Chateau Certan de May 2012
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Product Details
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Somm Note
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a very firm and concentrated wine with dark and smoky character. The palate is elegant and fine, but densely structured with dark tannins that give extra complexity. Barrel Sample: 93-95
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Decanter
Touches of smoke, enjoyable balance and rich tannic hold, smoke grilled notes are even more evident when you go back to it. Drinking Window 2021 - 2038
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From proprietress Odette Barrau-Badar, this vineyard, which is fabulously located just adjacent to Vieux Château Certan, Petrus and La Fleur Petrus, has produced a 2012 with a dark plum/purple color. There is often considerable Cabernet Franc in this blend, and I think that comes through in this wine with its notes of forest floor, earth and spice. It is fragrant, medium to full-bodied, rich and savory. This is another meaty, concentrated, very successful 2012 Pomerol It should drink well for 20 or more years
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James Suckling
Aromas of walnuts, dried strawberries and plums. Medium to full body, fine and silky tannins and a fresh finish. This builds on the palate. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
The rounded and perfumy plum and boysenberry fruit is laced with a mesquite note, while a light licorice snap hint checks in on the finish. A light sandalwood edge pinches the finish, but the flesh should absorb that in time. An elegant style of Pomerol. Best from 2016 through 2022.
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The origins of Chateau Certan de May date back to the very beginnings of Pomerol. The de May family, who settled in France from Scotland in the Middle Ages, were gifted the property by royal decree in the 16th century as a gesture of thanks for ser- vices rendered to the crown of France. The estate began producing wine in the 18th century and was managed by descendants of the de May de Certans until 1925, when it passed to the Barreau family.
Situated on Pomerol’s prized central plateau, surrounded by illustrious neighbors such as Vieux Chateau Certan and La Fleur-Pétrus, Chateau Certan de May has long been considered one of the finest estates of the appellation.
The wines owe their complexity to the vineyard’s soil composition, a combination of clay and gravel that bring together power and elegance, structure and freshness. The balance of the wines from Chateau Certan de May illustrates the unique complemen- tarity of these terroirs.
Owner Jean-Luc Barreau applies all of his care and attention to producing a wine in the great tradition of his forebears. Vinified under the guidance of renowned consultants Michel Rolland until 2012 and Jean-Claude Berrouet since the 2013 vintage, Chateau Certan de May benefits from the best winemaking know-how. The wine is rich, powerful, complex; while it can be enjoyed after a few years of cellaring, its structure and natural depth lend it great ageability.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A source of exceptionally sensual and glamorous red wines, Pomerol is actually a rather small appellation in an unassuming countryside. It sits on a plateau immediately northeast of the city of Libourne on the right bank of the Dordogne River. Pomerol and St-Émilion are the stars of what is referred to as Right Bank Bordeaux: Merlot-dominant red blends completed by various amounts of Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon. While Pomerol has no official classification system, its best wines are some of the world’s most sought after.
Historically Pomerol attached itself to the larger and more picturesque neighboring region of St-Émilion until the late 1800s when discerning French consumers began to recognize the quality and distinction of Pomerol on its own. Its popularity spread to northern Europe in the early 1900s.
After some notable vintages of the 1940s, the Pomerol producer, Petrus, began to achieve great international attention and brought widespread recognition to the appellation. Its subsequent distribution by the successful Libourne merchant, Jean-Pierre Mouiex, magnified Pomerol's fame after the Second World War.
Perfect for Merlot, the soils of Pomerol—clay on top of well-drained subsoil—help to create wines capable of displaying an unprecedented concentration of color and flavor.
The best Pomerol wines will be intensely hued, with qualities of fresh wild berries, dried fig or concentrated black plum preserves. Aromas may be of forest floor, sifted cocoa powder, anise, exotic spice or toasted sugar and will have a silky, smooth but intense texture.