100 POINTS
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW - The Wine Independant
Deep purple-black in color, the 2020 Vieux Chateau Certan is composed of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, the youngest vines being 41 years old and the oldest 80 years old. The nose is shut tight to begin, needing a lot of air to call forth beguiling scents of rose oil, sandalwood, star anise, and black truffles - to begin - giving way to a profound core of plum preserves, blueberry compote, boysenberries, and molten chocolate with a fleeting waft of vanilla pod and sassafras. The full-bodied palate is fantastically structured, with very firm yet very fine, smooth tannins and amazing tension supporting the dense, multilayered fruit, finishing with epic length and a whole firework display of mineral and floral notes. This is superb.
Moving to the Grand Vin, the 2020 Vieux Château Certan is another legendary wine from this vintage, ranking with the best Bordeaux ever produced. Based on 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc that spent 18 months in 65% new French oak, it has a deep, powerful, full-bodied style as well as incredible purity and precision in its darker cassis, graphite, gravelly earth, and tobacco-driven aromatics. With perfectly integrated oak, again, incredible purity, and perfect, ultra-fine tannins, it deserves 8-10 years of bottle age and will be a 40- to 50-year wine.
100 POINTS
Neal Martin - Vinous
The 2020 Vieux Château Certan was picked from September 14 at a low yield of 30hl/ha. The nose might be even better than the 2019 with blackberry, black truffle, pencil shavings and a touch of sous-bois . The aromatics are heavenly, perhaps even more complex than the 2016. The palate is medium-bodied with a satin-textured entry and fabulous delineation. This is a Pomerol whose engine purrs like a vintage Rolls Royce. Maybe the 2019 has a touch more edginess on the finish but this is the real deal. It's a sensational, multi-dimensional Pomerol for the ages. Tasted at the VCC vertical in Etikhove, Belgium.
Real Pomerol here with black berry, chocolate, hazelnut and walnut aromas and flavors. Dark fruits. Crushed stone. It’s full and intense with great focus. Powerful yet so balanced and intense. Juicy center palate. Fantastic length. Great clarity. Drink after 2028.
99 POINTS
Antonio Galloni MW - Vinous
The 2020 Vieux Château Certan is a wine of total harmony and finesse. Absolutely nothing is out of place. Supple and seamless, the 2020 is an infant, but it is so impressive. Crème de cassis, lavender, mocha and licorice are some of the many notes that emerge from the glass, but more than anything else, the 2020 is a majestic Pomerol that will thrill those lucky enough to own it. There's not much else to say. The 2020 spent 18 months in barrel, 65% new.
98 POINTS
Peter Moser - Falstaff
Bright fresh fruit, wild berries, peppery tones, impressively clear, nuanced and intense. Perfectly ripe Cabernet Franc. On the palate ultra silky tannins, creamy, cultivated, perfectly integrated acidity, any tension is juicily resolved. The whole wine is fine, intense and complete, mineral, with integrated alcohol. A wine with density and drive, but completely designed for finesse, very long.
Extraordinary clarity and brilliance on the nose with ink and iodine, blackberry and blueberry. Really perfumed already. Full-bodied with fine tannins and superb depth and length. I love the complexity and the great texture. Energetic finish.
Points: 98-99
A pure, classy, understated VCC that manages to be elegant and delicate while hinting its potential for glamour and star power. Coiled and tightly knitted with rich and ripe black fruit flavours; currants, plums, figs and blackcurrants with a scintillating energy and grip. Effortlessly stylish yet beguiling, more of a sleeping beauty right now, concentration is clear with such detail to the fruit, well integrated tannins and thrilling acidity, but delivered sleekly. Confident winemaking on show, a wine that has been 'crafted for our children and grandchildren' says Alexandre Thienpont.
