Vieux Château Certan· Pomerol

About the domain.

Among the Thienpont properties, and there are several in this corner of Bordeaux, Vieux Château Certan is the one the family has held longest and, I suspect, loves most. They have farmed it since 1924, and under Alexandre Thienpont it became one of the most distinctive voices in Pomerol: less about the appellation's plush Merlot than about the lift and structure that Cabernet Franc and even Cabernet Sauvignon bring.

That is what sets VCC apart. The vineyard carries a meaningful share of Cabernet, planted on clay, gravel and iron-rich crasse de fer at the heart of the plateau, and in the right year the Franc becomes the spine of the wine, iron and violets, a long mineral finish, a wine that has more in common with a great Médoc than its neighbours might admit.

I tasted the 2019 on site, and it remains one of the finest VCC I have encountered, proof that this estate belongs in any serious conversation about the right bank. I allocate it as such.

§ Lieux-dits · 14.00 ha

ParcelLieu-ditAppellationClassHectarePlant. yr

P / 01Plateau centralPomerolPomerol (unclassified)8.00 haVarious, 1950–1985

P / 02Parcelles nordPomerolPomerol (unclassified)3.50 haVarious, 1960–1995

P / 03Parcelles estPomerolPomerol (unclassified)2.50 haVarious, 1970–2000

§ Vintages2019 → 2022

2022 · MMXXII
Iron and violets.

Cabernet Franc at 30%, high for VCC. The drought pushed the wine toward structure. Deep color, long finish.

2020 · MMXX
Rich, layered.

Merlot dominant at 70%. Warm year, generous extraction, but the wine stays lifted. Harvest 14–25 September.

2019 · MMXIX
Benchmark Pomerol.

The Cabernet Franc component is the spine. 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. One of the finest VCC I have tasted.