Recently I tasted a great – semi-aged Burgundy – the mighty Domaine Georges Roumier Bonnes Mares 1999. Indeed a big and intense wine – that has reached the initial stage of maturity. Yet quite far from full maturity, but now shedding it’s youthful fruit and getting some tertiary aromas, and the tar is residing and it’s now getting some lovely orange zest hints.
A delightful wine … a big wine … and a mighty wine … that to be honest har additional 10 or even 20 of development and evolution ahead of it.
The 1999 vintage has always been weigthy .. and many closed down initially, and time now show that the vintage will indeed open and blossom, if the suffucient time is given.
The sheer weight and density
The global warming have created more and more intense and mighty wines – and a vintage like 2015 is a perfect example of this tendency … and while the 2015s are balanced and delightful in many cases – they are also big wines in many cases.
Just like the Domaine Georges Roumier Bonnes Mares 1999 – quite a mouthful, and almost too much for two people to enjoy to the the full maximum – today at least. A certain fullness and almost over gratification does seem to sneak in at the end … this is almost too much of the good thing!
Balance and drinkability
I did enjoy the wine – but to be honest it made me wonder – about what to buy now – and where will global warming take us.
A 19 year old Grand Cru like the Bonnes Mares from Roumier, is at least 10 years from full maturity, and while I really enjoyed the wine now, it sort of call for a larger group, and not two gentlemen. Would love to taste it again in 10 and 20 years – then perhaps the immense power have mellowed and transformed into even more refined notes.
In reality the big 2015s could well be 30 – 40 years away from full maturity, and will in many cases present a rather weighty and dense figure in their youth …
What to buy now ..
In fact this does pose a question …. if you like lighter and vivid Burgundies .. what should you choose?
This is certainly worth both thought and discussion at least for collectors that now reached the age of 50 .. who don’t have 30 years to wait for the wines to mature.
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