Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (97-99)

Beginning with the hugely deep but very fresh purple colour, The Roumier 2019 Bonnes Mares shows its majesty from the outset. The nose is backward, but clear and pure. It is much more in pure deep raspberry and less wild on the nose than it can be. Such harmony on the palate, this is exquisite, a very noble Bonnes Mares with optimum purity and one of the most persistent finishes of the year. Brilliant!

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (97-99)

Beginning with the hugely deep but very fresh purple colour, The Roumier 2019 Bonnes Mares shows its majesty from the outset. The nose is backward, but clear and pure. It is much more in pure deep raspberry and less wild on the nose than it can be. Such harmony on the palate, this is exquisite, a very noble Bonnes Mares with optimum purity and one of the most persistent finishes of the year. Brilliant!

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (96-98)

Rich purple, with energy on the nose, more black fruit, a little less easy to read than the flamboyant Ruchottes. Two thirds whole bunch just visible. Showing the duality of this vineyard. More black than red, nothing in any way cooked, deep long and sultry, some comparison with Bussière but a much greater depth of generous fruity and of course very long indeed. Going to be spectacular I think. A really classic structure with a brilliant aftertaste. Tasted: November 2021

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (96-98)

Rich purple, with energy on the nose, more black fruit, a little less easy to read than the flamboyant Ruchottes. Two thirds whole bunch just visible. Showing the duality of this vineyard. More black than red, nothing in any way cooked, deep long and sultry, some comparison with Bussière but a much greater depth of generous fruity and of course very long indeed. Going to be spectacular I think. A really classic structure with a brilliant aftertaste. Tasted: November 2021

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2021 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is impressively concentrated and multidimensional, unwinding in the glass with a deep bouquet of cherries, raspberries, Indian spices, coniferous forest floor, violets and orange zest. Full-bodied, layered and textural, with a layered core of fruit, fine but abundant tannins and a long, saturating finish, it transcends stereotypes of this challenging vintage.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2021 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is impressively concentrated and multidimensional, unwinding in the glass with a deep bouquet of cherries, raspberries, Indian spices, coniferous forest floor, violets and orange zest. Full-bodied, layered and textural, with a layered core of fruit, fine but abundant tannins and a long, saturating finish, it transcends stereotypes of this challenging vintage.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (97-99)

(5-Star) An intense mid purple, the bouquet just made me burst into smiles at first sniff. This wine is always too multi-faceted to admit of simple fruit descriptors. There are quite a few berries in the bowl. Some fresh red fruit then much darer notes, I turn lightened up by the peppery notes to finish. This really kicks on magically behind! 75-80 whole bunch vinification. Drink from 2035.

Vintage Tastings (95+)

was tasted. More similar stylistically to the Groffier than the Mugnier, the Roumier took the intensity and class up a couple notches form the Groffier. Beef, earth, leather, mineral, rust and spine oozed out of its reticent nose. Rich and powerful in the mouth, there were spicy and spiny tannins to complement its boatload of dark and dank fruit. This was serious juice

Vinous (96)

Good full deep red. Great lift and perfume to the aromas of blueberry, minerals, lilac and white pepper. Silky and utterly seamless, but with terrific sappiness and finesse to the blackberry, floral, mineral and earth flavors. Sweeter today than the Ruchottes-Chambertin; delivers an uncanny combination of gracefulness and power. The extremely long, rising finish leaves the taste buds quivering with piquant soil-driven minerality and high-pitched flowers. A classic 2010 beauty.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2015 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses, which contains 60% whole bunch, is blessed with an entrancing bouquet endowed with more darker berries than red; there are hints of sous-bois, truffle, cold limestone and wilted violets. The palate bowls you over, subtle at first à la Mugnier and then there is a wave of blackberry, bilberry and pomegranate fruit infused with wondrous mineralité and a killer, precise finish that is nigh perfection. Without question this is the finest Les Amoureuses in 2015 and it will give the lucky few three or four decades of drinking pleasure. Please invite me if you are even opening a bottle.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (88-90)

Subdued but sweet nose hints at violet and new oak (40% of the wine is aging in new barrels until the September racking). Sweet flavors of red berry liqueur and new oak. Full for this, and sweet and long on the ripe back end.

Wine Advocate (93-94)

The 2005 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras smells of ripe blackberry, raspberry, forest floor and chalk dust. A polished, creamy, yet palpably chalky and brightly fresh-fruited palate offers a sumptuous saturation of black and red fruits with inner-mouth aromatic accents of cherry pit, pistachio, flowers and citrus zest. This shows wonderful primary fruit intensity and energy, exciting length, and the promise of continued poise and polish for at least another 10-12 years.

Jancis Robinson (17+)

Rich and sumptuous. Very polished and dense with great savoury intensity. Lovely texture. Lots of fine tannins on the end. Quite serious on the end.

Wine Advocate (93-95)

The 2015 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Combottes contains around 40% whole bunch this year. It has a very refined bouquet with dark, almost broody black fruit, a touch of cold granite and graphite, austere and yet blessed with exquisite delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with sorbet-like freshness on the entry, here more blue fruit than the Clos de la Bussière with an elegant, poised finish. The word that sprung to mind? Balletic.

Wine Advocate (93-95)

The 2015 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Combottes contains around 40% whole bunch this year. It has a very refined bouquet with dark, almost broody black fruit, a touch of cold granite and graphite, austere and yet blessed with exquisite delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with sorbet-like freshness on the entry, here more blue fruit than the Clos de la Bussière with an elegant, poised finish. The word that sprung to mind? Balletic.

Vinous (98+)

Saturated dark red. Knockout nose combines blueberry, blackberry, violet, orange peel, crushed rocks and minerals. Almost painful in its pure sappy density, with palate-staining flavors of wild dark berries, flowers, and pepper. And yet this is easier to taste today than the comparatively compact Bonnes-Mares. The fabulous mounting finish goes on and on. An incredible wine, with great complexity to come. This boasts the density of a diamond.

Jancis Robinson (19)

Just less than 0.1 ha (a quarter of an acre). Ancient vines – 1905 or possibly older because the register of vineyards was rewritten in 1905 and when they didn’t know how old a vineyard was they just wrote 1905. His grandfather started as a share-cropper on this vineyard in 1924 and the vines were already old. 80% whole bunch. Barrel sample from a 2016 barrel that is three-quarters of the usual 228-litre size. Deep smudgy crimson. How can grapes become a wine like this? The aroma is outstanding. Deep not explosive, yet still with a prettiness in its seriousness. There’s red and dark fruit, there’s spice, there’s peony, there’s rocky minerality. Super-smooth tannins. Fine grained and not far off silky already. Pure, lifted and precise. Outstanding elegance and length.

The Gerard Peirazeau et Fils Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 1992 is the epitome of French winemaking mastery, offering exquisite aromatic complexity and a palate bursting with deep, generative flavours. Generously made in the revered Bonnes-Mares appellation of Burgundy, it reflects a careful selection process from a 2.7-acre vineyard blessed with limestone-rich soils and an enviable microclimate. The wine's creation process utilises traditional vinification methods; systematically hand-harvested grapes undergo period-long fermentation in oak barrels to coax out their inherent qualities.

Gerard Peirazeau et Fils, a distinguished family-run domaine, habitual in their pursuit of excellence, have nailed the essence of Burgundian style in this wine. A captivating blend of luscious fruit and gentle oak nuances, the 1992 vintage demonstrates their unrivalled attention to detail. Undeniably, the Gerard Peirazeau et Fils Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 1992 is a testament to the tenacious artistry of this prestigious producer.

Wine Advocate (91-93)

The 2014 Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru les Beaux Bruns has a lilting nose of wild strawberry and redcurrant, nonchalant and precise, though not powerful in any way. The palate is elegant and fresh with crisp tannins, red merging into dark berry fruit towards the finish that is nicely structured, understated and with a faint marine influence. I just adore how the terroir comes through here.