Vieux Château Certan has made one of the superstar wines of the 2011 vintage and this wine is even better than the fine 2010 and 2009 wines turned out at this consistently excellent estate. The blend in 2011 is a return...
Vieux Château Certan has made one of the superstar wines of the 2011 vintage and this wine is even better than the fine 2010 and 2009 wines turned out at this consistently excellent estate. The blend in 2011 is a return to a fairly high percentage of cabernet franc, with twenty-four percent of the blend in the grand vin hailing from this grape, to complement seventy-five percent merlot and one percent cabernet sauvignon. The cabernet franc here at VCC is all old vines, having been planted in 1958, and their deep root systems seem to have handled the drought better than the merlot in 2011. The nose is deep, pure and beautifully complex, delivering a superb mélange of cassis, black cherries, tobacco leaf, a touch of coffee bean, woodsmoke, gravelly soil tones and a very refined base of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and utterly seamless, with very suave tannins, a lovely core and outstanding length and grip on the poised and perfectly balanced finish. This is a great wine in the making! (Drink between 2022-2070)