Vieux Chateau Certan 2018 has been released at €210 per bottle ex-negociant, up 25% on the 2017 release (€168). It is being offered by the international trade for £2,628 per 12×75, up 27.3% on the 2017 release per case (£2,064).
The volume of stock coming to market is down 15% on last year.
Antonio Galloni (Vinous) scored the wine 94-97 points. In his tasting note he said, “in 2018, VCC is a wine of refinement and subtlety more than anything else. I don’t see the same visceral thrill as in a number of vintages of the recent past. Perhaps that will come in bottle”.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (Wine Advocate), on the other hand, found near perfection in the wine and awarded a barrel range of 97-100 points. She said that “it finishes very long, marvellously layered and with such jaw-dropping brightness from the fruit, the end is almost electric. Incredible”.
James Suckling was also full of praise and said it was “a significant VCC” that is “fresh, but impresses you with the rich and powerful fruit”. He scored it 99-100 points.
Other commentators include Roger Voss (Wine Enthusiast, 99-100), who called it “fabulous” and Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider, 98-100), who said it was a “striking expression of Pomerol”.
Liv-ex members also voted this year’s Vieux Chateau Certan the 3rd best wine of the vintage.
Prices for Vieux Chateau Certan are 90% correlated to our ‘Benchmark Critic’ scores. Based on today’s release price of £2,628, the wine is coming to market either above or just on the line implied by our ‘Fair Value’ methodology.
Available at a 9% discount to the 2016 (NM 100), buyers confident in the quality of the 2018 might find value in today’s release. Alternatively, the 2009, with several years in bottle and 99 points from Robert Parker is available at a 10% discount.
Looking for more?
Our Bordeaux 2018 pages contain everything you need to know about this year’s En Primeur campaign, including:
- Critic scores
- Release prices
- Bordeaux 2018 analysis tool [members only]
- The conversation on social media
- Liv-ex’s fair value methodology
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