81% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon

James Suckling: 98, Wine Advocate: 96-98, Neal Martin: 94

Neal Martin: The 2017 Vieux Chateau Certan was bottled at the end of May. It has a perfumed, slightly tertiary bouquet with blackberry, wild heather and just a touch of menthol. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy ripe tannins on the entry, mainly dark black fruit, rather introverted at the moment that just needs bottle age to show what it can be. Veins of dark chocolate towards the finish, I appreciate the structure of this VCC and the freshness it shows towards the overtly saline, Japanese nori tinged finish. Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont have overseen a very assured and captivating Pomerol that will age gracefully over many years.