has ample black cherry, mulberry, chocolate, and tobacco-like aromatics, medium to full-bodied richness, flawless overall balance, and ripe tannins, as well as a certain salinity on the finish. Checking in at 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.74, it should surpass the 2014 and is a beautiful, elegant, classic wine that every reader would love to have in their cellar.

William Kelley, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
(94-96)/100 punten
The 2023 Vieux Château Certan bursts from the glass with demonstrative aromas of dark berries, pencil shavings, violets mingled with notions of burning embers, iris, crushed mint and black tea. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and sensual, with a gourmand attack that segues into a layered, enveloping mid-palate, it's polished and perfumed, with a sweet core of fruit and a long, gently oak-inflected finish. This year's blend of 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc checks in at 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.74.

Jancis Robinson
17.5/20 punten
Fresh, floral and complex. Sweet start then suave and smooth, the fruit crunchy and juicy. Ripe, fine tannic frame. Not the overt power of 2022 but structured and ageworthy all the same. Drink 2034 – 2055.