TN: A couple of early 2000s VCCs

WINE TALK
1

Have been drinking a few VCCs from the early 2000s. Though not from celebrated vintages, these have been nice to drink and a decent value.

  • 2002 Vieux Château Certan - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol (9/17/2021)
    Great example of why when the value is right, buying a top producer in a meh vintage can work well.

Cork was brutal to get out and broke apart. Color is dark garnet with some purple, grey brown around the edges. Wine definitely looks a bit old but is fine on inspection. Nose is heavy pipe tobacco, leather, tar, plum, and wild blackberry. Good intensity to the nose. Palate a touch thinner and is medium bodied with red cherry, green pepper, plum, smoke. Mid palate is very pleasant but doesn’t quite have the intensity of the nose. Tannins still present but are mostly smoothed out. Acidity fairly high, making one think this vintage didn’t quite achieve ripeness.

Lacks the complexity and intensity of the 2001 or 2000, but overall a very nice wine from a favorite Bordeaux producer. (94 pts.)

  • 2001 Vieux Château Certan - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol (6/26/2021)
    Just in a wonderful place now. Cork fully intact, was tough to pull out. Decanted 30 minutes.

Color is reddish purple, fairly dark and concentrated. No bricking, wine looks almost young. On the nose is campfire smoke, plum, dark chocolate, and truffle. The complexity of the nose is an early signal that something special is happening.

On the palate notes of bing cherry, truffles, caramel and plum. This is complex in the mouth, with a nice lushness and touch of minerality. There isn’t much acid here, and yet this doesn’t feel off balance. Finish is long and lingering, really staying with you.

In a good place right now, just hitting that nice mellowness of older Bordeaux, but not yet really showing secondary flavors. Should have another 10-15 years of life left. (96 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

5 Likes
2

Thanks very much Aleks! I have 2-3 bottles of both the 2001 and 2002 so your notes are very instructive! I’ll pop a 2002 soon and let the 2001 sleep a bit longer.

Cheers,

Hal

3

I think that’s right. The 2001 I had will probably be just t a touch better in 5-7 years (though you can’t go wrong today), 2002 is a drink up.

Hope you enjoy them - they’re really great stuff.

4

Agree on the 2002 easy drinking. The 1995 has been in a great place recently. Both vintages nice to enjoy now.

5

While the cork issue and wine browning is a bit concerning on the 2002, glad that the wine showed well. I’ve both of these vintages in the remote storage, untouched since at-release purchases, so I appreciate the TNs.

6

Thanks for the notes. Any word on the '06? I’ve been waiting, but I am assuming still too young.

7

I wouldn’t sweat the corks, they’ve been super tight (a 2000 I had a year ago and not listed here was similar), and tough to get out, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

8

Interesting that Neal Martin/Vinous just gave the 2001 VCC a 92 in his look back at 2001 vs 2000 “The bouquet is very refined and, as always, quite Merlot-driven, featuring succulent red fruit and just a faint touch of licorice. More tertiary scents emerge with time, flanked by freshly picked morels. The palate is medium-bodied and graceful – this is not a dense VCC –though I would have preferred more grip toward the finish.”

This compares to Jane Anson/Decanter in September 2018 rating the 2001 VCC a perfect 100! “The texture is of cashmere and silk, the fruit palate varied and balanced. You can open it now, but there’s no rush, even at close to 18 years on.” Drink till 2035

As they say, there are only great bottles!