Columns — Fine Wine

Christophe Roumier today makes some of the most monumental wines in terms of structure, a structure that favours long development. At the same time, they drink beautifully in their youth. The 2022 and 2021 are currently in a super open, juicy phase, but with age they slip into a kind of liturgical sleep. Ruchottes 2014 is right in that state now; despite all its complexity, you can feel its potential in every sip.

The legendary Domaine Ramonet, founded by Pierre Ramonet in the 1920s, remains outstanding to this day. Its wines were the first white wines from Burgundy to be bottled at the domaine and exported to the USA – a fact William Kelley mentions in his essay.

Vertical tastings of Petrus, Lafleur and Le Pin have convinced me that these are wines that leave an incredible impression through their architectural expression and varietal clarity. They are terroir wines pushed to the absolute limit, and I very much wanted to see how they perform within a single outstanding Pomerol vintage, and in comparison with other top examples from this tiny appellation.

There are bottles that ask to be admired, and bottles that ask to be listened to. Domaine de la Grand’Cour Fleurie “Le Clos” 2014 belongs firmly in the second category: a Cru Beaujolais that has moved beyond simple charm and into something more layered, more resonant, and much more interesting to drink with time in the glass. This is the kind of wine that reminds you why Fleurie, at its best, can sit comfortably at a table with far more famous names.