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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
Vieux Chateau Certan is one of Pomerol's oldest and most exalted estates, having produced wine since at least the mid 1740s. On the Belleyme Map, published in 1785, the property was listed as "Sertan" and was owned by the Demays, a family of established Bordeaux negociants. A century later, ownership passed to a banker, Charles de Bousquet, who sold it to George Thienpont in 1924.
The family diversified in 1979 when Marcel and Gérard Thienpont founded nearby microcuvée estate Château Le Pin. In 1985, management of Vieux Château Certan came to Alexandre Thienpont.
Wine Information
Everything came together perfectly this year to make the vintage a success. A very cool and sufficiently wet winter was followed by a lovely, bright and sunny start to the spring that brought about a fast and even budding. Summer was hot and dry but with cool nights; and then by the end of the growing season the dry weather had caused substantial water deficit in the soils.
It was a concise year, with low yields: small berries that were well nourished by perfectly healthy vine canopies with maximum photosynthesis potential.
2010 is a ripe, tannic, balanced wine with amazing fruit and wonderful acidity. The Merlot is dense, vinous, suave, full, and with breed. It simply rolls around the palate.
The smaller proportion of Cabernet Franc that has been selected for the first wine is all lace-like in texture, ripe, complex, flavoursome and very lingering on the palate. The Cabernet Sauvignon is lively, delicious to taste and savoury. Even in such a small proportion, it brings that touch of freshness that is necessary in the final blend.
The 2010 Vieux Château Certan, with a yield of slightly over 35 hectolitres per hectare, resembles in its blend composition the excellent 1998 or, going back much further, the legendary 1950.
Vuosikerta 2010
Drought and cool temperatures contribute to optimal ripeness
The sum of summer temperatures in 2010 was close to that of summer 2009 (962°C compared to 982°C), but decidedly chillier than those of 2005, which totalled 1052°C. These cool temperatures had a substantial influence on the balance of our wines, preserving a good level of acidity and attractive aromatic freshness.
Very little rainfall (only 267 mm) from March to August 2010 generating a drought of similar intensity to that of 2005, when only 227mm of rain fell.
Another feature of the 2010 vintage is the low temperatures above all in the first three weeks of August, which made for the preservation of good levels of acidity in the grapes while also maintaining attractive aromatic freshness.
