Bordeaux Vieux Château Certan 3 magnums 2019

The Estate

Vieux Château Certan — The Jewel of Pomerol

Vieux Château Certan stands as one of Pomerol’s most storied estates, with viticultural roots reaching back to the 16th century. Acquired by the Belgian Thienpont family in 1924, this historic property has been meticulously stewarded by Alexandre Thienpont since 1986, maintaining an unwavering commitment to classical winemaking and terroir expression. The estate’s 14 hectares occupy some of Pomerol’s finest gravelly plateau, producing wines of extraordinary elegance and complexity that rival—and often surpass—the appellation’s more celebrated names.

Unlike most Pomerol estates, Vieux Château Certan distinguishes itself with a significant proportion of Cabernet in the blend, lending structure and longevity to the velvety Merlot base. The wines are renowned for their profound minerality, refined tannins, and extraordinary ageing potential, often requiring decades to reveal their full splendour. This lot of three magnums represents an exceptional collector’s opportunity, with the larger format ensuring optimal cellaring conditions and slower, more graceful evolution.

This Lot

Available as 3 magnums — ideal for collectors and long-term cellaring.

Terroir & Grapes

The Gravelly Heart of Pomerol

The vineyard occupies a privileged position on Pomerol’s famed plateau, where deep gravel beds over iron-rich clay subsoil create ideal conditions for both Merlot and Cabernet varieties. This distinctive terroir—shared with neighbouring Pétrus and L’Évangile—imparts remarkable minerality and freshness to the wines. The gravelly topsoil ensures excellent drainage while the clay base provides water retention during dry periods, allowing the vines to maintain perfect physiological balance throughout the growing season.

Vieux Château Certan’s unique assemblage typically comprises approximately 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon—an unusual composition for Pomerol that reflects the estate’s historical identity and the particular character of its gravelly soils. This blend creates wines of exceptional complexity, combining Merlot’s opulence with the aromatic lift of Cabernet Franc and the structural backbone of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Vinification & Ageing

Traditional Methods, Uncompromising Standards

Alexandre Thienpont adheres to meticulous viticultural practices, with yields strictly limited through green harvesting and manual selection both in the vineyard and on sorting tables. Fermentation occurs in temperature-controlled concrete vats, allowing each parcel to be vinified separately to preserve individual terroir characteristics. The gentle extraction process emphasizes finesse over power, with careful pumping-over and délestage techniques employed to extract colour and tannins without harshness.

The wine is aged for approximately 18 months in French oak barrels, typically 40-50% new wood, allowing the fruit to integrate harmoniously with subtle oak influence. The élevage is classical and unhurried, with regular racking and minimal intervention to preserve the wine’s natural expression. This traditional approach results in wines of remarkable purity and precision, capable of evolving gracefully for three to four decades in magnum format.

Vintage Character

2019 — A Classic Bordeaux Year

The 2019 vintage in Bordeaux is already regarded as one of the finest of the decade, characterized by a long, dry growing season with ideal conditions from flowering through harvest. A warm, sunny summer was punctuated by timely rainfall in June and August, maintaining vine balance and preventing water stress. The Right Bank, particularly Pomerol, benefited from these conditions, with Merlot achieving exceptional phenolic ripeness while retaining beautiful freshness and aromatic precision.

At Vieux Château Certan, the 2019 vintage produced wines of extraordinary concentration and purity, combining the estate’s signature elegance with remarkable depth and structure. The balanced growing season allowed for slow, even ripening, resulting in velvety tannins, vibrant acidity, and profound aromatic complexity. This is a vintage built for the long term, with the potential to rival the estate’s legendary 1998, 2005, and 2010 wines.

Tasting Notes

Opulence Meets Refinement

The 2019 Vieux Château Certan presents a deep, luminous garnet robe with violet reflections. The nose is gloriously complex, unveiling layers of dark cherry, blackcurrant, and crushed violets, intertwined with subtle notes of graphite, cigar box, and truffle. With aeration, nuances of sweet spice, dark chocolate, and Mediterranean herbs emerge. On the palate, the wine displays remarkable intensity and precision, with a core of concentrated black fruit balanced by vibrant acidity and ultra-fine, silky tannins. The mid-palate reveals the estate’s signature minerality—a gravelly, almost saline quality that adds dimension and lift. The finish is extraordinarily long and pure, echoing with notes of black tea, cassis, and crushed stone. This is Vieux Château Certan at its most compelling: powerful yet refined, opulent yet structured, with decades of evolution ahead.

Critics’ Scores

Universal Acclaim

The 2019 Vieux Château Certan has received outstanding recognition from the world’s most respected wine critics. Wine Advocate awarded 97-99 points, praising its “stunning purity and brilliant precision.” Vinous rated it 96-98 points, describing it as “one of the stars of the vintage on the Right Bank.” Decanter gave 97 points, noting its “exceptional balance and ageing potential.” Jancis Robinson scored it 18/20, highlighting its “remarkable finesse and complexity.” These exceptional scores place the 2019 vintage among the finest expressions of Vieux Château Certan in recent decades.

Service & Pairing

Cellar & Table