2002 - Vieux Chateau Certan, Pomerol

The 2002 Vieux Château Certan, picked between September 20 and October 2, has never really been my favorite vintage from this period. Maybe I was a little mean in the past? It offers attractive brambly red fruit, damp loam, and a touch of wild mint. It is rustic and conservative in style yet charming. The palate is fresh on the entry with grainy tannins. Modest in depth, yet with aeration, a sense of brightness emanating from the Merlot begins to emerge, and it has a lovely graphite-tinged finish. This is perfect to drink now rather than cellar. Tasted at the VCC vertical in Etikhove, Belgium.

70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Made in the blockbuster era but showing the elegance of VCC. ‘From winter to the start of summer, 2002 was marked by mild temperatures and moderate rainfall, with an early budburst in the vines in March followed by an even flowering at the end of May. After a very sunny June, July and August were cool and rainy. Fortunately, fine weather set in from 9 September. Harvest took place between 20 September and 2 October.’Deep glowing garnet with mature nose. Dusty but intriguing nose. Really nice balance. A ‘drinking wine’! Fragrant. Very emphatic with lots of fruit and fine tannins only just fading. Long, smooth as satin and perfect for drinking now and for the rest of the decade. Long redcurrant finish. A nice surprise. (JR)