Deal or No Deal? 2001 VCC

[Mark_Golodetz]

Where is Golodetz!?

I had my first/only VCC (2006) a few weeks ago and it was amazing. I felt it was a bit too young, but still very much enjoyed it. I am on the look out for future bottles to procure at good prices…

Here I am. My last note on this was from 2016, as part of a Right Bank 2001 horizontal. I loved the wine, on a par with Cheval, and the best wine there.

The answer to your question is not about the wine, but your taste in general. The wine is in early maturity, a nice mix of fruit and just beginning to take on some of the tertiary aromatics that in time will replace the fruit with a leathery, mushroom, earthy mix. It is a long process, and the 1989 I had from magnum recently, was still more in the fruit area, but the complexity was far more apparent. Only you can determine which profile you prefer, and the wine has enough bottle age that there are no wrong answers here.

[J.Vizuete]

Where is Golodetz!?

I had my first/only VCC (2006) a few weeks ago and it was amazing. I felt it was a bit too young, but still very much enjoyed it. I am on the look out for future bottles to procure at good prices…

Here I am. My last note on this was from 2016, as part of a Right Bank 2001 horizontal. I loved the wine, on a par with Cheval, and the best wine there.

The answer to your question is not about the wine, but your taste in general. The wine is in early maturity, a nice mix of fruit and just beginning to take on some of the tertiary aromatics that in time will replace the fruit with a leathery, mushroom, earthy mix. It is a long process, and the 1989 I had from magnum recently, was still more in the fruit area, but the complexity was far more apparent. Only you can determine which profile you prefer, and the wine has enough bottle age that there are no wrong answers here.

Mark, not to thread drift too much, but how was the 89 showing for you? I have a single 750mL bottle coming and am not necessarily asking for drink dates but rather what to expect from a sound bottle. An 86 last January had softened nicely for that vintage, but I found it fairly classic and neither particularly punchy or exotic as far as fruit goes. Kind of down the fairway actually.

[Mark_Golodetz]

John,
The magnum was beautiful, as was a bottle about three years ago. It is at perfect maturity, and should be lovely. Not surprised by your 1986 experience; based on a 1986 Lafleur and La Conseillante, the Pomerols are not pretty wines, but as you say do their job.

[J.Vizuete]

John,
The magnum was beautiful, as was a bottle about three years ago. It is at perfect maturity, and should be lovely. Not surprised by your 1986 experience; based on a 1986 Lafleur and La Conseillante, the Pomerols are not pretty wines, but as you say do their job.

Thanks very much, I’ll be sure to post a note here when I open it (sometime in the next year).

[Howard_Cooper]

I lucked my way into a bottle of 2001 Vieux Château Certan this week. I paid $119 which according to my internet sleuthing seems pretty good.

The question:

Stash it in the back of my cellar and forget about it for a decade.
Or
Drink up, life is too short and it isn’t a vintage-of-the-century vintage.


To add some more context, this is definitely the nicest Bdx I have ever purchased but is on par, price wise with many of the other birthday, holiday, etc… bottles in my cellar.

If you have not had much Bordeaux (or even much Pomerol), I would drink it to learn whether you want to buy more expensive Bordeauxs.

[Robert.A.Jr]

If T doesn’t like this, he may be better of with PDQ chicken, Klondike bars and Ovid! Scandalous.

[Jayson_Cohen]

Where is Golodetz!?

I had my first/only VCC (2006) a few weeks ago and it was amazing. I felt it was a bit too young, but still very much enjoyed it. I am on the look out for future bottles to procure at good prices…

Here I am. My last note on this was from 2016, as part of a Right Bank 2001 horizontal. I loved the wine, on a par with Cheval, and the best wine there.

The answer to your question is not about the wine, but your taste in general. The wine is in early maturity, a nice mix of fruit and just beginning to take on some of the tertiary aromatics that in time will replace the fruit with a leathery, mushroom, earthy mix. It is a long process, and the 1989 I had from magnum recently, was still more in the fruit area, but the complexity was far more apparent. Only you can determine which profile you prefer, and the wine has enough bottle age that there are no wrong answers here.

Now I don’t have to chime in.

But I think you should pop it and try. It was a good price. And you can always get more VCC and will want to if you like it. Generally for my taste you will not find a better wine overall on the Right Bank still selling for under $200 a bottle for good vintages than VCC. I love it. And damn do they have a great track record for aging.