The wine is very tight at the moment. The power is there as well as a wealth of perfectly ripe black cherries, plums, licorice, very dark chocolate and hints of flowers. Full-bodied, concentrated and dense, the wine demands at least 7-9 more years of sleep before it is ready to go.

Slowly opening, taking its time and yet full of precise, fleshy pleasure. This is an understated 2010 as far as the vintage goes on the Right Bank, muscular while full of elegance and mouth watering pleasure. Dark chocolate notes, a fistful of tannins, fleshy but carefully extracted fruits, just a lovely example of Pomerol on the subtler side of the street. Drinking Window 2020 - 2042
Tasted by Jane Anson (at BI London, 30 Jan 2020)

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. Tasted non-blind. —J.M.

The 2010 Vieux Château Certan feels a little disjointed at first, eventually manifesting more freshness with black fruit, freshly tilled earth, morels and cedar, all very well defined but I suspect requiring more bottle age. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins. Pretty red berry fruit laced with soy, white pepper and cedar, fanning out beautifully and exerting a very gentle grip towards the finish. Superb. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.

[86M/8CF/6CS] Dense, sweet, minerally and spicy nose with no sense of overripeness; beautifully balanced, elegant wine, fresh in acidity, with a fine textured firm tannin and no excess alcohol presence in spite of the 14.5%; full bodied, strongly mineral infused ripe black cherry flavour, complex, prolonged, with a vital definition from its acidity, an underlying ‘creaminess’ and excellent fragrance on its long, ‘stony’; black cherry finish. Packed with fruit, yet remarkably transparent, well defined and strongly mineral as well. Graceful, complete, sumptuous, large scale VCC, a great success in the year. 2022-40+ [M.Schuster, Bordeaux Mar/Apr 2011]

The 2010 Vieux Château Certan is deep garnet in color, and—POW—the nose opens as a complete spice-bomb, featuring notes of fenugreek, cumin seed and cinnamon stick over a core of Black Forest cake, plum preserves and blueberry pie with hints of fragrant earth and crushed stones. Full-bodied, rich and seductive in the mouth, it is laden with layers of black and blue fruit preserves, framed by super plush tannins, finishing epically long and perfumed. LPB

A perfect wine with perfect purity of fruit. It shows gorgeous aromas of blackberries, currants and cedar with hints of chocolate. Full body, with a lovely sweetness of fruit and ripe tannins. It goes to chocolate, hazelnut and spices. Nutmeg too. Sexy and incredible. It has so much depth of fruit and density. Better in 2020.
-www.jamessuckling.com, 'Tasting Report: 2010 Bordeaux "More Great Vintage"', 3 Feb 2012

(100 pts)
This is off the charts. I am blown away. This is so concentrated yet perfect. With chocolate, blackberry, coffee. Full and amazing in density and balanced. The grapes were tiny and the production was tiny. I am speechless. This may match the legendary 1947 or 1945.