| Score: |
96+ JG.
"In my memory, I cannot think of a more generous and flamboyant young Roumier Bonnes-Mares than the stunning 1999. That said, the wine was decidedly more closed out of bottle at the domaine in January (a scant few months before this tasting), and it may well be that once it has settled in after its trans-Atlantic journey. The profound bouquet soars from the glass to deliver a potpourri of sappy black cherries, plums, herb tones, vinesmoke, espresso intense minerality, a touch of game and a delicate framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and lush, with a great core of fruit in reserve, impeccable focus and balance, and great length and nascent complexity on the ripely tannic and opulent finish. I suspect that this wine will shut down with some time in the bottle, only to emerge in a decade as one of the most impressive Roumier Bonnes-Mares of Christophe’s impressive tenure. Great young juice." John Gilman, View From the Cellar, Jun 2003 |