Certan de May 2006, Pomerol

Deep ruby, purple-tints- tight rim-dense and weighty-dark-fruited(cherry, plums, truffle) and the once brooding and unyielding tannins turned velvety supportive after all these years. The wine into a more rounded, elegant Bordeaux with balance brings charming cedar and leather tones into the mix with an air of modernity. According to some, this wine is perfect for current drinking and will be cellar well for at least another four to five years. The ABV is right on, at 13.5%.

The value of Certan de May is its style, reminiscing certain elements of Petrus in the form of power and richness with great eleganceAsas one of the three Certansthe bottle , is particularly well-liked by critics and professionals for the unique nerve and minerality, alongside VCC for ripeness and Hosanna for power. It is unique because its fruit is from a single parcel of clay-gravel soils from 50-year-old vines (at the vintage time)! Production is mere 2000 cases. Grapes' composition is 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon(for vintage 2006), broadly reflected in the blend of the end wine. Grapes are hand-picked; after vinification, the wine rests in 70% new oak for 18 months.

While quality cannot always measure through scoring, its scores are always consistent ad high, such as:

94 points Wine Enthusiast

Barrel Samplis e Impressive; the tannins may be too overwhelming. Look instead for the black plums, the spice and the structure. It needs to come into balance. (RV) (12/2009). Edited.

93 points Decanter

Once part of thCertain originalin estate, 2006 is another overlooked vintage. It's full of black plum and hedgerow scents, while the palate is poised – clean as a whistle with a mineral-rich finish. Edited.

94 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Tasted at the chateau. Those nose demands some coaxing from the glass, so I wait for 5-10 minutes for it to unfu,rl whereupon it reveals ripe, blackberry, wild hedgerow, touches of blueberry and black plum. There is just a hint of cedar coming from the Cabernet that gains a seaweed scent with time. The palate is full-bodied, wonderful balance, very focused with firm structure but also a sense of femininity. Slightly grainy texture, great purity, lovely ripe blackberry, minerally, black plum and white pepper tinged finish. This is a great wine. Tasted September 2009. Edited.

92 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Full, deep red ruby. Sexy aromas of roasted raspberry, plum liqueur, coffee, smoke, mocha and chocolate. Enticing and exotic Pomerol, with lush flavours of roasted plum and musky coffee leavened by a medicinal reserve. Despite its enticing sweetness and fullness, this is relatively backward today, with the dusty, substantial tannins calling for at least a few years of patience. But the wine's firm backbone and excellent breadth and length suggest it should age well. (ST) (5/2009). Edited.