Just as good, yet in a different style, the 2016 Vieux Château Certan shows cooler notes of crème de cassis, tobacco leaf, underbrush, graphite, violets, and crushed rocks. Deep, incredibly full-bodied and powerful, yet like the 2015, weightless and sensationally textured, it glides over the palate with no sensation of weight or heaviness. Expansive, deep, beautifully concentrated, and flawlessly constructed, it builds incrementally on the palate and has a finish that lasts for over a minute. It’s another legendary wine from this estate to enjoy over the coming 30-40 years.

The 2016 Vieux Château Certan is blended of 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it leaps from the glass with pristine, vivid notions of candied violets, chocolate-covered cherries, blackberry compote and mulberries with fragrant touches of raspberry leaves, crushed rocks, licorice, cumin seed and yeast extract plus a waft of red roses. Medium to full-bodied and beautifully elegant, the palate builds from a quiet intensity to an incredibly well-sustained aria of crunchy red and black cherries notes plus tons of floral undertones, framed by exquisitely soft yet firm tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long with lingering mineral and floral sparks. How does this 2016 compare to the also amazing 2015 vintage? Stylistically they are very different, as my notes on each should convey, but beyond this I am struck by the incredible harmony and seamlessness of the 2016 along with its amazing depth and energy this year. Bravo! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Cloves and youthful, assertive balsamic eucalyptus, together with restrained bramble fruits. The attack is dense and ripe, almost creamy, with an expansive mid-palate and full body. Crisp acidity cleanses and pushes the rich fruit through the long finish. Perfectly matched power and youth here. The almost stern finish is well balanced by the overall harmony. Still too young to drink. Best from 2036.

Grab fresh flowers, buy truffles, pick a bushel of fresh plums from the market and you get the idea of the aromatics. Full bodied, silky, plush and sensuous, the wine shows freshness coupled with ripe, juicy, fresh, dark fruits and concentration. Even with the concentration and tannins, the wine is a dancer -- light on its feet, balanced and fresh-faced. Blending 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine reached 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.77. Picking took place October 3 to October 18, making this latest harvest in the history of Vieux Chateau Certan.

The 2016 Vieux Château Certan was picked at 40hl/ha. Layers and layers of pure black fruit billow from the glass, showing stunning delineation, tension, real mineralité and harmony. The oak is seamlessly integrated, and the aromatics just seem to "purr" with quality and class. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, perfectly judged acidity, judiciously spiced with a peacock's tail on the finish that deserves a standing applause. The greatest VCC in recent years? Without question... Until 2020. Tasted at the VCC vertical in Etikhove, Belgium. -- Neal Martin

This big, rich wine has perfumed Cabernet Franc flavors to give shape to the dominant Merlot. It is a well-structured wine, elegant and with juicy acidity. It displays power and concentration along with restraint and style. Drink this wine from 2024.

This is deep and incredibly silky, with concentrated notes of coffee grounds and cappuccino, liquorice and a welcome touch of bitterness. There's a whoosh of menthol freshness and dark chocolate through the finish. It's intellectual and reserved right now, with some austerity evident, but the complexity builds in the glass, as does the seductive silky texture. This was extremely good at en primeur, but has deepened even further since. Bottled in early June at the property, as they now bottle the wine themselves rather than using a mobile bottling line. 70% new oak. Read more at https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/france/bordeaux/vieux-chateau-certan-pomerol-bordeaux-france-2016-11108#yUp96UK5Wu2yvDRW.99

A horse of a different color among its peers in this vintage, featuring an extremely vivid core of pastis-soaked plum, cassis and blackberry fruit streaming forth. Muscular yet imbued with racy cut, the finish ripples along the edges, with sweet tobacco, warm gravel and ganache notes. A violet hint glistens here and there for added effect. Power and vivacity make a thrilling combo. Best from 2023 through 2040. 3,750 cases made. — JM