{"product_id":"vieux-chateau-certan-pomerol-2019","title":"Vieux Château Certan Pomerol 2019","description":"\u003cp\u003e100-point Pomerol! Vieux Château Certan sits at the very top of the Pomerol plateau, quite literally next door to Pétrus, and it's one of the appellation's oldest and most storied properties. The estate has been producing wine since at least the mid-1740s, appearing on the 1785 Belleyme Map as \u003cem\u003e\"Sertan\"\u003c\/em\u003e under the ownership of the Demay family, established Bordeaux négociants.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe chapter that defines it today, though, began in 1924, when Josephine Billiet asked her husband, the Belgian wine merchant Georges Thienpont, if she could use her own money to buy the estate, and the Thienpont family has held it ever since. Stewardship has passed from Georges to his son Léon, then to Alexandre Thienpont, and now to Alexandre's son Guillaume, who vinifies the wine today. A charming detail from that early era is that Georges introduced the distinctive pink capsule over the cork, which beyond looking chic served a practical purpose – it let him spot at a glance whether his wine was in a client's cellar. One thing that sets VCC apart from its neighbors is its blend, as it carries far more Cabernet Franc, and a meaningful amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, than is typical for Merlot-dominated Pomerol.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs for the 2019 itself – a blend of roughly 78% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon – it's widely regarded as one of the top wines of a great vintage. It opens with a striking bouquet of cassis and cherries woven with violets, loamy soil, sweet spices, and incense. On the palate it's full-bodied, layered, and enveloping, with a fleshy core of vibrant fruit, lively acidity, and ripe, powdery tannins, closing on a long and resonant finish – a perfumed, sensual achievement from Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont. A stack of wildly adoring scores – including a very worthy 100 points from Wine Advocate – grants this wine even more prestige. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnly a couple cases to share, though, so do your best to make at least one bottle yours for the keeping!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"First Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53228625658153,"sku":"1014659","price":289.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0793\/2706\/8457\/files\/VieuxChateauCertanPomerol2019_1014659_FB_Rack.jpg?v=1790869444","url":"https:\/\/firstbottlewines.com\/products\/vieux-chateau-certan-pomerol-2019","provider":"First Bottle Wines","version":"1.0","type":"link"}