Laurent Roumier Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits Blanc La Poirelotte 2023

Variety: Chardonnay
Country, Region: France, Burgundy, Cotes-de-Nuits
Appellation: Bourgogne Hautes Cotes-de-Nuits

From a tiny parcel of vines 0.71 ha is planted to Chardonnay in the chalkiest most limestone soils in this vineyard located higher above Chambolle village vineyards. Here the spice from the Allier oak marries well with the fine nervy citric fruit. This shows attractive ripe orchard fruits on the aromas and palate and is still taught and crisp with a precise saline finish. Youthful and vibrant this wine will continue to unfurl for the next 5 years or more. A serious example showing excellent depth and character from this cool site high above Chambolle.

Laurent Roumier is the grandson of the legendary Georges Roumier and his holdings originate from that grand old estate with more recent additions of 6 hectares in the Hautes Cotes de Nuits being purchased in the 1990s and further purchases in Chambolle Musigny.

His father Alain was the cellar master for Comte de Vogue for nearly 3 decades before taking his portion of the family vineyards to farm for his own family. The cellars are next door to Georges Roumier at the back of the village in the rue de Vergy (otherwise known as the ‘rue des Roumiers’).

Wines here appear stylistically very similar to those of Georges with even the same barrels and oak used as his cousins though one notable difference is that Laurent totally de-stems giving wines that are more immediately perfumed and accessible in their youth while still having ample depth and structure to age classically.

The vines are on average 35 years old, and they are farmed traditionally and responsibly, the same way his father, Alain, did: naturally, with neither fertilizer nor herbicide. Green harvests are carried out in the summer when necessary. All of the vines are harvested by hand.

In the cellar, the work is carried out with the same level of precision. The grapes are entirely destemmed the vinified in concrete vats. Alcoholic fermentation lasts around 15 days, with pumping over and punching down every day, and the temperature is checked every day. When it comes to pressing, the team decants the wines for 12 hours in vats and then barrels (50% of which are new for the grands crus and the premiers crus, 30% for the villages and 10% for the Bourgogne Hautes-cotes-de-nuits). The elevage lasts 15 to 18 months, with the barrels (mostly Tonnelerie Rousseau) being topped up once a week and racked two or three times during the entire period of elevage.

Important to note that their holding of Clos Vougeot is located at the top of the vineyard and this wine has exceptional depth and intensity and appears closer in style to Musigny to which it almost adjoins (and better than many Musignys) so do not pass this by. We will also have a small amount of Chambolle 1er crus and Bonnes Mares in 2017.