Why not? No real reason to open one other than I was excited that the 14’s arrived in town. I’m usually good about not opening anything for a while, but the anticipation got to me.
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2014 Vieux Château Certan - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol (1/16/2017)
A rather fun experiment when these showed up at my local wine shop. Splash decanted and followed over 4hrs. After the initial 30mins, the air didn’t wake this up much. Impressive for its polish, elegance, and balance–despite it being so youthful. Vibrant pure red fruits mixed with some plum underneath. There’s a lushness to the fruit that you don’t often get in bdx–but that’s not to say there’s any semblance of over ripeness here. The texture and softness of the tannins are the most impressive quality currently. Oak influence stands apart at this stage, adding a mild spicy vanilla character that will need time to integrate. This is very well crafted and my first of the 14’s so I have no vintage reference at this point, but appears quite good without anything overdone or out of place. Too young and difficult to score at this stage.
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Thanks for the early note as I have some of these and a mag coming. I have enjoyed so many vintages of VCC.
2014 Vieux Château Certan - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol (12/24/2024)
– decanted for about 1.5 hrs before initial taste –
– tasted non-blind over 3 hrs –
NOSE: rich, dark red fruits, with oak and minerals in the background; fairly expressive; earthy; concentrated strawberry Twizzlers.
BODY: dark ruby color of medium to medium-deep depth, with slight bricking at the edges; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: concentrated strawberry Twizzlers repeated on the palate; fine tannins; young, but approachable and apparently already evolving — there’s a tiny bit of aged Bdx. funk just starting to develop in the background — it’s obvious this isn’t a current release; pleasant light earthiness. Overall, excellent. I’ve seen some commentary about this wine being “Burgundian” – I don’t mean to deny anyone their own experience, but this came across as quite clearly Bordeaux, and it’s not a thin or light or airy waif, either. This is Bordeaux, folks. It’s approachable today if you like young Bordeaux, but for me it’s a waste to drink these now. It seems to have the stuffing, proportions and balance to see further improvement in the cellar from here. Hold.
Fun bumping this. Had another bottle last year-- I really like the '14 VCC and glad I own more than 1/2 case
- 2014 Vieux Château Certan - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol (1/27/2024)
Took a little while blind but eventually was able to nail it (only good call of the day). This is so refined and elegant, seamless from start to finish. Shows it's cab franc influence well, with savory tobacco notes and a little herbal flair mixed in. Palate again is seamless, elegant, with a cashmere texture. Hard not to love. Drinking very well for a young bdx. (95 points)
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