Wine Advisor
Robert Groffier, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2006
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: David Schildknecht
Strawberry and black raspberry lead in the nose of the Groffier 2006 Bonnes Mares, with herbal pungency typical for this site combining with black pepper, wood smoke, and resin for a high-strung, energetic palate and tenacious finish with the savage persistence of a sharply-toothed wild animal. This lean, brightly-penetrating expression of its cru should be given 3-4 years in the bottle and ought then to reward 6-8 more. It will be interesting to see whether in the process – in addition to settling down – it might fill out and become yet more complex. Serge Groffier mentions both the fat of 2000 and the structure of 2001 in connection with this wine, but for now, I do not find the former. The 2006 Groffier collection – from fruit picked beginning September 23, and in only four days – was noticeably lower in alcohol than a number of recent predecessors, and was diminished by one-third vis-a-vis 2005, after botrytis- and hail-affected berries had been culled. A Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93, also imported by Atherton Imports, Menlo Park, CA; sales@awiwine.com
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Good bright, dark red. Briary blueberry nose shows a captivating crushed-fruit urgency. Wonderfully energetic and pure in the mouth, with pristine flavors of cassis and blueberry. Extremely primary wine-and more powerful than the 2007. Finishes with firm but fine tannins and palate-saturating perfume.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Ruby-red. Sappy aromas of wild blueberry, blackberry and spices. Pure primary crushed dark berries in the mouth, with a violet note and a whiff of black pepper sharpening the flavors. The resounding, impressively long finish shows a rather muscular peppery quality and a flavor of licorice.
About the Producer
The Groffier family are among the best wine makers in the Côte de Nuits. Originally founded by Robert Groffier’s father, Jules in the 1950s, the domaine is now run by Robert’s grandson, Nicolas. The domaine consists of almost 8 ha of fine vineyards, including 1 ha of Bonnes Mares, almost 0.5 ha of Chambertin Clos de Bèze and a full 1 ha of Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses (the biggest single owner of this vineyard). The wine making technique is flexible and the proportion of stems to be retained is decided annually. nowadays, up to 20% of stems are retained, compared to 50% 20 years ago. The destemed grapes are transferred to stainless steel vats without crushing and cooled to 10-12 degrees so the natural yeast fermentation starts 4-5 days later – to allow further extraction of colour from the skins. Frequent short pigeages are done, and the temperature is allowed to rise up to 35 degrees – which retains even more colour to the liquid. After 17-20 days maceration, the temperature descends to 20-22 degrees and after pressing age in oak, the percentage of new one vary per cuvée and vintage – from none to the Bourgogne to up to 100% for the grand crus. The wines are only racked once, usually only a year after the vintage. The wines return to vat as the new vintage is put into barrel, so only one vintage is in barrel at any time. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration.
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