Domaine G. ROUMIER/Christophe ROUMIER (Chambolle-Musigny) Part I -- 2022 Tasted from Barrel
Christophe Roumier’s first took charge of the estate in 1982. He missed the 1983 vintage for health reasons, so 2022 marks his fortieth vintage at this iconic estate.
The harvest in 2022 began on 3 September. Christophe called it a very clean, harmonious vintage; there is always some triage, but in 2022 very little was needed. Alcohols range from 13.2º to 13.6º and the wines are made with 50 to 100% whole clusters.
Christophe just doesn’t miss, but 2022 is a particularly outstanding vintage, especially for the top three wines. If you want to gain insight to the magic of Burgundy, I urge you to try, at least once in your life, to sample one of his products.
Wines marked with an asterisk (*) are sold as Christophe Roumier, the rest as Domaine G. Roumier.
2022 Bourgogne
We start with the Bourgogne rouge with is spicy and pure in the nose and mouth. It is light on the palate, with energy, freshness, and salinity. This wine is the exception in 2022, with no whole clusters. (90-92)
2022 Chambolle-Musigny
The village Chambolle has spicy red fruits, excellent energy and salinity, purity, and is almost spheric. 50% whole cluster here. (92-94)
2022 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos de la Bussière
The Morey-Clos de la Bussière has red fruits and good depth with a linearity. This wine is complex, elegant, and civilized, and has the additional structure of Morey to it in comparison to the Chambolle. The pH here is lower than that for the Chambolle. (92-94)
2022 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras
Roumier’s Chambolle-Cras has spice and chipped stones in the nose. The mouth is smooth, and elegant with fabulous finesse; it is long with spicy dark fruits, freshness, and seemingly endless length in the mouth. (94-96)
2022 Echézeaux*
The Echézeaux has earthy fruit aromas. The mouth has spice, red fruits, finesse — indeed almost a laciness — with some oak still showing. Good complexity here. This is remarkably good wine from the En Orveaux climat, which historically has not been considered one of the better parts of Echézeaux, although global warming may be changing things. 2-1/2 barrels here, or about 750 bottles in 2022. For 2023, Christophe is adding another parcel in Echézeaux and there will be 5-1/2 barrels, or about 1650 bottles. (94-96)
2022 Charmes-Chambertin Aux Mazoyères*
Dark fruit aromas are followed by a dense, almost sappy, mouth with some spice to go with dark fruit flavors and good freshness. About 60-70% whole clusters here. (94-96)
2022 Ruchottes-Chambertin*
The Ruchottes-Chambertin is less open in the nose than the preceding wines. The mouth features spicy red currant fruit with good density, power, and elegance. This wine is still quite young in its development stage. (94-97)
2022 Bonnes-Mares
With the addition of .50 ha of Bonnes-Mares a few years back, Roumier now has 1.89 ha of this great vineyard. The new holdings have changed the wine, so it is now about 60-65% terres blanches (white soils), whereas before it had been about equally divided between the terres blanches and terres rouges (red soils). Before the addition, the power of the red soils dominated until the wine was about twenty years old, and then the finesse of the white soils began to show. Now, the effect of the white soils is more immediately recognizable. There are 30 barrels (about 9000 bottles) of this wine, made with 75% whole clusters. The nose shows tremendous complexity and differentiation with great depth. The mouth is pure and depth with blueberry fruit and a little chalky element to the structure. This is simply an amazing example of the greatness of Burgundy. (98-99)
2022 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
But the Amoureuses is not to be upstaged by the Bonnes-Mares. It has spicy red currant fruit aromas. On the palate, the wine is ethereal with some dark fruits to go with the red. It is smooth and weightless. 80% whole clusters here. (98-99)
2022 Musigny
Last is the Musigny, of which there are two barrels (about 600 bottles) in 2022. The nose is still closed but shows dark fruits, especially blackberry, and some dust. The mouth greater density than the previous wines, yet it is also weightless on the palate with an almost sappy texture. This wine will requite substantial cellaring to show the full potential of its greatness. (98-99)