See our current Roumier availability, including the ultra-rare Musigny here
“For Chambolles with a difference, wines which are substantial, even sturdy, as well as velvety and elegant, the best source is … the Domaine Georges Roumier.
This is one of the longest-established estate bottling domaines in the Côte D’Or. And one of the very best of all.” The late Clive Coates MW.
With vines in two grands crus in Chambolle-Musigny, Musigny and Bonnes-Mares, and sole ownership of the premier cru Clos de la Bussière alongside portions of other Chambolle vineyards including Les Amoureuses, the domaine has to be one of the most celebrated in the Côte de Nuits. Add a small plot of the white Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru purchased in 1968 and the estate’s wine offering is compelling in the extreme.
The Roumier story begins in 1924 when Georges began to manage vineyards of his wife’s family, owners of a negoçiant company. Georges rented a small plot of Musigny and gradually built up his own business. He was at the same time working as maître de chais at the nearby Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé, a position that was passed to his son Alain in 1953 when Georges left to focus fully on his own burgeoning estate. In the previous few years Roumier had acquired vines in Bonnes-Mares and Clos de Vougeot as well as the entirety of the Clos de la Bussière. During this period even classified vineyard land was relatively inexpensive and, according to Roumier’s grandson Christophe, the cost could be recouped in in only a few years. Estate bottling commenced in 1945.
Not all of the domaine’s parcels are directly owned. Following Georges Roumier’s death the estate was divided, according to French inheritance law, amongst his (seven) children, the majority of whom were content to leave the job of cultivation and winemaking to the sibling in charge of the domaine - Jean-Marie Roumier following in the footsteps of his late father. A parcel of Ruchottes-Chambertin acquired in 1977 by a Michel Bonnefond has been worked by the domaine ‘en metayage’ (share-cropping) ever since. A Roumier production therefore but labelled with its proprietor’s name.
And some vines have left the care of Domaine Georges Roumier. In the late 1990s Alain Roumier withdrew the parcel of Clos de Vougeot that he personally owned to entrust it to his son Hervé Roumier’s domaine.
Roumier wines show confident fruit when very young, and a sturdiness that is often misunderstood. Over time, and a long time in the case of Musigny, they develop ethereal perfume and the famed ‘velvety elegance’. Different terroirs have different personalities: “there is no Roumier style” according to current manager Cristophe Roumier “but rather a Roumier philosophy. Its winemaking is there to reveal every terroir, every appellation”.
Domaine Georges Roumier does not court publicity – there is no Wikipedia page for example, and the official website is functional rather than showy. Publicity does however come to the Domaine. It’s 2001 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses became world-famous outside the world of the wine drinker when it appeared as ‘The First Apostle’ in the popular Japanese Manga comic series The Drops of God. And a (non-existent) Roumier wine was a witness for the prosecution of Rudi Kurniawan, who has now served a 10 year prison sentence for fraud. Kurniawan attempted to sell a bottle labelled as 1923 Bonnes-Mares, Georges Roumier, from a vintage that took place well before the creation of the domaine.
Roumier labels are graphically simple, employing a heraldic script on a plain woven paper background. The simplicity has attracted the attention of counterfeiters however, and dealers have had to become intimately acquainted with every serif, dot and dash to ensure authenticity. In recent years, to counter fraud Roumier has equipped every bottle with an RFID chip that references the original sale and which can be decoded via the ‘WID’ smartphone app.
Domaine Georges Roumier 2024 vineyard holdings, 11.5ha*
Grands Crus
Musigny, Chambolle-Musigny, 0.1ha (annual production less than 400 bottles)
Bonnes-Mares, Chambolle Musigny, 1.6ha
Ruchottes-Chambertin, Gevrey-Chambertin, 0.5ha**
Charmes-Chambertin aux Mazoyères, Gevrey-Chambertin, 0.3ha**
Corton-Charlemagne, Pernand-Vergelesses, 0.2ha
Premiers Crus
Les Amoureuses, Chambolle-Musigny, 0.4ha
Les Cras, Chambolle-Musigny
Les Combottes, Chambolle-Musigny
Clos de la Bussière (monopole), Morey-St. Denis, 2.5ha
Other wines
Chambolle-Musigny
Bourgogne Rouge
* includes parcels rented from family members
** under the label Christophe Roumier
Other vineyards
Echezeaux Grand Cru en fermage (first commercial vintage 2017)
Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru (until 1996)
Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru, Michel Bonnefond Propriétaire