What a fabulous wine the 1990 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru! Youthful in colour, it has beguiling complexity on the nose, secondary aromas percolating through the carapace of red fruit: truffle, smoke and a touch of peppermint. The palate is quite dense and voluminous, as you would expect given the growing season, yet there is sensational precision and poise. The final third delivers incredible tension and mineralité , hints of iodine and spice lending more complexity and the aftertaste continues on and on and on. I wonder if this is à point ? Then again, there is so much substance that you can easily envisage this offering another two decades of drinking pleasure. Stunning. Tasted at the Roumier verticals in Hong Kong and London with consistent notes.

Three magnums of Roumier’s Bonnes Mares were special. I was completely unprepared for the sheer beauty of the 1990. What a fabulous wine! A burst of gloriously ripe, red fruit exploded from the glass, followed by a never ending array of spices and flowers that melded together seamlessly in an extraordinary display of sheer class. This was a fabulous bottle in every way.

Strong secondary and very dense earth-suffused fruit aromas that are notably ripe but not roasted combine with big, concentrated, complex, deep and still moderately tannic flavors that offer seriously impressive length are supported by a bit more acidity than the typical '90. This is a big, robust and powerful wine with good depth, richness and ample structure that will likely require another 3 to 5 years to fully come into full maturity (even though it could certainly be drunk now with enjoyment). Indeed, this will probably always have some tannic edge and it will never be an elegant or detailed rendition but there is no doubt that this is a very impressive effort. In sum, this is a dramatic and imposing wine that is still on its way up though it's now not far off from its peak. Incidentally, I call to your attention that the latest bottle did not really get rolling until more than one hour of exposure to air so this is still not a "pop and pour" wine. Consistent, and multiple, notes. Drink: Now+
-Allen Meadows, burghound.com. Tasted: Oct 14, 2012

Wine Advocate October, 1992

The wines of this famed domaine, long known for its classic old style burgundies, do indeed improve with cellaring. The Domaine Roumier made some of the finest 1988s and their 1990s range from excellent to outstanding.

The wines of this famed domaine, long known for its classic old style burgundies, do indeed improve with cellaring. The Domaine Roumier made some of the finest 1988s and their 1990s range from excellent to outstanding. In 1990, Roumier made only one cuvee of Bonnes Mares, blending his vineyard holdings from the Chambolle-Musigny side with those from the Morey St.-Denis side. Readers may remember that in 1988 there were 100 cases made of a fabulous Cuvee Vieilles Vignes. Although Roumier's 1990 does not rival his top cuvee of 1988, it is a terrific red burgundy, with a dark ruby/garnet color, a big, spicy, plummy, earthy nose, rich, opulent, muscular, full-bodied flavors that exhibit terrific extraction of fruit, and a spicy, mineral, iron-like finish with significant tannin. It reminds me of his 1985, but with much more stuffing and grip. Drink it between 1994-2008. Importer: Chateau and Estates, New York, NY.