Her Mir Tage

9.2

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. — 3 months ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.3

Beautifully developed & poised, perfectly evolved.
Dusty red fruit & red plums, undergrowth, an enticing, fresh minty eucalyptus note, some smokey umami notes. A meditation wine.
So silky & smooth on the palate, with depth & flow. Amazing purity of fruit and mellowness of tannins.
Delicious stuff!!! — 2 years ago

Iwona Olsson

9.5

Great red wine for meat dishes. Bold but with smoothness to your umami. — 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.0

This was a well-stored example and the cork was in pretty great shape; extracted with the aid of a Durand. Opened about an hour before service and poured into a decanter. Enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. The 1981 pours a garnet color with a slight orange-ish rim; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with mostly desiccated notes of dark and red fruit: red currants, confected cherry, organic earth, mushroom, leather, eucalyptus, baking spice. Umami AF. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. While showing its age, this is very much alive. The entire bottle was enjoyed by all. Drink now. — 4 months ago

Thijs Hendriks

9.8

Seductive, lychee, soapstone, white pepper. Harmonious, papaya, orange zest and salty minerality. Ultimately balanced. Umami in excelcis. 98+ — 2 years ago

Michael Mallon

9.0

A new world pinot with elements of the old world: some fruit, forest floor, umami notes, spice. — 4 years ago

seph

9.0

Pretty wild, like sherry, honey mead-y over fermented sweetness with orange citrus notes and a lighter finish. Fascinating!

TIL it tastes like sherry because it shares a technique, aging "under flor" which is a layer of yeast that forms in the top of the barrel where a bit of air is purposefully allowed in, that oxidative exposure is responsible for the intense umami, sherry-like flavors — 9 months ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.2

Shifting to a more feminine and elegant profile, after almost 20 years this still has a lot to offer. Complex fruity and umami notes of cherry, currants, pepper, spice, cured meat, tossed earth and truffle.
Great effort, year after year. — a year ago

Christoffer Hjelm

9.3

‘18 4 lyfe — 3 years ago

Brenda Reyes

9.6

Jan. 30 Drinking at home with caviar. Purchased from@Vincents in Beaune, Fr $100 — 5 years ago