Tasting Notes
Vinous 95
The 2005 Vieux Château Certan was picked from September 12 after cool nights had led to a slow accretion of concentration. “There was a lot of drought in 2005,” Alexandre Thienpont recalls, “and it was a season a bit like 1982.” This has a winsome bouquet, more powerful than the preceding 2004, as you would expect, laden with predominantly red fruit laced with anise and wilted rose petals. Impressive delineation and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannins, fresh and sapid in style, more open than the bottle tasted four years earlier. It veers towards a more savory finish. Subtle, ferrous, almost meaty notes lend complexity and typicité. Persistent on the aftertaste, this is a VCC that is just getting going. Tasted at the VCC vertical in Etikhove, Belgium.
Anticipated maturity: 2024-2050
Robert Parker 95
Tasted at the Pomerol tasting at the Antique Wine Company. Alexandre Thienpont fashioned an impressive ’05 that I have been fortunate enough to taste multiple times. It has a strict, linear and primal nose that remain broody, with hints of crushed stone and truffle that emerge with time. The palate is supremely well balanced with crushed stone, expressive Cabernet Franc and a wonderful, structured finish that is very persistent in the mouth. This needs another four or five years to reach its plateau. Tasted December 2012.
