Roumier's 2001 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru was showing very well indeed and was more open for inspection than a bottle I enjoyed 11 months ago, offering up a complex bouquet of real depth, featuring ripe red cherry, peony, undergrowth and venison, framed by a discrete touch of nutty new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a chewy chassis of youthful tannins, an ample core of fruit and a firm, sapid finish. While this misses the intensity and ineffable completeness of the greatest Roumier vintages, this Bonnes Mares is an undeniable success, and it will continue to develop for two decades.

What were originally big, strapping, explosive aromas of black fruit, earth and notes of blueberries all trimmed in a touch of wood toast lead have gracefully transformed into a gorgeously elegant, airy and pure nose that complements perfectly the sappy, full-bodied, rich, wonderfully intense and still firmly structured flavors that go on and on. Exceptionally dense for the vintage with dusty structure and superb balance which should permit it to age for years. The '01 Bonnes Mares trades more on elegance than power than usual though to be sure, it's no shrinking violet. Lovely.

The 2001 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is consistent with the bottle tasted in 2018. It leaps from the glass with red fruit, orange blossom and Earl Grey, sprightly though not intense. It is imbued with Christophe Roumier's unerring sense of transparency. The palate is precise and focused, sculpted with the finest chisel in the box, long and tender with exuberant Pinoté on the finish. Just delicious. Tasted at the La Paulée in Beaune.

Good deep red. Very sexy, soil-driven scents of plum, mocha, redcurrant, graphite and spices. Showing plenty of truffley underbrush but also superb inner-mouth energy and spice character to its plum and dark berry fruit. In a distinctly dark, earthy, almost austere style, finishing with dusty, fine, integrated tannins, hints of mint and plum, and terrific persistence. This wine is near its peak but there's still more to come.

The medium-bodied, medium to dark ruby-colored 2001 Bonnes Mares is an outstanding wine. It explodes from the glass with candied black fruit aromas and slathers the palate with its deep, suave, violet-laced jammy blackberries. Armed with first-rate depth of fruit, this friendly, silky-textured offering displays a long finish packed with ripe tannin enveloped in black cherries. Projected maturity: now-2010. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel; (212) 572-7725

Still dark ruby. Still relatively dumb! But with some candied-violets aroma. Good concentration of fruit even if without massive lift. Pretty sturdy still. There is intensity here but not that much flavour. Wait? (JR)