VIEUX CHÂTEAU CERTAN 2005

Vieux Château Certan 2005

“Shows violet, olive and sliced plum on the nose, with Indian spices and hints of cappuccino and chocolate. Complex. Very pretty and aromatic. Full-bodied, with wonderfully sweet fruit and chewy yet ripe tannins. Last for minutes on the palate. The best young red ever from this producer. Best after 2011. 4,165 cases made.”  – 97/100, Wine Spectator

VARIETIES: 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc
REGION: France / Bordeaux / Libournais / Pomerol
AGEING: Aged for 18 months in new oak barrels
GUARDING POTENTIAL: Enjoy now or will cellar well up to 15 years ±, at an optimal hygrometric degree of 70%
SERVE: Serve at 16ºC – 18ºC
FITS TO: Go splendidly with Pâté de Campagne au Foie Gras, Magret de Canard Grillé, Rôti de Veau aux Girolles, Lamproie à la Bordelaise, or Cheese like Cantal AOP / Mimolette Vieille AOP
CRITICS SCORES: WS/97, JD/96, RP/95, JG/95, V/95
VIVINO: Average 4.4 ★★★★✰

___________________________________________________

2005 | Vintage | Vieux Château Certan

Vieux Château Certan combines savoir-faire with exceptional soils. Coming mainly from the vineyard’s oldest vines, Vieux Château Certan is every year a blend of the most excellent lots produced at the estate. The brilliance of the wine’s hue, the richness of its aromas and the subtlety of its flavour bring it inimitable style.

The wines of Vieux Château Certan possess natural concentration and require a few years’ cellaring before the first bottles can be opened. As with the greatest Bordeaux wines, they can be enjoyed after 10 to 15 years of age.

«The brilliance of the wine’s hue, the richness of its aromas and the subtlety of its flavour bring it inimitable style.»

2005 will be remembered by all Bordeaux’s wine growers as a vintage of outstanding quality in a year which was exceptionally dry from winter to autumn with hot and sunny weather at the end of spring and during summer, which never developed into a heat wave. The ripening process, which began quite early, went very smoothly for all of the grape varieties. Throughout the summer and early autumn, right up to the picking, the fine, sunny days and cool nights enabled the berries to gradually build up concentration of colour, sugars, fruit and aromas. The grapes were picked unhurriedly between September 12th and 21st.

The berries were vinified over three weeks, variety by variety, taking into account the age and soils of each plot. The wines were then aged for 18 months in new oak barrels. The final blend chosen for the 2005 Vieux Château Certan was 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, with no Cabernet Sauvignon at all.

Vieux Château Certan 2005 can be compared with the 1989 vintage as well as with some other outstanding vintages. It displays a wonderful balance between aromatic freshness, acidity, concentration and tannic richness. It shows great Merlot character and can start being enjoyed over the next few years and also for many years to come, thanks to its huge ageing potential.

“For maximum enjoyment, it should be decanted several hours in advance if it is young, and at the last moment when it is older.”  – Alexandre Thienpont