One cannot speak of top Burgundy producers without a mention of Domaine Georges Roumier as one of the great producers of recent years.

Founded in 1924 by Georges Roumier in the village of Chambolle-Musigny, this low-key family-run estate enjoys an outsized reputation, being regarded by many critics as arguably the best producer in Chambolle for wines of exquisite depth and longevity.

The Roumier story began when young Georges married into the winegrowing Quanquin family of Chambolle. As was tradition, Geneviève brought vineyards as her dowry – parcels in the heart of Chambolle that included portions of what would later be classified as Les Cras and Les Amoureuses (premier crus) and even a slice of the grand cru Bonnes-Mares. With vineyards from his wife’s family as a start, Georges expanded his domaine. 

But rather than always buying land outright, the Roumiers cleverly employed advantageous métayage deals – a sharecropping system that involves cultivating others’ vineyards for a share of the crop. This enabled Roumier to gradually add prime Grand Cru sites to their portfolio of wines. 

Over the subsequent decades, Domaine Roumier methodically expanded. Roumier secured parcels in Musigny, Burgundy’s most elegant Grand Cru, and Bonnes Mares, a Grand Cru straddling Chambolle and Morey-Saint-Denis. It was these Bonnes Mares and Musigny wines that particularly secured the domaine's fame and are coveted by collectors worldwide for their blend of depth, floral aromatics and uniquely delicate structure – fetching astonishing prices at auction.

In 1953, a notable acquisition extended Roumier’s reach into Morey-Saint-Denis: that year the family purchased the entirety of Clos de la Bussière, a 2.5-hectare walled vineyard in Morey-Saint-Denis. Clos de la Bussière is a monopole (solely owned vineyard) and classified as a Premier Cru – and it remains Roumier’s flagship holding in Morey to this day. Much of Burgundy's economics have changed since the mid-20th centruy. Unlike today with spiralling land prices, as a domaine owner might wistfully reflect, the cost of a vineyard could be recouped within just a few years from the sale of wine.

Georges Roumier was keen to keep the estate intact for future generations, given that he and Geneviève had seven children. To prevent the vineyards from being divided among siblings, the family formed a company structure so that all heirs would hold shares rather than parcels of land, thus allowing the domaine to remain a unified entity.

After Georges Roumier’s passing in 1965, his son Jean-Marie ran the domaine, and since the 1980s Georges’ grandson Christophe Roumier has been winemaker. Christophe has maintained the estate’s traditional philosophy, emphasizing terroir transparency and balance. Oak is used judiciously; winemaking is kept fairly classic. Under Christophe’s leadership, the already excellent wines of Domaine Roumier reached even greater heights. Critics noted that the wines under Georges and Jean-Marie were very fine, but attained even better quality under Christophe. 

Viticulture and Winemaking Practices

Today, the domaine encompasses about 11.8 hectares of vines – relatively small, even by Burgundy standards – and all are owned or overseen by the family, with no outside investors. This independence has allowed Christophe to maintain the Roumier traditions while also implementing improvements in viticulture and vinification.  

Rather than replant vine by vine, the Roumiers favour preserving old vines as long as possible and then replanting an entire parcel in one go when needed. For instance, about 20 years ago an aged section of Bonnes-Mares was completely uprooted and replanted after about 50 years in production, once vine health declined. This approach renews vineyards in healthy sweeps and avoids having a patchwork of very young and very old vines intermingling in one plot.

Christophe is also an advocate of sustainable, largely organic viticulture (though the domaine isn’t formally certified), without any chemical input. Rather than using herbicides, rows are ploughed to control weeds and encourage deep root growth. He also carefully manages yields through winter pruning and spring debudding, prefering to eliminate excess buds and shoots early in the season rather than rely on a “green harvest” of cutting grape clusters off later. This proactive yield management results in quite low yields, concentrating flavours in the fruit – the key to greatness.

In winemaking, Christophe’s overall guiding principle is to allow the terroir to express itself through Pinot Noir with as little interference as possible, while maintaining a flexible, intuitive approach based on vintage character. Grapes are typically destemmed prior to fermentation for Bourgogne and village-level wines, but premiers and grands crus would receive anywhere from 20% to 50% of whole clusters based on the vintage character. In cooler, lighter years he might opt for more stems to build structure, while in very ripe years he may include fewer.

Fermentation also proceeds with native yeasts in open-top wooden vats, concrete tanks, and sometimes closed stainless steel tanks, although wooden vats and concrete tanks are preferred for a controlled, gentle temperature rise during fermentation at just under 30 °C. This gentle temperature extracts flavour but without over-extraction.

Christophe uses a modest amount of new oak compared to other top domaines – up to just 30% new barrels for the Grands Crus. The idea is to ensure the delicate nuances of each vineyard aren’t lost under vanilla or toast flavours.

The estate philosophy is clear through these methods – the site and season create the wine. The winemaker's aim is to transparently reflect their terroir, shepherding the wine in the service of purity, without introducing ego. 

Roumier's Wines

The wines of Roumier are revered for their balance of power and elegance, and they reflect their Chambolle-centric origins – after all, Chambolle is often called the most elegant appellation in Côte de Nuits. It’s also often remarked that Roumier’s reds are more muscular and structured than many other Chambolle producers’ – they can be deeply coloured, firmly tannic, and high in acidity in their youth. They are often made to last, and not necessarily immediately approachable in their youth. Wine collectors prize Roumier for its longevity and reward for patience. 

As earlier alluded, Roumier's wine from the Bonnes-Mares vineyard which straddles the communes of Chambolle and Morey is perhaps Roumier’s most iconic wine in many vintages – which many also consider a benchmark for the Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru. It is powerful, dense and built for long aging, yet also deeply nuanced, showing floral high notes and peppery spice on the nose, and minerality and sheer length on the palate that often wow tasters. 

Another iconic Roumier wine is of the Clos de la Bussière – a 2.5-hectare walled premier cru monopole in nearby Morey-Saint-Denis. It is this wine that we're today tasting along with Burgundy expert Jasper Morris MW.

2018 Domaine Georges Roumier, Morey-Saint-Denis, Premier Cru 'Clos de la Bussière' – Review

Now, the Clos de la Bussière has an intriguing backstory of its own. In the 1930s it was part of the assets of the Graillet family estate – an estate whose other vineyards would eventually form the foundation of Domaine Dujac (as we’ll see later). By acquiring Clos de la Bussière, the Roumiers not only gained a superb Morey terroir, but also helped preserve the vineyard’s identity through turbulent decades. Under Roumier’s care, Clos de la Bussière yields a wine often described as hearty and savoury, with a firm tannic backbone – a Morey-Saint-Denis of serious structure that can be just a touch rustic in youth, yet ages into a thing of beauty. Critics have noted black raspberry fruit, earth and a certain mineral austerity in Roumier’s Bussière, though a wine that demands a few years to soften and unfurl.

 Jasper's Maine Coon helping him to assess the latest vintage from Pierre Millemann.

During the tasting, Jasper shared a playful anecdote that initially seemed entirely off-topic. Jasper lives with his wife in Burgundy, and they both share a fondness for cats. Early last year, they decided to welcome two pedigree Maine Coon kittens into their home, acquiring them from a charming French lady. When Jasper mentioned his profession as a wine critic, the breeder casually noted that her family also had roots in the wine industry. She revealed she had a cousin involved in winemaking, adding modestly, "Not sure if you've heard of him—his name is Christophe Roumier."

It turned out that the breeder herself had initially intended to join the winemaking profession. However, life took her in a different direction, and she became one of Air France's very first female pilots before retiring to breed cats. Jasper humorously quipped that Christophe, lacking her apparent talent for passing aeronautics exams, had no choice but to go into winemaking instead.

Returning to the wine, Jasper noted that the 2018 vintage was exceptionally popular, harvested slightly earlier, around mid-to-late August. Christophe Roumier is known for preferring slightly later harvests compared to his neighbours, giving his wines additional intensity and depth.

Before tasting, Jasper encouraged us to tilt our glasses gently. Immediately noticeable was the thick band of glycerol forming the "legs" slowly sliding down the glass—an indication of the wine's remarkable intensity and concentration.

Tasting Notes

On the nose, an impressive concentration of rich fruits and pronounced tannins. Very brambly, with dark raspberry and gentle savouriness complemented by delicate mushroom and herbal notes with a backdrop of elegant oakiness. 

On the palate, it’s rather dense and expressive, marked by notes of spice, mint and brambly fruits. Tons of dark cherries, strawberries complimented by just-as-present muscular but fine tannins, sophisticated in its spice and herbaceous complexity. It shows more acidity that balances the power and richness. 

The finish was long, warm, and memorable, accented by lingering spices reminiscent of five-spice and liquorice, hints of raspberry and brambles gently persisting.

My Thoughts

A fantastic chunky and powerful pinot with such fruit purity, polish and an incredibly impressive length. This is in line with its terroir; Clos de la Bussière’s soil has more clay and iron, typically yielding a beefier character than the Chambolle vineyards that are primarily limestone-rich. 

This wine is still somewhat austere in its youth, not unexpected considering that this label may require up to 12 years to soften. But our consensus was clear: it holds extraordinary promise. Jasper confidently suggested that with another ten years in the cellar after which its true potential would unfold to put it in an entirely different league.

@CharsiuCharlie