2010 Vieux Ch. Certan, Pomerol

Alexander Thienpont is never one to boast about his own wines but the air of supreme, quiet confidence he wore as we entered his cellar to taste told its own story. Oddly, he told us that his old-vine Cabernet Franc, often a mainstay of his wine, had not lived up to expectations this year so was not included in the final blend. In consequence the wine is 92% Merlot, but is staggeringly complex.

Gloriously textured on the palate, the wine has huge intensity but is not remotely heavy, with freshness, balance and harmony. It is a truly great wine, and quite probably the best in Pomerol this year.
(86% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14.5%)
(Alun Griffiths MW, BBR Wine Director)Vieux Château Certan

What a wine! This tasted perfect out of barrel. Like the 2009 VCC, this was unusually low in Cabernet Franc because of heat stress in the vineyard, but maybe Alexandre Thienpont should stick to the blend, because it is paying rich dividends. You don’t notice the high alcohol, such are the concentration of fruit, the plush tannins and the fragrant, beautifully balanced finish. Likely to be expensive, given the quality of the wine, but this is the Right Bank wine of the vintage.
(Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com, May 2011)

More or less the same parcels and blend as '09 (86% Merlot, 14% Cabernet) but a different style. Less opulent and more classically defined. Lovely 'natural' fruit, huge concentration, more alcohol (14.5%), long, powerful tannins and the freshness that marks the vintage. A harmonious whole. Huge potential.
(James Lawther MW- Decanter – Apr 2011)

Very small crop - 35 hl/ha (compared to 42 hl/ha in 2009). A Merlot vintage; only 8% Cabernet Franc. … Very dark crimson. Pretty floral and scented and pretty. Very concentrated and intense. Lots of minerals on the finish. Lovely rich satisfying undertow. Hint of ripe pears oddly enough. Lovely completeness. Great balance and build. Very, very long. The strongest right-bank wine so far. Excellent layers. Very serious – a marvellously intellectual Merlot!
(Jancis Robinson MW- jancis robinson.com, Apr 2011)

The 2010 Vieux Chateau Certan, a blend of 86% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, tips the scales at 14.5% alcohol. Production was lower than in 2009 and the alcohol slightly higher, but the pH is 3.7, which is surprisingly reasonable given the lofty power and alcoholic clout this full-bodied wine possesses. Dense purple-colored , the 2010 displays a vivid yet astonishing array of spice box, red, blue and black fruits, crushed rock and spring flowers. The oak is well-concealed behind the lavish concentration and richness. Exceptionally pure, this unbelievable wine flirts with perfection. Unfortunately, there is 20% less of it than in 2009, and the tannins warrant a good 8-10 years of cellaring, as I suspect it could actually close down. This is another 40- to 50-year effort in 2010 that should elicit considerable interest from wine consumers.

Thienpont thinks he has produced three wines - 2008, 2009 and 2010 - that are the greatest trilogy in the history of Vieux Chateau Certan, rivaling what this estate did in 1947, 1948 and 1949.
(99 Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - Feb 2013)

Alexandre Thienpont thinks 2010 is even more powerful and tannic than 2009. This is certainly a big wine, dominated by its Merlot component (86%, with the rest mostly Cabernet Franc). The natural alcohol level is 14.5%, slightly above 2009, but the pH is a healthy 3.7, and the wine, like so many 2010s, is a paradox. The alcohols are often the highest ever yet the acidities are fresh and lively, and the wine crisp and refined. This is a deep purple-colored wine, with loads of opulence and fat, a voluptuous texture and tremendous purity. The style is a modern-day version of what they probably achieved in 1947, 1949 and 1950. Thienpont attributes the wine’s freshness to the lack of any real heat wave, the drought, and the very cool nights in September.
(96-98 Robert Parker- Wine Advocate- May 2011)

Super broad and muscular, with lots of dark fig, currant and chocolate notes. A smoky tobacco edge on the back end is starting to emerge, and this begins to gush linzer torte and cassis with air. A very big wine. One of the stars of the appellation in 2010. 86 percent Merlot, 8 percent Cabernet Franc and 6 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, almost the same as 2009.
(James Molesworth – The Wine Spectator – Mar 2011)