Wine Advisor
Georges Roumier, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2018
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru does not quite have the vigour and energy displayed by Bruno Clair on the nose. Open-knit red fruit, a slight chalky character come through with aeration. Understated, yet there is Grand Cru pedigree here and it blossoms with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated, quite bold tannins that frame the peppery dark berry fruit, hints of liquorice and tobacco. Lots of energy here with an almost Musigny-like density on the finish, though the fruit is on the limit of overripeness. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is a level up in terms of intensity, offering layers of black cherry and blueberry fruit; this could only come from this particular vineyard. Wonderful precision and quite floral. The palate is medium-bodied with firm grip, succulent tannins and a very saline finish. A very intense Bonnes-Mares, almost overwhelming toward the finish at this premature juncture, though the persistence has to be felt to be believed.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru was tasted from the final blend and contains around two-thirds whole cluster this year. It has a very precise bouquet of raspberry, blueberry, rose petal and light violet aromas – quintessential Bonnes-Mares, really. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip on the entry, a fine bead of acidity, good structure (which is surprising for the growing season) and a noticeable saline finish that lingers in the mouth. This is another cerebral wine from Roumier, and one that is going to please a lot of people.
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Opening in the glass with aromas of ripe red fruits, rose petals, peonies, orange rind and exotic spices, Roumier's 2018 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is full-bodied, multidimensional and concentrated, with a rich and layered mid-palate, a muscular chassis of powdery tannin and a bright, mineral finish. This is very much built for the long haul, but it has taken the warm vintage in its stride.
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2018 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is a deep and muscular wine, unwinding in the glass with aromas of cassis, wild berries, peonies and forest floor. On the palate, it's full-bodied, powerful and multidimensional, its concentrated core framed by an ample chassis of rich, powdery tannins, concluding with a long and resonant finish. Derived from fully six different parcels, this is another long-lived Bonnes-Mares in the making, and patience will be required to realize all its potential.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru from Roumier offers copious amounts of black cherries and blueberry fruit. It is still a "baby", though that doesn't make it unenjoyable, even if you cannot help thinking that it needs at least another decade. The palate is framed by those succulent tannins, one of the tropes of the growing season. There's a little more glycerine than I remember, with a powerful and still almost overwhelming finish that prompts me to be just a little more cautious with my score. Tasted at Le Benaton in Beaune.
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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Package Size
1 x 75cl12 x 75cl2 x 75cl
