A top success, the 2012 Vieux Chateau Certan is composed of 87% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep mulberry, plum and black cherry fruit notes intermixed with touches of graphite and subtle smoke lead to a medium-bodied wine with beautiful intensity, well-integrated oak, a velvety opulence and a long, impressively pure finish. A strong effort, it should drink well for 15 or more years. 

Alexander Thienpont continues to turn out brilliant wines from this property situated on the high Plateau of Pomerol. The harvest took place between October 1 and 11, producing 33 hectoliters per hectare. The 2012 achieved 13.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.8 and an index of polyphenols as high as the 2010, which was somewhat surprising. It is not nearly as powerful or rich as the 2010 or the 2009. All the old vine parcels of Merlot made it into the final blend.

Score: 92-94 Robert Parker (RP), The Wine Advocate (WA), April 2013

Slightly leafy on the nose, showing eucalyptus leaves, earthy minerality, mushrooms and leather. Yet there’s a fresh note of anise, too. Classic vintage here, with silky, relatively lighter tannins, medium body and a slightly more rustic finish, though enriched with dark-chocolate and cold-coffee details. Drinkable now, but will last for at least another decade.

Score: 95 James Suckling (JS), JamesSuckling.com, June 2024

Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux tasting. The 2012 Vieux Château Certan has a potent, smoke, cooked meat, Cabernet Franc-scented bouquet that is beautifully defined—quintessentially Pomerol. You want typicité? Come right here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite gentle as it sashays across the mouth. The acidity is very well judged and leads to an elegant tobacco tinged finish. Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont have produced one of the finest wines of the Right Bank in 2012, one that is up there with the greats. Tasted January 2016.

Score: 95 Neal Martin (NM), The Wine Advocate (WA), October 2016

Unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage, the 2012 Vieux Château Certan is pure class. So many Pomerols speak to power in 2012, but VCC is all finesse. Forward and open-knit with that classic sense of translucent beauty that is the most identifiable attribute of VCC, the 2012 is simply magnificent. Veins of minerality give the wine its precision and energy, while lifted notes of sage, lavender, mint and tobacco captivate all the senses. The blend is 87% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Readers who can find the 2012 should not hesitate, as it is superb.

Score: 96 Antonio Galloni (AG), Vinous Media (VM), January 2016

The 2012 Vieux Château Certan is relatively complex on the nose: red fruit, leather, balsam and lavender, well defined and nicely focused. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, a keen thread of acidity, harmonious and nimble yet with a filigree and detailed finish that beckons you back for another sip. This is one of the most sapid 2012 Pomerols. Tasted twice at Bordeaux Index´s Ten Year-On tasting and blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.

Score: 94 Neal Martin (NM), Vinous Media (VM), September 2022