VIEUX CHÂTEAU CERTAN

There is a lovely depth of fruit on the nose ripe and sweet. Black plum enriches the palate the sweetness of the fruit giving a fleshy suppleness but under all of the richness there is the freshness of bilberry and bramble that gives a lighter feel to the back palate elegant and more classic. 2022-45 Rating: 91-96 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Dec 2013)

Made in a big, bold style with 13.6% natural alcohol, it reveals a stunning perfume of graphite, mulberries, black currants, kirsch, licorice and forest floor. This full-bodied, dense Pomerol transcends the overall vintage character. Thienpont compared the style of the 2011 with their 2000, but with more density to its core because of the extremely low yields. Only 60% of the crop made it into this cuvee. It will need 5-8 years of cellaring, and should still be intact and drinking beautifully at age 30. A candidate for the top wine of Pomerol, Alexandre Thienpont calls the 2011 a return to the more classic style of Vieux Chateau Certan after the exotic, over-the-top 2009 and 2010. A blend of 70% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc (the highest in a number of years) and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2011 was harvested between September 7-20. 2017 - 2047 Rating: 94-96 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Apr 2012)

The Vieux Chateau Certan was cropped between 6th and 7th of September and from 14th until 20th September. That’s what you’ll read everywhere, although I was filming Alexandre when he was picking the final Cabernet around the 29th September! Cropped at 37hl/ha, it is a blend of 70% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon and (yay!) 29% Cabernet Franc. It delivers 13.6 degrees alcohol with a total acidity of 3.5gms/L and an IPT of 83. After the Cabernet Francless 2009 and 2010, this is more what I consider to be a classic VCC nose and as Alexandre, unlike those previous vintages that gives you everything up front, this is far more intellectual and enigmatic with hints of mineral laden fruit, limestone and small dark cherries. It is beautifully defined yet distant. The palate is succinctly balanced with crisp acidity, exceptional balance and superb backbone. There is an undercurrent of masculinity, a saline tincture, crushed stone and a touch of dried herbs and yet these are just fleeting hints. It has enormous length and it is one of the very few that could be on the same ethereal plateau as the 2009 and 2010 and perhaps one day...even better. Rating: 96-98 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2012)

One of the great achievements of the Right Bank : what brilliant elegance ! (Les Echos, April 2012) Rating: 19 Bettane & Desseauve (Apr 2012)

Reserved dark cherry fruit here. Violet perfume, precise character, very delineated nose. Light white stone minerality to it which adds a sense of elegance and form to it aromatically. Beautifully polished character on the palate, very complete, elegant but with a stony substance to it that gives it finesse and shape. The tannic backbone is rich but well reined in, ripe, elegant and precise, with a rich harmonious integration with the fruit and the acids. Nothing out of balance here. Beautifully textured, showing great freshness, in the finish restrained potential for the future seems apparent, harmony of tannins and the fruit within the wine. Superbly elegant style of Vieux Château Certan, with a return for Cabernet Franc freshness. I can see this is going to be an absolute stunner. Rating: 18-19 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2012)

Rich purple crimson. Camomile (though I am not sure I would have spotted this if Alexandre hadn't mentioned it) plus fine dark fruit and graphite freshness. Closed on the nose but scented on the palate. Very fine tannins. Crunchy. Fresh and long. Great purity and line and length. Absolutely lovely. 2020-2035 Rating: 18 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2012)

The 'grand retour' of Cabernet Franc with 29% in the blend. Less opulence than 2009 and 2010 but this is a wine that really sings. It has a vital, floral, dark fruit nose, a silky texture and tannins. Succulent, fresh and long. A classic VCC. The Right Bank wine of the vintage. Drink 2020-2040. Rating: 19 www.decanter.com (Apr 2012)

This has a dark ganache and loamy profile that belies the vintage's lighter, fresher profile, and the wine cuts a broad swath but stays well-defined, with dense tobacco and fig on the finish. An impressive effort and an early challenger for one of the wines of the vintage. Rating: 93-96 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2012)

It takes a lot to put a smile on the face of the normally rather reserved Alexandre Thienpont, but he was grinning when I visited the château. And no wonder, given the quality of his wine, showing that, after its near absence last year, Cabernet Franc is “back with a bang”, as he puts it. This is a very elegant, silky wine, with notes of green pepper and cassis, supple tannins and a lift of refreshing acidity. 15+ years. Rating: 96 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2012)

What a nose. Such beautiful aromas of Cabernet Franc here with licorice and tea and dark fruits. Wet earth too. Full body, with firm and racy tannins and a beautiful finish of chocolate and berries. Intense. Cashmere texture. 29% Cabernet Franc in this with the rest in Merlot with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet Franc comes mostly from a parcel from planted in 1958. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2012)