1990 vintage. Previously tasted 3x in the last 4+ years 01.20.23 (9.6), 05.16.21 (9.4) and 09.21.23 (9.5) Top shoulder fill. Excellent cork. Decanted and tasted immediately. Oodles of sediment as expected. Beguiling St. Estèphe nose. This. Was. Phenomenal. Best of the four horsemen/tastings. Enough structure to build the infrastructure for a new city along with a surprising amount of dark fruit. A well-stored, large format bottle of this might just show you the best time you’ve ever had. WoW. 08.14.25. — 15 days ago
Not sure I’ve had any other 2006 Bordeaux but decided to pull this to give it a go at nearly 20 years of age. Nice wine but perhaps not one that justifies the price point. At first quite tight, but after a 5 hour decant this really comes into its own. Lots of leather and dark blue and black fruit. Oak is really only apparent in structure now. Great acid. 13% which is nicely balanced. — 19 days ago
Blend of 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, deep Ruby purple color with aromas of ripe berry fruits, cedar, floral and earthy spice notes. On the palate flavors of blueberry, plums and blackberry with vanilla, licorice, tobacco, espresso and toasty oak notes. Long rich finish on fine ripe tannins, will age very well, can start to drink now, but should wait a decade or more. Very Nice! — 22 days ago
Deep ruby , garnet , with thin garnet rim . Quite deep and ripe cassis , violet , blackberry , meaty grafite , sea spray , rich but well balanced . Quite well defined on the palate , blackberry , cassis , grafite . Balanced quite fresh acidity , fine but noticable tannins . Quite good grafite , saline tinged finish . Quite classic in style , with freshness from the cool fruit character and mineral focus , but polished with enough stuffing to age further , and probably improve over the next 5 -10 years and last well a further 10 . — 14 hours ago
Still drinking well after many decades. — 11 days ago
Deep ruby garnet , thin garnet rim . Just beginning to show some development, with grafite tinged , pipe tobacco, cassis , spicy herbal hints and oyster shell notes. On the palate this still comes across as very young , dark cassis , blackcurrant fruit and a very long , detailed mineral and saline length. Sweet but grippy tannin , and fresh acidity. Tobacco and oyster shell return on the long finish . Needs time but has a great future . Come back in 5 -10 years , will last well a further 25 . Apologies for the silly stock photo , don’t think I took one having been so excited by both the 2016 and 2010. A huge , vast improvement on the rather chunky , forced and flat 2009 had at Vinous Icons Miami in Nov 2024. At Vinous Icons NY , Pier 60 , Feb 2025. — 21 days ago
1st Growth Bordeaux comparison. Mind blowing. I mean, from a weak Bordeaux vintage comes this masterpiece which can be enjoyed now or saved for decades to come. Beautiful nose and almost perfumed with roses and black cheery and blueberry, cedar, and pencil shavings. The palate is pure bliss full of complexity, intensity yet balanced and the finish just goes on and on. Cheers. — a month ago
Is the Parker 99-point 2009 VCC Worth Its Price?
From a scoring perspective, you might feel slightly disappointed upon opening it, but in terms of price, it likely aligns with expectations.
Having previously tasted a Parker 95-100-point Côte-Rôtie La Landonne, I found its complexity and aromatic depth more impressive than this wine—though the 99-point VCC is the highest score this estate has ever received from Parker.
After 30 minutes of decanting:
The wine showed dark fruit aromas (blackberry), along with primary, secondary, and tertiary notes—cigar box, leather, and truffle-but the tannins were still tight, indicating it wasn’t fully open.
After 2 hours of decanting:
The wine began to unfold, not with explosive aromas but with a refined, lingering profile.Beyond the initial notes, ripe plum, vanilla, and graphite emerged. However, compared to an older vintage of VCC I’ve tried (which had a rich dark chocolate character), this bottle lacked that particular depth.
The tannins turned silky and smooth, making it very approachable, while a savory umami note complemented the medium acidity. The body was beautifully clean and well-structured. — a month ago
Jan de Weerd
Smooth, balanced and still a bit restrained. I am suspecting there is still more to be released in flavor. Small grained tannin, dark blue berry, moraine cherry fruit notes. Decent finish. — 3 days ago