2010 Vieux Chateau Certan

High floral and gunsmoke aromatics, this is intense and concentrated. Where the 2009 has more immediately appeal, this 2010 is clearly going to deliver over the decades. Coiled and reserved tannins, a ton of texture and powerful black fruits, precise and poised, this is exception.

Rich yet restrained bramble fruits, which are ripe and precise (there’s 86% merlot here), together with meaty tones and less obvious cabernet franc leafiness. The attack on the palate is lush, with fine-tuned tannins, creamy weight and firm acidity. Power with grace. Youthful, with a huge potential for aging. Best from 2030, this will last for decades.

86 % Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. ‘ Everything came together perfectly to make the vintage a success. Cool and sufficiently wet winter. A bright and sunny start to the spring with a fast and even budding. Summer was hot and dry with cool nights but at the end of the growing season there was substantial water deficit in the soils.’ Smaller yield of 35 hl/ha. The last vintage Alexandre made on his own, before the arrival of his son Guillaume. Bit of sediment. Very deep crimson. Complete, voluptuous nose. Really rich and ripe. Impossible to ignore! Really very glorious. Long and dancing. Less obvious freshness than some VCCs. Even more hedonistic than the 2009, plus masses of potential. Fully ripe, fruity ink! So much denser than the glorious 2009. (JR)