The 2023 Vieux Château Certan is wonderfully complex and dynamic in the glass. The layers here are just remarkable. That sort of dimension is one of the qualities that was hard to come by in 2023. Dark blue-toned fruit, lavender, scorched earth, new leather and menthol soar, lending tons of vertical, explosive energy. Floral and savory overtones develop with air, adding further shades of nuance. What a gorgeous and complete wine this is.

Here, you find the delicate balance of its showy, floral aromatics topped with black plums, black cherries, chocolate, truffles, and spice in the perfume. There is intensity, richness, velvety tannins, chalky accents, and waves of restrained, refined, chocolate-infused, vibrant, energetic dark fruit finishing with a touch of spice on the palate. This is not a naturally showy vintage. It will take some time and effort to mature before transforming into a sensuous wine with its underpinning uplifting acidity. But it will be worth the wait. The wine blends 82% Merlot, and 18% Cabernet Franc. 2029-2060.

Beautiful purple colour in the glass, vibrant and alive. Great florality; raspberry, cherry, cranberry, lots of fresh red summer berries and lots of aromatics. Broad and expansive on the palate, delicate yet powerfu with flavours of crushed herbs, stones and mint - sappy and saline. Feels very VCC on the palate, combining grippy Cabernets with fruity, fleshy Merlot. A statuesque and structured wine with no harshness. Effortless and totally moreish. I love it, classicism in the very best way. There’s something incredible about this wine, full of life and juiciness. Excellent. 3.74pH (lower than usual). 4% press wine. Ageing two thirds new oak. 42hl/ha yield. GH.

Rich, opulent, heady, and hedonistically-styled wine, the nose kicks off with its showy display of black cherries, black raspberries, violets, roses, lilacs, licorice, mint, tobacco, and an array of spices. The palate is geared for pleasure, with multiple layers of richly textured, flamboyant dark, mildly-smoked red fruits, paired with the essence of minerality and a touch of forest greenery. This is the perfect backdrop for the wine's layers of salt-tinged fruits that linger, build, and expand, allowing you to experience a wine with a beautiful sense of purity and no hard edges. The wine blends 71% Merlot with 29% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2029- 206

A blend of 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc, Vieux Chateau Certan 2023 has a pH of 3.74 and it is deep garnet-purple in color. Notes of fresh blackberries, juicy plums, and black cherries slowly emerge from the glass, opening out to fragrant notes of violets, star anise, and black truffles, followed by wafts of wood smoke and cardamom. The medium-bodied palate is taut and muscular with firm, rounded tannins and seamless acidity, finishing with many, many layers of earth, spice, and floral notes. This is pure latent power.

The 2023 Vieux Château Certan has turned out beautifully, bursting with aromas of blackberries and mulberries mingled with notions of iris, licorice and burning embers. Medium- to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with an elegantly unctuous attack that segues into a rich and succulent mid-palate, it's a suave, seamless classic that will enjoy a wide drinking window. The 2023 is a blend of 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc that checks in at 14% alcohol.
  

Based on 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc and aged 18 months in 66% new French oak, the 2023 Vieux Château Certan sports brilliant red, blue, and black fruits as well as smoky tobacco, liquid violets, graphite, and hints of chocolate. Including no Cabernet Sauvignon due to the heatwave, this plump, full-bodied, ripe, sexy Vieux Château Certan is already impossible to resist yet is going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and drink brilliantly for three decades. There are roughly 3,333 cases produced. Drink 2029-2059.

The 2023 Vieux Château Certan, which contains no Cabernet Sauvignon, has a sublime bouquet, beautifully defined, with blackberry, blueberry, graphite and light marine scents in the background. Very focused. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins that lend this VCC structure. Quite "cool" in style, a healthy dash of cracked black pepper furnishes the prolonged finish, where the 18% Cabernet Franc is very expressive. To quote Alexandre Thienpont, very "restrained" in the most positive sense of that word. www.vinous.com February 2026

Perfect aromas of ripe, pristine blueberries, subtle black olives, raspberries, violets, minerals, lavender and sandalwood. The finesse, depth and grace are mesmerizing. It's medium-bodied with incredible energy and length. A masterpiece in subtly. Can't get better than this. 82% merlot and 18% cabernet franc. Lovely to drink now, but it will age beautifully. Wait until 2030. December 2025