1947 Vieux Chateau Certan Pomerol

Vieux Chateau Certan Pomerol Bordeaux wine, 1947 vintage.

The Vieux Chateau Certan is a famed and critically respected wine, from a long-standing and prestigious estate. The Chateau Certan is located in the Pomerol vineyards of Bordeaux, where they pride themselves on their precise, natural techniques: the grapes are scrupulously hand-picked, crushed gently and fermented using the most organic, untouched methods possible. The fermentation endures for approximately three weeks to optimize the wine's colour, fragrance and tannins. It is then run off into new French oak barrels, where it ages for 18 to 22 months. The final product only receives approval after patient and thorough tasting.

The 1947 Vieux Chateau Certan is evidence of this careful process that has been perfected since 1745, as it is unequivocally a spellbinding wine. It possesses a deep garnet core, that recalls more of a ten-year-old Pomerol. An astounding nose exudes notes of: macerated black cherries, damson jam, dark chocolate, with a touch of mocha and smoky hints. These tastes seem to gain intensity, as though it is brewing continually in the glass.

This vintage wine has brilliant definition and a full-bodied, viscous palate with a characteristic 1947 feature of super-ripe black fruits. Fortunately, it bears no sign of volatility: that acidic sense which tends to blemish other wines. In fact it has perfect acidity and ultra-fine tannins, a strong backbone and intense power - the body is sublime.

The Pomerol wine finishes first on a ten-minute linear course with blackberry, damson and subtle fig, before flourishing vibrantly on the palette. One of the great wines of the 20th century, this 1947 Vieux Chateau Certan can be drunk in the present or kept until 2020 and beyond.