2020 Certan De May
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Tasting notes
This is utterly voluptuous and generous, an opulent Pomerol – yet there is still a prettiness to this wine, the delicate floral aromatics and precise fruit that are a trademark of the vintage. There’s some crunchy red fruit and florals, violets, blueberry and blue plum, as well as a lick of vanilla spice. It’s easy to be fooled by the almost dainty nose, but it’s on the palate that the wine’s power comes through. This is ripe and layered, yet there’s still a refreshing cranberry twist, cutting through the brooding, bramble richness. The tannins are seamlessly ripe and smooth, while there’s a lovely earthy, leathery, savoury complexity to the finish. The blend is 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Open and fragrant with dark-red fruit. More savoury on the palate. Smooth tannins but a little hard overall. (JH)
The 2020 Certan de May thankfully shows far better than it did in barrel and just after bottling. Here, it has an open, earthy and leafy bouquet that is quite classical in style and needs a little more fruit concentration. The palate is balanced and medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, decent weight and depth, if just a bit conservative on the finish. That said, I appreciate its restraint in the context of the growing season. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
Offering up aromas of sweet berries and plums mingled with notions of aniseed, licorice and mint, the 2020 Certan de May is medium to full-bodied, broad and layered, with a rich and enveloping core of ripe, somewhat baked fruit. This is a solid effort, but it can't quite match the 2019.