Gravette de Certan: Super-rare second wine

 
Wine Cellar - fine wine merchants & cellarers
 
Gravette de Certan: Super-rare second wine Jolette Steyn, 22 September 2020
 

Bordeaux 2017: Finesse, perfume and aromatic intensity

Vieux Château Certan’s rare second wine, Gravette de Certan, epitomises the 2017 vintage – elegance, purity and sheer drinkability. It provides an exciting glimpse into the immense talent of the Thienpont family at an especially attractive price. Tasted twice over the past two weeks, the 2017 Gravette de Certan is, once again, formidable and will drink well over the next 15 years. A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this second wine is pure class!

Having imported Bordeaux for almost two decades, we are very excited to offer the 2017 Bordeaux vintage, which arrived in our cellars last week! Browse more than 30 wines available, including the Gravette, on our website and read more about the vintage and some highlights from our tastings below.

In recent years, an increasing number of Sauternes producers have turned to dry white wines amid a sluggish market for their signature sweet wines. G de Guiraud is one of our favourite Bordeaux blanc sec wines. This dry white, 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Sémillon, offers immense value at R345. It is utterly delicious and an incredible food wine. Antonio Galloni from Vinous opined, ‘2017 is a fabulous vintage for Bordeaux’s dry whites and almost as good for the sweet white wines.’

Finally, Saint-Estèphe wines are renowned for being elegant, structured and powerful – exemplified by Château Lilian Ladouys; a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel du Médoc. With intense purity and density of fruit, this is a robust yet approachable wine and one of the stand-outs at last week’s tasting.

Bordeaux 2017 wines – Order online

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2017 is all about finesse, perfume and aromatic intensity as opposed to weighty richness.’ – Lisa Perotti-Brown, Wine Advocate

We’re back to Bordeaux in 2017. 2015 and 2016 were sunnier and more hedonistic. In 2017 we had an earlier vintage, but not an Indian summer. 2017 was lovely because the ripening cycle was long.’ – Guillaume Thienpont, Vieux Château Certan

The 2017s are a testament to the consistency that Bordeaux now achieves.’ – Neal Martin, Vinous

Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability.’ – Decanter

The 2017s are built on an axis of persistence and length, rather than textural opulence.’ – Antonio Galloni, Vinous

Whilst 2017 saw some frost, the key to understanding the vintage is far more complex and nuanced. It is worth noting that 80% of the top 150 châteaux enjoyed a great harvest and produced some tremendous wines.

2017 is the smallest crop for decades, so get your order in now.

 
Free delivery on orders over R 1,500. View delivery charges.
 

Reply to this email or visit our website to place your order online.

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Vinous regards,

Jolette Steyn

Tasting notes

Vieux Château Certan, La Gravette de Certan Pomerol 2017

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 La Gravette de Certan leaps from the glass with exuberant scents of blueberry preserves, blackberry compote and black cherries with hints of violets, menthol, chocolate box and aniseed. Medium-bodied, the palate has a generous amount of expressive blue and black fruit flavors, framed by ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant. – Lisa Perotti-Brown, Wine Advocate, 92/100

The 2017 La Gravette de Certan, made from the estate's young vines (under 25 years of age) is soft, open-knit and inviting. In this vintage, the Gravette is especially floral and perfumed, which gives it tons of immediacy and sheer appeal. Rose petal, sweet red berries, licorice and mint are all laced into the very pretty, nuanced finish. I would prefer to drink the 2017 over the next decade or so. 2022 – 2032. – Antonio Galloni, Vinous, 92/100

G de Guiraud, Bordeaux Blanc 2017

Lively, featuring white peach, lemon zest and thyme notes zipping along. Very pretty, with a refreshing finish. – Wine Spectator, 90-93/100

Pretty deepness and ripeness to this with honeydew, dried-melon and lemon character. Medium body. Bright finish. – James Suckling, 91-92/100

Lilian Ladouys, Saint-Estèphe 2017

The 2017 Lilian Ladouys is matured in 40% new oak from five cooperages. The bouquet is quite intense with brambly red berry fruit, touches of mint and undergrowth, melted tar emerging with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, and a fine bead of acidity. A 'correct' and quite precise Saint-Estèphe that appears to have improved in bottle. Recommended. – Neal Martin, Vinous, 91/100

The medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Lilian Ladouys has a fragrant herbal waft on the nose with a core of baked red and black currants, Morello cherries, tilled earth and cedar chest. The palate is medium-bodied, delicately played and pleasantly chewy with plenty of freshness and lovely purity on the finish. The wine was aged for 15 months in French oak, 40% new. The blend is 50% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petit Verdot. 2020 – 2029. – Lisa-Perotti Brown, Wine Advocate, 90/100

What's new?

Wine Cellar, Unit 4 Price’s Park, Nelson Road, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town

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