1999 Bonnes Mares
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Tasting notes
Though I have tasted the 1999 Bonnes-Mares before, this is the first time en magnum. It has a gorgeous bouquet with black plum, violets and a stronger marine influence than I remember, all delivered with crystalline precision. The palate is medium-bodied, posed and sensual, the silver bead of acidity maintaining tautness and energy. It opens slightly in the glass, the 20% whole bunch imparting lovely pepperiness on the finish. Certainly, if you are blessed with larger formats of this in your cellar, I would not be in a hurry to reach for the corkscrew. Tasted at Club 1243 in Beaune.
Critic scores
Average Score
Pierre Rovani
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 1999 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru served in Hong Kong showed the best of all three times I recently had it, the Tour d’Argent was the least. All three bottles display what you might term a “ravishing” bouquet that articulates the warmth of that growing season. Kirsch, blueberry and violets abound, slightly more floral when tasted in London. But it is certainly one of Christophe’s most precocious Bonnes-Mares on the nose, indeed, and the palate too. Rounded and plush, yet matched by a killer line of acidity that feels more prominent in the Hong Kong bottle. Christophe Roumier mentioned that the 1999 was 80% de-stemmed and I think that 20% is vital in maintaining the freshness on the finish. It is not my favorite vintage but I suspect that in 10 years time it will be wonderful. Tasted at the Roumier verticals in Hong Kong and London (as well as another bottle from the list at Tour d’Argent).
The 1999 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a powerful, burly, forthright bouquet with blueberry and cassis fruit, flirting with being just too opulent. Is there just a hint of nail varnish on this bottle? The palate is potent, sinewy, almost ostentatious, especially when compared to the Les Amoureuses, which at this juncture demonstrates more control and refinement, not as obsessed by the vintage. This has always been a concentrated Bonnes-Mares but I am beginning to wonder whether it might have been picked just a day or two tardy? Tasted at Tour d’Argent restaurant in Paris.
Good deep red. Aromas of black raspberry, graphite, chocolate, cocoa powder and herbs, plus an earthy tobacco hint of Montecristo No. 2. A wine of great power and energy, just beginning to round into its adult form. Wonderfully savory flavors of dark raspberry and Cuban cigar tobacco, plus a suggestion of honey. Really glistens on the palate, showing an uncommonly suave texture and strong minerality. This wine is at the beginning of a long peak-drinking window; in fact, my sample seemed still to want to tighten up in the bottle. This still-youthful wine finishes with terrific savory grip. I should note that Roumier actually prefers his 1999 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses to this wine!
About the producer
Based in Chambolle-Musigny, the domaine was established by Georges Roumier in 1924. The domaine started to bottle their own wines in 1945.