Vieux Château Certan 2022
Covering 14 hectares in a single block, the Vieux Château Certan vineyard is divided into 23 independently-managed plots, according to soil type, grape variety and vine age.
With a wide variety of nuances, the soils are made up of a very clayey part planted mainly with Merlot (70%), a clay-gravel part planted with Cabernet Franc (25%) and a very gravelly part planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (5%).
The average age of the vineyard is 50 years. These old vines, combined with the microclimate of the Pomerol plateau, enable optimal ripening of the different grape varieties.
Source: Vieux Château Certan
Comment by Neal Martin / Vinous - January 2025
The 2022 Vieux Château Certan was stellar from the barrel. Now, just a week after snatching the immortal 1947, this latest iteration proves that quality remains as high under Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont as it was during the post-war heyday of Georges Thienpont. Boasting an intense bouquet of blackberry blossom, briar, iodine, and iris, this is one of the most complex and compelling wines in all of Bordeaux this vintage, let alone Pomerol.
The palate offers exquisite balance, razor-sharp tannins, real flavor, and a fabulous grainy texture. The Cabernet components are very expressive and add a completely different dimension to the finish. It's exceptional.
Review by Antonio Galloni / Vinous - January 2025
The 2022 Vieux Château Certan is absolutely stunning. Readers will find it a magical wine, a Pomerol that satisfies both intellectual and hedonistic senses. Vertical and explosive, with a breathtaking presence, the 2022 VCC simply has it all. Time in the glass reveals myriad nuances of flavors.
Blue/purple fruits, lavender, spices, menthol, licorice, and plum literally leap out of the glass. The tannins are present, but almost buried by the wine's deep, layered fruit. But more than anything else, it's the balance, the total sense of harmony, that is most impressive. I simply can't ask for anything more from the 2022 horizon, hence its high and well-deserved rating. Bravo!
Data sheet
- Designation
- Pomerol
- Year
- 2022
- Color
- Red
- Acceptance
- 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Alcohol level
- 14°4
- Apogee
- 2032 - 2062
Neal Martin / Vinous - Noté 100/100 (february 2025)
Antonio Galloni / Vinous - Noté 100/100 (january 2025)
Jeb Dunnuck / Jeb Dunnuck.com - Noté 100/100 (february 2025)
Jeff Leve / The Wine Cellar Insider - Noté 100/100 (mars 2025)
William Kelly / Wine Advocate - Noté 98/100 (march 2025)
Lisa Perotti-Brown / The Wine Independent - Noté 98-100/100 (may 2023)