Laurent Roumier Bourgogne hautes côtes de nuits la Poirelotte rouge 2021

The idealwine blog opinion :

Have you heard of Laurent Roumier? If you’re a lover of Burgundy wines, the family name will most probably evoke one of the region’s mythical signatures. Know that Laurent Roumier is none other than the very discrete but talented grandson of Georges Roumier. He too produces elegant, fresh and wonderfully balanced wines in the Côte de Nuits. 

The domain Laurent Roumier has its origins in the famous domain Georges Roumier, founded in 1924. Laurent Roumier is actually the cousin of Christophe Roumier, who currently manages domain George Roumier (Christophe and Laurent’s grandfather). Having worked with his brother for several years, in 1991 he created his own domain, with 4 hectares of vines which he rented from the Roumier family. He gradually expanded the domain, and now has a dozen hectares of vines.

The vineyard, which is situated in Chambolle-Musigny is made up of:

• 3 hectares of vines in the Bourgogne appellation (one in the Chambolle-Musigny appellation, the other in Gilly-les-Citeaux)
• 6 hectares in Bourgogne-Hautes-Côte-de-Nuits («La Poirelotte » in Chambolle-Musigny also) and 0.71 hectares of the same parcel in white
• 8 hectares of Chambolle-Musigny villages
• 900m2 of Chambolle-Musigny 1er cru “Les Noirots »
• 650m2 of Cambolle-Musigny 1er cru “Les Groseille »
• 690m2 of Chambolle-Musigny 1er cru “Les Gruenchers”
• 3,620m2 of Bonnes-Mares
• 8,550m2 of Clos-Vougeot

The vines are on average 35 years old, and they are farmed traditionally and responsibly, “the same way his father, Alain, did”: naturally, with neither fertilizer nor herbicide. Green harvests are carried out in the summer when necessary. All of the vines are harvested by hand.

In the cellar, the work is carried out with the same level of precision. The grapes are entirely destemmed the vinified in concrete vats. Alcoholic fermentation lasts around 15 days, with pumping over and punching down every day, and the temperature is checked every day. When it comes to pressing, the team decants the wines for 12 hours in vats and then barrels (50% of which are new for the grands crus and the premiers crus, 30% for the villages and 10% for the Bourgogne Hautes-côtes-de-nuits). The élevage lasts 15 to 18 months, with the barrels being topped up once a week and racked two or three times during the entire period of élevage.

Laurent Roumier seems to be a master in the art of discretion. Yet his wines deserve the attention of wine enthusiasts, whether that be his wines to be drunk young (La Poirelotte, for instance), or his wines for cellaring. They are characterized by their fruitiness, their elegance and their good potential for aging, despite remaining accessible in their youth.

The original Roumiers estate has been split into two parts over the years. Today there are two of them with this famous name: Laurent the discreet and Christophe the most publicized.
Laurent Roumier is a savage, a winegrower who likes to remain anonymous. Only his work in the vines and in the cellar fascinates him. But he works, like his cousin Christophe, on the same great terroirs shared a generation earlier and he does so in a very traditional way.

This grandson of Georges Roumier remained associated with his brother for a long time, then he settled in 1991 with 4 hectares of vines under lease. In 2005, he was able to expand his estate and add three additional hectares to it. Today, with the latest acquisitions, the estate has grown to a dozen hectares spread over several appellations.
The vines (including a high proportion of old vines) are all located in the commune of Chambolle-Musigny and cultivated in the traditional way. The vinifications are done "in the old fashioned way", with punching down and pumping over, without cold pre-fermentation macerations. Laurent, brought up at a good school, applies the same (good) methods as his fathers. A well-typed wine-making style that produces very aromatic wines that shine with their exceptional intensity and elegance. The man is not very talkative, willingly secretive and not very keen on "letting people know". Its know-how, on the other hand, is well known to enlightened amateurs. An area to discover and one of the rising values ​​of the Côte de Nuits.

Laurent Roumier offers a very fine range starting with a Hautes-Côtes-de-Nuits of delicious fruity freshness, then moving up the range with a Chambolle-Musigny all in lace, typically Burgundy, and ending in apotheosis with two grands crus legendary, a Clos Vougeot and a Bonnes-Mares to be cellared to taste in a few years! The wines all have a lot of finesse and a particularly elegant aroma in an eminently Burgundian style.

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