Wine Advisor
Georges Roumier, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 1999
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This is completely different to the 2000. A much deeper, almost opaque colour in the glass. The nose is very intense with blackberry, cassis, violets and blueberries - intense and engaging. The palate has more glycerin than the 2000 with layers of sensuous black fruits and velvety smooth texture. Its fleshiness belies some serious, firm tannins underpinning this Bonnes-Mares. Puissance as they say in France. Again, I think this will seriously close down: certainly long-term potential and will demand some patience. Check again in 2012. Outstanding, but at the moment, uncompromising. Tasted October 2006.
Reviewed by: Pierre Rovani
The medium to dark ruby-colored 1999 Bonnes Mares has a rose and black cherry-scented nose. Medium to full-bodied, rich, broad, and expansive, this is a firm, muscular, masculine wine. Its flavor profile, composed of blackberries, assorted flowers, jammy blueberries, and candied cherries, is silky-textured and leads to a long, black pepper-filled finish. Importer: Seagram Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 572-7725.
About the Producer
The domaine was founded in 1924 by Georges Roumier, who began domaine bottling in 1945. He was succeeded in 1957 by his son Jean-Marie and now grandson Christophe, who joined his father in 1982 and took over completely in 1992. Most of the wines are rented (en fermage) from family members although Ruchottes Chambertin is held on a share cropping deal with an external proprietor, Michel Bonnefond. The wines are seductively fruity in their youth yet with excellent ageing potential. The grapes are sorted in the vineyard, with a table de tri at the winery since 2003. They are mostly destemmed, albeit depending on vineyard and vintage, with a few more stems being used recently – then placed in wooden fermenters. The juice is given a cool soak at 15° then allowed to start naturally. The juice is punched down twice a day and temperature controlled so as not to exceed 32°C. There is no great reliance on new wood in the maturation cellar, with 15-25% being used for village wines, 25-40% for premiers crus and no more than 50% for Bonnes Mares. In recent years Christophe has been searching for, and achieving, a greater sense of precision in his wines.
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