2020 Vieux Château Certan - 100 points, Neal Martin
Alexandre Thienpont compared it to the 1945. This is cheaper and easier to find.
Neal Martin
2020 Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol
£725 per 3 bottle case in bond
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When 2020 Vieux Château Certan was released en primeur in 2021, it hit the market in the UK at £1440 per 6 bottle case in bond. Today we can offer a good parcel of this newly-minted, ‘Neal Martin 100 point’ vintage at the equivalent of £1450 per 6 bottle case in bond (our stock is cased in 3s).
Please see Neal Martin’s note from vinous.com below and note the drink-to date! That is a brave statement but suggests 2020 is a modern-day legend in the making, and I certainly wouldn’t dispute that.
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. 2030-2080
The 1945 and 1947 vintages of Vieux Château Certan, both also 100-point vintages according to the recent Neal Martin review, are the stuff of legend (I have never tasted either), and it seems VCC has rediscovered that form, having made sensational wines in the 2016, 2019 and 2020 vintages. While VCC has always been considered one of the leading Pomerol, it isn’t priced anywhere near the three most recognisable Pomerol, namely Petrus, Le Pin and Lafleur, yet qualitatively it belongs in such exulted company. In terms of price, you might have expected the 2020 to have shot up in value in recent days following Neal Martin’s review which was published on the 31st July, where he recounts tasting a 57 vintage vertical. But, in this subdued market, prices are slow to move. This provides a rare moment to access great wines on the back of recent reviews but crucially at fair value. Wind the clock back a year or two, and one would wonder whether this price would be 20% higher by now…
By way of background, VCC is located in the heart of Pomerol, on the plateau along with near neighbours, Petrus, L’Evangile and La Conseillante. The vineyard essentially comprises three soil types that each inform the varieties grown. Heavy clay is where we find the Merlot which accounts for 60% of the vineyard. Cabernet Franc is grown on clay-gravel and accounts for 35%. The final 5% is gravel and is home to Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate boasts old vines dating back to the 1930s and 1940s, though a considerable proportion of the vineyard was replanted after a serious frost in 1956. Replanting is constant and gradual, but the aim is to retain vines with close to 50 years of age. Production averages around 8000 cases of 6 bottles from a vineyard that extends over 14 hectares.
Alexandre Thienpont has run the estate since 1985 and his impact cannot be underrated. Alexandre has always maintained that the wine is made in the vineyard and has favoured authentic wines as opposed to any manipulative approach to winemaking, The aim with VCC is to reflect and respect where it comes from, and he has certainly succeeded, VCC is a great expression of Pomerol. The consistency that we have noted over the last decade is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
The blend varies to some extent in accordance with the vintage conditions, but in recent years Merlot has been accounting for 85% with the balance Cabernet Franc, as is the case with the 2020, but occasionally a little Cabernet Sauvignon is utilised. I personally regard the style of VCC as fascinating; sometimes you find a couple of vintages where the blend is near identical and the resultant style varies considerably, reflecting more the nature of the vintage. VCC has always shown a combination of complexity (even from a young age), matched to an outstanding purity and texture. On the nose you often find a violet note to the cherry, raspberry, and blackberry fruits. There are often hints of something mineral - graphite or crushed rock. The palate is never imposing – refinement is the key word. The fruit almost always suggests it was harvested on the cusp of full ripeness, so that it retains a freshness and freshly-crushed vibrancy. The tannins are beautifully expressed and never assert harshly even in youth, their long-drawn character adds to a sense of seamlessness in the greatest vintages. Despite the more challenging conditions we may encounter across Bordeaux today, the terroir of VCC seems perfectly positioned to cope and adjust and if anything, the wines have gone from strength to strength. It all starts with the vineyard, and once more I am reminded by the comments of the late Denis Durantou who told me that VVC was one of the three finest terroirs in all of Bordeaux – high praise from a man who crafted impeccable Pomerol of his own.
I am pleased to offer 40 cases of 2020 Vieux Château Certan at £725 per 3 bottle case in bond.
2020 Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol
£725 per 3 bottle case In bond
100 points, Neal Martin, vinous.com, July 2024
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.
I have no doubt that the 2020 vintage will join the 2016 and 2019 in becoming three of the very greatest vintages for VCC – and I have a hunch they will be talked about for a very long time, just like the 1945 and 1947. The major difference being I should get a chance to taste them when they hit maturity!