I was able to taste both the 2015 and 2016 grand vins, and these are heavenly, magical wines that could not be any better. Starting with the 2015 Vieux Château Certan, it shows the opulent, flamboyant style of the vintage to a T and reveals a saturated purple/ruby color, a monster bouquet of blackberries, tobacco, kirsch, dried spices, and loamy earth, full-bodied richness, sweet tannins, and a finish that won’t quit. A thrill a minute, wine doesn’t get any better, and I only wish every reader could taste this beauty. Drink it any time over the coming 30 years or more.

Cherry blossoms, licorice, truffle, licorice, cherry liqueur and cocoa have no trouble getting noticed. But it is the voluptuous, decadent, opulent, unctuous mouth feel, with its velvet textures and 60 second finish that steals the show. A candidate for wine of the vintage, this is a future legend in the making. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2015&wine=Vieux%20Chateau%20Certan

The 2015 Vieux Chateau Certan was bottled in mid-May as usual. This was one of the wines of the vintage out of barrel, and now it has a compelling bouquet with blackberry, smoke and iris. There is wonderful delineation here, a cerebral bouquet that is quite mercurial in the glass, traces of black truffle emerging with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and just a killer line of acidity, a Vieux Chateau Certan surfeit with energy and joie de vivre. It fans out in glorious, almost swaggering fashion with truffle and white pepper, a touch of truffle on the persistent finish. This is clearly destined to be one among the canon of legendary wines from the estate although it does deserve requisite cellaring. This is one of the wines of the vintage.

The 2015 VCC is a blend of 80% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon and it has a deep garnet color. It prances out with scents of flamboyant black cherry pie, plum preserves and blueberry compote, giving way to suggestions of truffles, smoked meats, Indian spices, and fragrant soil, with a touch of sandalwood and rose oil. Full-bodied, the palate is bursting with expressive, exotic spices and floral notes, framed by ripe, grainy tannins and wonderful tension, finishing very long and fragrant. The pH is about 3.7 - very impressive for such a warm year.

97–99. Barrel Sample. This is a beautifully fragrant wine that has power along with an elegant acidity. It has wonderful juiciness that cuts through any of the tannins to give great freshness, a silky texture and fruitiness at the end. Perfumed and stylish, this is a very fine wine. ROGER VOSS

Restrained dark chocolate and black olive to the meaty and savory nose, with undertones of ripe cassis. The overt, chocolatey character is enhanced by a vein of ripe cherry fruit and balanced by crisp acidity. Full-bodied with a rather bold finish. Amazingly rich. A wine with the DNA for the long haul, yet approachable now. Drink or hold.

98+ Blended of 80% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Vieux Chateau Certan opens with profound notes of blueberry compote, dried mulberries, black forest cake, licorice, violets and garrigue with wafts of black truffles, sandalwood and rose hips. Medium to full-bodied, very earthy/savory and beautifully layered with very plush yet present tannins, it offers lovely freshness and a very long minerally finish. So very Pomerol! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Understated brilliance, with restraint shown in its precisely carved cassis and bilberry fruit on the opening, softening through the mid palate to show creamier raspberry and damson fruit, with black truffles and cocoa bean delivering the Pomerol caress. Expert construction, tannic architecture fully in focus but overlaid with the succulence of the vintage, such a good wine that has decades of it. . 50% new oak for ageing. Alexandre Thienpont owner.

Expressive and alluring aromas of warm plum reduction and boysenberry puree lead off here, followed by fleshy, seamlessly layered notes of blackberry, black currant, melted black licorice and smoldering tobacco. Shows a lovely tug of dark earth through the finish without sacrificing a sense of polish or giving ground to the waves of fruit. Displays terrific latent energy through the finish. Best from 2023 through 2040. 3,750 cases made. — JM

Aromatics here are a little more evolved than with the 2016, showing tar notes, Liquorice Allsorts, anise, raspberry and blackberry fruits. This is a good quality wine with impact and character and the subtle complex shades of flavour that VCC does so well. Really does need time in the glass, suggesting it will hit full stride in another two or three years.

The 2015 Vieux-Château-Certan can be highly variable from bottle to bottle. After two disappointing examples, this came out of the blue. It has an intense and powerful bouquet of black cherry, tobacco, brown spices and loamy aromas. This is very complex and compelling. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy, firm tannins surrounded by plenty of flesh. This is vibrant, with a little dark chocolate and espresso toward the finish though it doesn't mask the terroir. I have to put a question mark against my score due to its variability. Tasted blind at the 2015 Bordeaux Ten-Year-On tasting. -- Neal Martin