One of the wines of the vintage, the 2007 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has shut down considerably in the last few years, and it's clear that this is one of the few 2007 red Burgundies truly built from the long haul. The wine unfurls in the glass with a youthfully reserved bouquet of red and black cherries, peony, orange zest and woodsmoke that's far less extroverted and explosive than it was only four years ago. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a tight-knit core, fine-grained structuring tannins and a long, stony finish. At this stage, the 2006 rendition is much more approachable, and I'd advise readers who own the 2007 to forget it for the better part of a decade.

A restrained, even taciturn nose that is intensely earthy yet very fresh with dark berries, cassis, plum and floral hints introduces rich, full and intensely minerally big-bodied flavors blessed with huge amounts of dry extract that coat the palate and buffers the solid but refined tannins, all wrapped in a beautifully balanced, pure and strikingly persistent finish. This is an impressive effort as it's tautly muscular with everything in perfect proportion. As with the Amoureuses, note that patience will be required.

Good medium red. Knockout nose combines black raspberry, orange peel and spices; as high-pitched in the context of the year as the Amoureuses. Then seductively creamy and lush, with the volume of 2007 leavened by a mineral firmness. Finishes wonderfully broad and firmly tannic, with impressive backbone and lingering sweetness. This very rich, tactile wine needs a good eight years of bottle aging to approach its apogee.

The 2007 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is a vintage that I have not encountered before. It has a slightly herbaceous bouquet, the red fruit tinged with scents of black truffle, damp loam and woodland. These aromatics are understated and elegant for a Bonnes-Mares, perhaps not as complex as other vintages, yet you are charmed by its openness. The palate is marked by a fine bead of acidity, not terribly complex however it would be mean to ignore the elegance and charm of this Bonnes-Mares that, to quote Christophe Roumier himself “...was never supposed to age”. Tasted at the Roumier vertical in London.