Vieux Château Certan 1996

Lot presentation

Vieux Château Certan 1996

The wine

The unusual proportions of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon make Vieux Château Certan firmer when young and at primeur tastings. As the years go by, however, it makes good the gap and acquires exceptional refinement, combined with simply fabulous concentration and richness. A superb Pomerol which lives up to the legend.

About the Producer Vieux Château Certan

Perfectly positioned in the centre of the Pomerol plateau, with a single block of vines, Vieux Château Certan rubs shoulders with prestigious neighbours such as Petrus, La Conseillante, L'Evangile, and also Certan de May. The domaine was created following the division of the property in 1858. At that time, Charles de Bousquet, the new owner of Vieux Château Certan, undertook the reconstruction of the château, which still stands out today from the relatively simple residences so common in Pomerol. Vieux Château Certan was bought by Georges Thienpont in 1924. This family of Belgian wine merchants, who have been responsible for the renaissance of Le Pin's exceptional terroir (a precursor of the so-called garage wines), is still in control of the property, represented by Alexandre, Georges Thienpont's grandson. The vineyard lies on a subsoil that combines clay with the famous iron residues of Pomerol's plateau that are so characteristic of the Petrus terroir, and a substantial quantity of gravel, lending the wine a rare elegance and aromas with a refinement reminiscent of the great wines of the Médoc. After manual harvests, a particularly meticulous vinification is carried out, with separate oak vats for each grape variety. The wines are then matured in new oak barrels for 18 to 22 months.

Detailed characteristics