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By Florian Rossignol, 31 March 2022

Laurent Roumier is the grandson of Georges Roumier and cousin of Christophe Roumier of Domaine Georges Roumier. Laurent’s father, Alain, was the cellar master at Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé for thirty years (from 1950 through to the 1980s). The cellars of Domaine Laurent Roumier are located next to Domaine Georges Roumier.

Domaine Laurent Roumier started in 1991 with 4 hectares that Laurent rented from the Roumier family. Then, during the 1990s, he purchased 6 hectares of Haute Côtes de Nuits and since has purchased more in Chambolle-Musigny.

Currently, the estate comprises approximately 12 hectares. Laurent farms the vineyards without using herbicides or fertilizers.

Likely the top vineyards in the range are the Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, which was transferred to Laurent Roumier in 1997, and the Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, which was inherited from the Georges Roumier estate. The portion that he makes his Clos Vougeot from is in the lieu-dit of Grand Maupertuis which is in the higher part of Clos Vougeot bordering the grand cru vineyard of Grands Echezeaux, and not far from the grand cru vineyard of Musigny. Laurent Roumier’s Bonnes-Mares is located between that of Domaine Comte Comte Georges de Vogüé and Domaine Jacques-Frederic Mugnier.

For the winemaking, Laurent Roumier’s grapes are 100% de-stemmed and fermented in concrete vats. During alcoholic fermentation, the practices of pumping over and punching down are done every day. The wine is decanted into vats for twelve hours in vats and it then goes into barrel. The percentage of new oak varies depending on the vineyard or cuvée (50% new for grands crus and premiers crus and 30% new for village level and 10% new for Bourgogne Haute-Côtes de Nuits). The élevage usually lasts between fifteen to eighteen months. Laurent uses the same barrels and oak as his cousin Christophe. The style here is traditional in character while being more accessible in its youth. His 2013 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru showcases the flavours of cassis and blackberry as well as notes of liquorice and earthy aromas of dried autumn leaves. It is a dense, concentrated wine with medium tannins, leaving a long finish. I found this wine to have an alluring quality aromatically while also being well balanced. I prefer to open this wine earlier and let it breath for a while before serving. It is drinking beautifully now but you can keep it in your cellar for a couple of years for its further development.

If you are looking for something new to try I will recommend the Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru ‘Les Charmes’. I found Laurent Roumier’s ‘Les Charmes’ to be more expressive and softer than other producers. I’ve tasted this wine with some of my friends and they found it to be more representative of what they expect in a glass of ‘Les Charmes’. I want this wine to sit in the cellar for a few more years before I try it again.

Overall, The wines form Laurent Roumier are very well balanced with good backbone, but then very aromatic as well. We have selected the best for you, including Bonnes-Mares, Clos Vougeot, Chambolle-Musigny 1er cru Charmes and Chambolle-Musigny village. We are lucky to have some back vintages for the Clos Vougeot too. To me, it is one of the top Chambolle-Musigny domaines – and it doesn’t break the bank!