A flight of older Roumier Bonnes Mares

1971 Roumier Bonnes Mares

This was monumental. The bouquet just burst from the glass with incredible aromatic power. It was one of those wines you just didn’t want to drink because the nose was so pretty. There was damp forest floor, rich black earth, and beautiful plum fruit. The palate was initially lighter bodied but built as the night went on in your quintessential iron fist in a velvet glove manner. The finish went on for what seems like eternity. This was WOTN by some margin, the best roumier BM I’ve had, and in the top 5 wines of the year with some bottles of Leroy grand crus and DRC RC.

1972 Roumier Bonnes Mares

This was alive, but not nearly as vibrant or fresh as the 71, although it still had pretty aromatics with some dark stewed plums and sous bois, with ample acidity. It fell apart quickly on the palate in 30 minutes, but initially had a bit of pretty fruit and a nice finish.

1989 Roumier Bonnes Mares

This had some pretty aromatics also, but had quite a bit more on the palate and finish than the 72. The relative youth was clear, and the fruit was bit fresher and cleaner. There were some black cherries and damp leaves on the nose, and some acidity and more cherries on the palate. The finish wasn’t profound. This was a good, correct older BM, without many fireworks.

1995 Roumier Bonnes Mares

This side by side was interesting. The 95 was lighter bodied, with pretty aromatics with forest floor and black currant fruit, with a rounded acidity and plusher fruit on the palate. The finish was a little shorter and this to me lacked a bit of density and weight on the palate. I preferred the 96.

1996 Roumier Bonnes Mares

This had darker fruit on the nose and palate, along with similar damp leaves and earth. There was more structure on the palate and a core of acidity that really drove into the finish. This was initially a bit tight but opened up nicely over a few hours open. Probably this would be better in a few more years but I liked it a lot now.