Wine Advisor
Robert Groffier, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2023
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2023 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is muscular and structured, offering up aromas of raspberries, orange zest, rose petals, incense and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied palate with a broad, fleshy attack that segues into a taut, structured mid-palate.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2023 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru was completely destemmed, like Groffier's other cuvées this vintage, and matured in 50% new oak. Unlike the Les Amoureuses, this needed time to open in the glass. Blackberry, briar, black pepper and light iris flower scents emerge with time, but this is a more bashful Bonnes-Mares for the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with a little more backbone than the Amoureuses and perhaps more sapidity. It's maybe uncompromising in some ways, but nothing wrong with that. The Les Amoureuses has a little more sensuality, but this is still a very fine Grand Cru for long term aging.
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.
