Château Vieux Château Certan 2024 Pomerol

James Suckling
(97-98)/100 punten
A really classic VCC with such delicious, crunchy fruit, showing blackberries, blueberries, violets and dried spices. Medium-bodied, vivid and lively, it has very fine tannins as well as energy and brilliance. So balanced and harmonious. A blend of 71% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 9% cabernet sauvignon.

Falstaff
96/100 punten
Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine dunkle Beerenfrucht, ein Hauch von Brombeerkonfit, dezente Kräuterwürze, feiner Cassisanklang, facettenreiches Bukett. Komplex, kräftig, reife Tannine, gute Frische, schwarze Kirschen, salzige Mineralität, lange anhaftend, verfügt über sicheres Reifepotenzial. Erstmals seit Langem mit einem kleinen Anteil von 9 % Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Wine Cellar Insider
(95-97)/100 punten
Lilacs, violets, cocoa, spearmint, truffle, black cherries, plums, and saffron create a complex set of aromatics. Fresh and fragrant on the palate, the wine is earthy, vibrant, elegant, and silky. The Cabernets make a strong impression, contributing to the mid-palate and a refreshing finish that combines mint, spices, lifted red fruits, silkiness, length, energy, and refinement. The wine blends 71% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.5% ABV, 3.7 pH. The harvest took place September 20 - October 2. Drink from 2029-2047.

Decanter
95/100 punten
Beautiful perfume and aromatic intensity on the nose. Such pristine aromatics. Clean blue fruits and soft saltiness. Bright and shiny straight away, a cool and crisp aspect to the fruit, you can feel the Cabernet density in terms of tannins, they fill the mouth with a crunchy and softly chalky texture with cherry and plum fruit aspects. It loses a little thrust, just softening towards the finish, but this has structure and concentration to the fruit. This has muscle, and a quiet confidence. Super elegant and a different touch than many in Pomerol. 3.70pH. A yield of 30hl/ha. And more Cabernet than usual at 9% instead of 5%

Jeb Dunnuck
(94-96)/100 punten
One of the wines of the vintage, the 2024 Vieux Château Certan is based on 71% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon from vines planted in 2012, and is aging in 66% new barrels. Yields were just 30 hectoliters per hectare. It offers a rare sense of purity and finesse alongside real intensity, with ripe red and black fruits, leafy flowers, spice, and damp earth all emerging on the nose. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has a pure, seamless, and incredibly elegant mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. The 2024 checks in at 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.7.

Jane Anson
94/100 punten
Violet ruby with a vibrant rim, reflects the savoury vivid quality of the vintage in the wines that deliver. Clear chamomile tea, fragrant white blossom, redcurrant, blueberry, a touch of austerity and reserve compared to the past few vintages, but with purity and finesse, mouthwatering finish, 30hl/h yield, 3.7ph, harvest 20 September to 2 October. 3.70 pH, and a high Cabernet character in the final blend (despite one block less of Cabernet Franc after replanting), 66% new oak. An enjoyable wine from Alexandre Thienpont.

Robert Parkers' Wine Advocate
(91-93)/100 punten
A blend of 71% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2024 Vieux Château Certan opens in the glass with brooding aromas of dark berries, cedar, cigar wrapper, crushed mint and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, with good density for the vintage and sweet structuring tannins, it concludes with a sapid, slightly earthy finish. Yields after annual sorting came in at 30 hectoliters per hectare, and the wine is being matured in two-thirds new barriques.

Jancis Robinson
17/20 punten
Fragrant and floral. Some sweetness on attack then persistent line and length. Less flesh than some years but juicy, fine and balanced. Very pure.