A vivid, powerful wine, the 2011 Bonnes-Mares impresses for its nuance, detail and huge, imposing structure. Constantly changing in the glass, the 2011 is remarkably crystalline for such a big wine. A host of blue/blackish fruit intermingled with violets, spices and balsamic notes wrap around the palate on the finish. This is a rare 2011 that will require significant cellaring. If there is one Roumier wine I would want to own on regular basis, it is the Bonnes-Mares.

This is also brilliantly perfumed if not quite as elegant as the Amoureuses with its broad ranging nose of earth, red currant, plum liqueur and lovely floral notes. There is a firm minerality to the remarkably rich, powerful and concentrated big-bodied flavors that possess both excellent volume and first-rate punch on the hugely long and youthfully austere finish. This is a stunner of a wine that will need pretty much all of 15 years, and perhaps even 20, to arrive at its full majority. Drink: 2028+
-Burghound.com Tasted: Jan 15, 2014

From red soil (Roumier had made the blend but still had one barrel of this juice as well as one from the white-soil part of the appellation separate): Reticent smoky nose. Chewy, musky and powerful if a bit youthfully clenched today, with fruit in the deep background. From white soil: Much more perfumed on the nose, offering pungent aromas of raspberry, minerals, rose petal and blood orange. Precise, juicy and tight in the middle, boasting superb flavor intensity and minerality. The blend: Bright, deep red. Sexy aromas of raspberry, minerals, peony and spices. Wonderfully rich and deep, with terrific spicy lift to the middle palate. The very long, primary finish features substantial tongue-dusting tannins that will call for at least five or six years of cellaring. The crop level here was around 26 hectoliters per hectare, according to Roumier.

eRobertParker.com February, 2014

The 2011 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is blessed with a fragrant bouquet of dried violet petals, hints of burnt toast and plenty of black fruit vying for attention, however, it needs a couple of years to fully coalesce. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins on the entry. This is a big wine, filling the mouth with ease with layers of black fruit, tobacco and a saline tang on the aftertaste. It is quite austere on the finish at the moment. Drink 2017-2030+.

Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. Christophe Roumier’s 2011 Bonnes-Mares comes across a little lean on the nose, although there is fine delineation – distinct marine scents emerging with time while there is just a touch of reduction. The palate is medium-bodied and quite masculine for a Bonnes-Mares. There is more reserve compared to its peers, but it is undeniably succinctly focused with an abiding sense of symmetry on the finish. Excellent, but at the moment it feels rugged for a Bonnes-Mares. I suspect that it will improve with 3-4 years in bottle.

More youthful colour than many – mid garnet. Intriguing complexity with some violet notes. Really gorgeous breadth and balance with fruit and freshness. Still obviously gaining in interest and very long. Really smooth and with wonderful depth and persistence. The best 2011 so far in this tasting of top wines from that vintage. The sort of wine every burgundy drinker wants to find. Went on for a good minute… (JR)