The January 2026 Auction: Part 5
Swipe left for previous · Swipe right for next
1 / 4Lot 254
Estimate: $400
This auction has ended. Bidding is closed.
Collection name
Reviews
100AG
"The 2015 Vieux Château Certan is every bit as magnificent from bottle as it was from barrel. Rich, sumptuous and explosive in the glass, the 2015 is pure class. The flavors are deep and boldly sketched in this sumptuous, spectacularly ripe Pomerol. Inky blue/purplish fruit, spice, lavender, licorice and menthol all develop in the glass, but it is the wine's textural richness and intensity that stand out most. As good as the 2015 is today, it is going to need at least 15-20 years to be at its very best. Is there anything more I can ask of the 2015? No, there is not. This is a tremendous showing. Alexandre Thienpont and his son, Guillaume, made one of the most viscerally thrilling wines of the vintage in 2015. Because of the richness of the fruit, the Thienponts opted for shorter pumpovers than normal and a more gentle approach to extraction. Alexandre Thienpont told me 2015 was the first year since 1983 that the Merlots and Cabernet Francs were of a similarly high level."
Region
Red
Country
Score
"The 2015 Vieux Château Certan is every bit as magnificent from bottle as it was from barrel. Rich, sumptuous and explosive in the glass, the 2015 is pure class. The flavors are deep and boldly sketched in this sumptuous, spectacularly ripe Pomerol. Inky blue/purplish fruit, spice, lavender, licorice and menthol all develop in the glass, but it is the wine's textural richness and intensity that stand out most. As good as the 2015 is today, it is going to need at least 15-20 years to be at its very best. Is there anything more I can ask of the 2015? No, there is not. This is a tremendous showing. Alexandre Thienpont and his son, Guillaume, made one of the most viscerally thrilling wines of the vintage in 2015. Because of the richness of the fruit, the Thienponts opted for shorter pumpovers than normal and a more gentle approach to extraction. Alexandre Thienpont told me 2015 was the first year since 1983 that the Merlots and Cabernet Francs were of a similarly high level."
Have questions?
The world's most influential fine-wine producer and the benchmark for Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and the Rhone. Its appellation (AOC) system codifies geography, grape and method, and its wines set the global standard for age-worthiness and terroir expression.
The world's largest fine-wine region, built around blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Divided by the Gironde estuary into the structured Left Bank and the plush, Merlot-led Right Bank, it is the historic benchmark for age-worthy claret and sweet Sauternes.
A tiny, prestigious Right Bank appellation famed for opulent, velvety Merlot-based wines. Iron-rich clay soils yield some of the world's most coveted and concentrated reds.
2015 in Bordeaux was a warm, dry vintage producing ripe, generous and opulent wines, with the Right Bank, Margaux and Pessac-Leognan excelling; approachable yet balanced, with plush tannins and strong aging potential.
An aromatic red grape lending perfume, red fruit and a leafy, savory edge. It thrives in the Loire and as a key blending partner in Bordeaux, especially Saint-Emilion.
Produces plush, supple, fruit-forward reds with plum and chocolate notes. Softer and earlier-maturing than Cabernet, it adds flesh and roundness to blends and stars in Right Bank Bordeaux.