The way this works is that we have a core group of six, and then add friends so long as we can get the wines to them. Essentially, we are all drinking separate bottles from the same case, and the host is responsible for buying the wines, and making sure they reach the participants. It requires a little bit of organization, but well worth it. Tonight, it is the turn of the Vieux Chateau Certan 2014.
This is a property that for me is right behind Petrus, and equal to Lafleur. The wines were very fine prior to 2005, but starting with the 2005, the wines have been magnificent, often surpassing Petrus. When I tasted the 2014, this was clearly the best Pomerol, and for my money, the wine of the vintage. With the highly regarded 2015 and 2016 approaching $300, and 2009 and 2010 surpassing it, this in the $150 range proved to be a relative steal.
So we agreed to decant the wine at 4:00 pm, three hours before Zoom. Of course, that did not preclude us from tasting the wine; straight out of the gate, the wine is superb. The nose is distinctly mineral, great ripe fruit, with a marked flavor of black currant (although there is only 20% of Cabernet in the blend). The balance, well it is nigh perfect, and the finish goes on for minutes. Absolutely no sense that the wine is closed, This is a tad leaner than 2015, the leaner profile very much to my taste, but has the same concentration and intensity.
Any hope of nursing this wine over many hours disappeared all too quickly. The wine was so good, it barely made it to the end of the zoom, and we polished the remainder soon after. This is really splendid stuff, old fashioned Bordeaux at its best. The great minerality, the hint of mint, the crisp red fruit, the fabulous balance. All the early impressions of the wine were apparent, but an easing and blossoming just made it all the more delightful.