2017 Bonnes Mares

The 2017 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a natural, open-knit bouquet of red cherries and wild strawberry, plus a hint of balsamic in the background. It feels a little higher-toned than Bruno Clair's Bonnes-Mares, and that becomes more evident with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied, robust and solid, with a slightly chewy entry and good depth, and rather compact on the finish. I would afford this 3–5 years in bottle to develop more charm. I was cautious when scoring this Bonnes-Mares from barrel, and that caution appears to be vindicated by this blind assessment. Don't get me wrong; it's a lovely Bonnes-Mares, just not from Christophe Roumier's top drawer. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.

Roumier's 2017 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has turned out beautifully, clearly surpassing its 2018 counterpart to my palate. Unwinding in the glass with a deep bouquet of wild berries, peonies, plums, warm spices and orange rind, framed by a creamy patina of new oak, it's full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with a layered, concentrated core that's girdled by succulent acids and underpinned by ripe, powdery tannins. It's reminiscent of a more muscular version of Roumier's superb 2007.