Chateau Certan Marzelle Pomerol Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Certan Marzelle Pomerol with wine tasting notes, wine ratings, a history of the property, information on the vineyards, and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

Chateau Certan Marzelle History, Overview

The origins of Chateau Certan Marzelle date back to the 1700’s making it one of the older vineyards in the Pomerol appellation. At the time, it was part of a much larger vineyard located on the Pomerol plateau. Those vines later gave birth to Certan de May and Vieux Chateau Certan.

Chateau Certan Marzelle was purchased in 1956 by the Giraud family. After 1956, the family changed the name to Chateau Certan Giraud. For the next few decades, two wines were produced from that vineyard, Chateau Certan Giraud and Chateau Certan Marzelle. The wines were adequate, but not overly distinguished.

In 1999, the Pomerol estate was sold to ETS. Moueix and Jean Hubert Delon of Leoville Las Cases. Jean Hubert Delon came away with 4 hectares of vines which he added to his Pomerol property, Chateau Nenin. The remaining land went to Christian Moueix. The vineyard was used to produce two wines, Certan Marzelle and Chateau Hosanna.

Christian Moueix considered selling the wine under the name of Chateau Certan to reflect its rich heritage. While the owner of Vieux Chateau Certan, Alexander Thienpont, had no problem with Ets Moueix selling the wine under the name of Chateau Certan, interestingly, the owner of the Moueix managed estate, Chateau Certan de May raised an objection. From that point forward the wine was known as Chateau Certan Marzelle.

The name was not the only thing changed by Christian Moueix after he purchased Chateau Certan Marzelle. Moueix took the best parcels of vines and created one of the top estates in Pomerol today, Hosanna.

The remaining portion of the vineyard is now used to produce Chateau Certan Marzelle. One of the first moves made by Christian Moueix after taking over the Right Bank estate was to improve the drainage and replant much of the vineyards.

More replanting took place following the 2008 vintage which for a period of time, caused the production of Certan Marzelle to stop, until the vines were old enough to produce more wine. The last vintage for the estate was 2010. Although the name could be resurrected at some point in the future.

Chateau Certan Marzelle Vineyard, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 2 hectare Right Bank vineyard of Certan Marzelle is planted to 100% Merlot. The terroir is gravel over clay soils. The vineyard is located next to another Moueix property, La Providence, which no longer exists as those vines are now used to produce Chateau La Fleur Petrus. Production of Certan Marzelle is approximately 800 cases per year.
 
For the production of Certan Marzelle two laser sorting tables have been in use since 2009. The winery uses thermoregulated concrete vats and since 2004 some stainless tanks. Malolactic fermentation takes place in the tank. The press wine obtained from vertical basket presses is added or not during the aging process.

Chateau Certan Marzelle is aged in 33% to 66% new French oak for about 18 months. The wine is racked 3-4 times per year and is fined using egg whites in the second winter.

Certan Marzelle is no longer being produced. The vines have been integrated into Chateau Lagrange Pomerol which is another estate owned by the Moueix family.

When to Drink Chateau Certan Marzelle, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Certan Marzelle needs some time before it can be enjoyed. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 1 hour or more. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume.

Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Certan Marzelle is usually better with at least 4-5 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Certan Marzelle offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 4-14 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Certan Marzelle, with Wine and Food Pairings

Chateau Certan Marzelle is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Chateau Certan Marzelle is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes.

Certan Marzelle is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.

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