1990 | Vieux Chteau Certan | Pomerol

Description

Red Wine: 1990 | Vieux Chteau Certan | Pomerol

The wine is more interesting on the nose, with its floral, smoke, thyme and cherry pipe tobacco character than on on the palate.

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Producer: Vieux Chteau Certan

Vintage: 1990

Size: 750ml

ABV: 12.5%

Varietal: Bordeaux Blend Red

Country/Region: France, Bordeaux

The wine is more interesting on the nose, with its floral, smoke, thyme and cherry pipe tobacco character than on on the palate. Medium bodied, with sweet, spicy plums and soft textures on the palate, this requires consumption sooner than later before the remaining fruits fade.

Producer Information

Vieux Chteau Certan is a wine estate in the Pomerol appellation on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, known for its rich, deeply colored red wine (usually) based on Merlot. It is consistently rated by judges and the press as one of the very best wines in the world, and achieves correspondingly high prices at auction. The vineyard covers 14 hectares (35 acres) and is one of the largest single block sites in the Right Bank. Many of the vines are 50 years old, with one parcel dating back to 1932. Vieux Chteau Certan neighbors Ptrus at the top and center of the Pomerol plateau. Most of the vines sit on the famed Gunz gravel terrace, which is made up of large pebbles and clay over an iron-rich subsoil. This is quite fertile, so care must be taken to limit vine vigor in favor of ripening grapes. Around 30 percent of the property lies on deeper clay soils. Merlot makes up 65 percent of plantings, split between the clay and clay-gravel soils. 30 percent is Cabernet Franc, which is judged to perform particularly well in the clay-gravel. The remaining 5 percent the most gravelly areas is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon. The proportions in the finished grand vin can vary widely from these numbers. For example the 2016 was 85 percent Merlot, while the 2011 included 29 percent Cabernet Franc. Fortunately the chteau has the reputation of producing great wines in those vintages where both Merlot and Cabernet Franc did well, and in Merlot-dominant years. That said, the hot-weather 2003 is a special case, with 80 percent Cabernet Franc. The 1993 (a moderate year across much of Bordeaux), contains 50 percent of that variety. Fermentation takes place in temperature controlled oak vats, set at 28C (82.4F). Lots selected for the grand vin are aged for up to 22 months in new French oak. A second wine, La Gravette de Certan, is also produced from young vines. Total annual production for the estate averages around 5000 cases.