Domaine Georges Roumier Part 1: 1988s Examined
BY NEAL MARTIN |
Burgundy’s ascension has created one or two inflated egos in recent years. Thankfully, most winemakers keep their feet on the ground. Even within the loftiest echelon of “superstars,” this cadre of winemakers remain unchanged, almost bemused as a pecuniary whirlwind whips up around them. They hold on to the positive traits of their personality that keep their feet on the ground. An exemplar is Christophe Roumier. His wines have become some of the most coveted in the Côte d’Or, with prices to match. Yet, Roumier, in person, remains self-effacing, down-to-earth and disarmingly amiable, shunning the limelight and trappings of fame when, it must be said, that seems to be the motive of others.
Such is the demand for Roumier’s wines that conducting an objective tasting has become almost impossible unless you are incredibly wealthy. Even then, just obtaining these rarae aves is challenging. It’s easy to forget that Roumier’s wines were affordable for many years, even to myself. When earning a pittance in my first wine job, I treated myself to a bottle of Roumier from time to time, tucked a few away and drank them on special occasions. My bank account has reprimanded me for not keeping them, but I would rather have the memories of consuming them. For a long time, Roumier’s wines were easy to obtain. Presenting not one but two Roumier-themed articles, I suggest viewing them not through the prism of today’s price tags but how they were priced on release.
This
week I am going to examine Roumier horizontally and vertically. In this first
part, I take a cross-section of his portfolio in 1988 to juxtapose the crus
against each other, and in the second, I focus upon a cuvée that did not exist
in 1988, his Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras. I considered combining the reports,
but analogous to Roumier separating Les Cras as a separate bottling, they work
better as individual complementary articles. For a history of the Domaine, I recommend
reading the
article I penned in 2018.
Sometimes tastings seem beyond the realm of possibility, for example, going through all of Christophe Roumier’s wines from humble Bourgogne Rouge to his elusive Musigny. But to taste a mature vintage like 1988? That was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to assess if Roumier created magic early in his career.
