Vieux Chateau Certan 2008

A cool and uneven summer led to a slow growing season, and those who picked too soon had angular tannins. This Pomerol property didn’t begin harvesting until the end of September, so no such problems here, where the wine is a triumph. The nose is exquisite, with ripe, elegant cherry and blackcurrant aromas that are lifted and pure. Although very concentrated, the palate is medium-bodied and graceful, with a fresh and taut structure. Fine acidity gives the wine nuance and exceptional length.

Readers know what a big fan I am of the utterly classic 2008 vintage in Bordeaux, and though I have written a couple of times about the vintage over the years, I had never had the chance to taste the 2008 Vieux Chateau Certan until recently. Not surprisingly, this is an outstanding example of this superb year, offering up a deep and youthfully black fruity bouquet of cassis, dark berries, tobacco leaf, a touch of mint, dark soil tones, espresso, cigar smoke and a nice touch of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full and already very pure on the attack, with a good core, suave, seamless tannins and lovely length and grip on the vibrant and still quite youthful finish. This will be a classic vintage of VCC with sufficient bottle age. I would imagine it will start to drink with a bit more generosity in another five or six years and probably reach its plateau around 2030.