Wine Advisor
Georges Roumier, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2006
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: David Schildknecht
Pungent incense, and herbal concentrates; ginger and cinnamon; kirsch and framboise distillates, along with their dark flesh-and-juice fresh counterparts, all practically assault the nose from Roumier's 2006 Bonnes Mares. This saturates the palate with sweet ripeness and liqueur-like textural richness, while cherry pit, black pepper, and peat offer counterpoint. A savory carnal undertone adds another intriguing dimension. The concentration and resonance of spices, herbs and fruit in the finish is superb. Here is a Bonnes Mares much more complex and dynamic at this youthful stage than the majority. In fact, I can't see that it would be a crime to drink some young, although it should age well for at least a dozen years. Rigorous triage - along with Christophe Roumier's seemingly intuitive sense for the limits and potential of the vintage - have resulted in a set of 2006s here that are youthfully generous, but in the best instances will be well worth cellaring. The fermentative regimen and elevage (including no racking until assemblage, to maximize contact with lees convey both fat and structure; yet early bottling to preserve fruit) were tailored to the vintage, whereas the regimen of new wood was little changed from other recent years, meaning around one-third for the premier crus. Stems were selectively included, up to something over one-third in the grand crus. I tasted these wines from barrel at 14 months and again from bottle at 18, and they had in most instances both gained textural allure as well as structure and refined their flavors, clearly demonstrating the success of Roumier's strategy. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the IMW horizontal at Vintners Hall. The nose has less ebullience that I normally associate with Roumier’s Bonnes-Mares – this is much tighter and more controlled. It develops a lovely floral note, a touch of violets and peony, very pure red-berried fruit, less of the blueberry/boysenberry character. The palate is medium-bodied, very pure with tobacco tinged red fruits: raspberry, pomegranate, cranberry, but perhaps just lacking a little complexity on the finish that does not fan out like I would want it to. This may come with time. Playing safe, biding its time. Drink 2011-2020+ Tasted March 2009.
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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