2016 - Vieux Chateau Certan, Pomerol

In 2016 it was extremely dry at Vieux Chateau Certan so they had to delay the harvest. They marked the vines on which the berries had dried and didn't harvest them. The blend in 2016 was 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon and it has a deep garnet-purple color. It pops with scents of vibrant black plums, juicy blackberries and redcurrant jelly, leading to hints of licorice, wood smoke, crushed rocks, and violets, plus a hint of cumin seed. Full-bodied, rich and seductive, the palate has a firm frame of ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness supporting the dense, muscular fruit, finishing long. The fruit is so primary - it's in a time capsule. This was the first vintage bottled using their own bottling line.

The 2016 Vieux Château Certan was picked at 40hl/ha. Layers and layers of pure black fruit billow from the glass, showing stunning delineation, tension, real mineralité and harmony. The oak is seamlessly integrated, and the aromatics just seem to "purr" with quality and class. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, perfectly judged acidity, judiciously spiced with a peacock's tail on the finish that deserves a standing applause. The greatest VCC in recent years? Without question... Until 2020. Tasted at the VCC vertical in Etikhove, Belgium.