1988 Bonnes Mares Vieilles Vignes

The 1988 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is unique in that it was the only year that Christophe Roumier made two cuvées , the regular bottling deprived of the very oldest vines and fully de-stemmed, although thereafter the élevage was identical. It is quite a brilliant wine, both at the London and Hong Kong verticals. The aromatics take your breath away: unbelievable delineation and focus, pure red berries laced with crushed stone and rose petal/orange blossom. It just builds in intensity with every swirl of the glass. So fragrant you might never want to nose another wine! The palate is ideally balanced with a perfect thread of acidity embroidered through the shimmering red cherry and strawberry fruit, a hint of graphite, almost Musigny-like in structure towards the finish. In both comparisons, served blind against the Vieilles Vignes, this showed the best even when Christophe Roumier himself doubted my prediction. Such is the capricious and unpredictable nature of Burgundy – but when it reaches pinnacles like this, who cares? Tasted at the Roumier verticals in Hong Kong and London.

Lovely round perfumed nose and just a bit tough on the palate. Solid. Chewy but much better with food than without. Follows right through the palate. Very powerful. (JR)