His acclaimed wines command stratospheric prices on the secondary market, but the man in the driving seat at Domaine G Roumier is more concerned with looking after the land for the next generation, discovers Stephen Brook
THE DAY BEFORE going to visit Christophe Roumier, I asked some of his neighbours what questions I should pose. The reply came as a chorus: ‘Ask him why he doesn’t reply to emails!’ Indeed, I too have long experienced the same problem.
The topic slipped my mind when I found myself in his modest office at Domaine G Roumier, his sister in the reception area, Roumier seated in shorts behind a crowded desk. That he produces magical wines, all agree. yet it is clear there is no magic formula behind his success, but rather a combination of excellent vineyards, attention to detail, and finely tuned skills both in the vineyard and winery. he exudes modesty, but not false modesty, and seems genuinely bewildered by the soaring prices obtained by his wines on the secondary market.
‘Frankly, I’m puzzled by the stratospheric prices some of my wines have been fetching, as I’m not convinced they’re so much better than those from many of my neighbours.’
Yet bottles of his Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Amoureuses and Bonnes-Mares have been known to sell for between £1,400 and £1,800 each. Of course, such prices reflect scarcity as well as quality, not to mention the feeding frenzy of international collectors.
Chambolle-Musigny is his heartland, with holdings in all the major sites. In addition he owns the premier cru Clos de la Bussière, located around his parental home in Morey-St- Denis; a tiny amount of Corton-Charlemagne; and grand cru Gevrey-Chambertin vineyards, which are farmed en métayage – a sharecropping arrangement which means he only receives a proportion of the crop. The Gevrey wines are bottled under the Christophe Roumier label. And the latest addition is 0.13ha of Echézeaux, first produced in 2016.
In the beginning
この記事は Decanter の December 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Decanter の December 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
A Resource for the World? - Argentina is unique in the genetic diversity preserved in much of its vine material. With climate change and disease posing increasing threats worldwide, Catena Zapata winery is asking what lessons can be learned to protect vineyards within and beyond the nation's borders
Argentina is unique in the genetic diversity preserved in much of its vine material. With climate change and disease posing increasing threats worldwide, Catena Zapata winery is asking what lessons can be learned to protect vineyards within and beyond the nation’s borders
Great Cabernets of South America
Other varieties may hog the limelight across South America, but the world’s most popular grape for red wines has played a critical role in the continent's wine heritage. We trace Cabernet Sauvignon’s story here, and recommend 16 benchmark wines to try
PROVENCE by train and bike
With rail links to Paris, Nice, Marseilles and beyond, a vast network of cycle paths and quiet roads, and a plethora of historic wine estates, Provence is an ideal destination for an eco-friendly, car-free and carefree) holiday
IN THE MIX
These days most of the world’s vineyards are planted to just a single variety, but what happens when multiple varieties are planted, harvested and blended together?
Malvasia A BUYER'S GUIDE
If ever a grape was hard to pin down, it'd be Malvasia. Indeed it’s not even a single grape variety. In all of its many varied, and often completely unrelated guises, it has been the mainstay of popular wine styles across the centuries. Our expert takes a closer look...
RIBERA ADOPTS THE NEW OLD WAYS
It’s not so much a new direction for winemakers in Ribera del Duero, but a growing recognition that traditional methods and wine styles set aside by the previous generation can now provide a way ahead to revitalise the region
Roussanne around the world
Up for a challenge? For winemakers as much as wine drinkers, getting a handle on a mercurial grape such as Roussanne isn't easy. But wherever it's grown, when the balance is right, it truly repays the effort
Napa Cabernet 2021
There's a lot of excitement about this vintage, in which conditions were relatively calm and temperatures stable through summer. Ongoing drought reduced yields but intensified flavours, but it means quantities are down and you may need to act fast to secure top wines. Our Napa correspondent selects 60 great wines from more than 500 that he tasted, with many very high scores
10 reason to discover Uruguay
Squeezed between Brazil and Argentina on the Atlantic coast, Uruguay has mostly flown under the tourist radar - until now. Once dubbed 'the Switzerland of the Americas', it's a welcoming country that has much to offer the travelling wine lover
Leo Erazo
The old vines and special terroir of Itata, southern Chile, have beena source of inspiration for this intrepid winemaker. The 2023 fires were a setback, but his commitment to this ancient wine land is undiminished
