Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.
Alexandre Thienpont took the brave decision to reduce the level of Cabernet Franc in the blend to a minimal 8%. So with 92% Merlot it is a unique style, but boy, does it work. This is all about elegance and prettiness. It is almost Burgundian in style, with its lightness of alcohol and wonderfully fresh uplifting finish. An initially misleading wine which I think will actually age very well.
Alexandre Thienpont took the brave decision to reduce the level of Cabernet Franc in the blend to a minimal 8%. So with 92% Merlot it is a unique style, but boy, does it work. This is all about elegance and prettiness. It is almost Burgundian in style, with its lightness of alcohol and wonderfully fresh uplifting finish. An initially misleading wine which I think will actually age very well.
The 2013 Vieux Château Certan has plentiful fruit on the nose considering the vintage: raspberry coulis, crushed strawberry and a touch of blackcurrant pastilles. The palate is medium-bodied and while it might not rank with the greatest VCC's of recent years in terms of complexity, there is admirable depth and purity with a crisp, almost edgy finish that leaves you wanting another sip. This comes recommended for the vintage and I suspect it will give 12-15 years of drinking pleasure.
The Vieux Château Certan 2013 is a blend of 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc picked from 30 September until 9th October at 22hl/ha. It has a lovely, pure bouquet with small red cherries, rose petals and mineral that has exquisite delineation, though it does not possess the profundity of a top tier VCC. The palate is precise on the entry, a little pinched perhaps but with aeration it unfurls nicely. There is great tension here: a streamlined VCC that has the precision of a Swiss watch and a sense of tension that Hitchcock would have been proud of.
Approximately 1,000 cases of the 2013 Vieux Chateau Certan (versus the normal 4,000 cases) were produced. Alexandre Thienpont told me that yields were 22 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend was unusual in that it was 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. The alcohol was a surprisingly lofty 13%. While charming, tasty and elegant, this wine does not possess the depth, fat or texture of a great vintage. The tropical September that spawned botrytis throughout Bordeaux vineyards had to be cut out, and the result was a ridiculously small crop that cost a fortune to produce, but will never sell for a high price since it is a good rather than exceptional wine. Drink it over the next 5-7 years.
The selection was so severe here that only a fifth of the crop was made. In 2013, 1000 cases of VCC will be released compared to 5000 in a normal year. There were big problems at flowering here - they lost half the crop. After an average August the awful September came. They sorted the fruit on the vine but decided very early on that 2/3 would be made into the second wine Gravette. The Grand Vin, with its dominant Merlot theme, is truly magnificent. It is one of the most compelling wines of the vintage. The poise, balance and freshness are in a class of their own. There is nobility here and the counterpoint between darkness and levity is arresting. Sleek, controlled, polished and cool, the crunch of tannin is thrilling. The aromatic lift on the nose is sets the whole wine up. There are fleeting moments of exotic perfume tempered by restraint and calm. I love it.
92% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc. Highest proportion of Merlot in memory – because it is earlier ripening, it performed better. Sumptuous and luxurious on the nose, very open and sweet fruited. Fine, floury tannins. Beautifully formed flavours – no mean feat in this vintage. The oak is very complementary too. It’s a light iteration of the style, but this is a fair and successful reflection of 2013. (RH)
At one point there was a rumour that, like its sister property Le Pin, VCC wouldn’t show its wine en primeur. But they proved to be wrong, even if quantities are small. It’s fine and refreshing, with granular tannins, good acidity and a grassy undertone. 2018-26
The small sub-region of Pomerol is situated north-east of the industrious city of Libourne. Pomerol's soils are predominately iron-rich clay with a smattering of gravel that produce wines with extraordinary power and depth. As a result of this clay-dominance, it has the highest percentage of Merlot planted in all of Bordeaux. Certain châteaux are produced exclusively from this grape, but most incorporate smaller quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc as well. Despite its hefty (if not exclusive) proportion of Merlot, many people think of wines from this region as separate entities. As one wine aficionado stated recently, "It's not Merlot. It's Pomerol." Despite the region's small size, Pomerol contains some of the world's most sought after (and expensive) wines including Pétrus, Le Pin, Lafleur, l'Evangile and Vieux Château Certan. Unlike other Bordelais subregions, there is no system of classification. The châteaux are traded on reputation alone.
