"This is simply at another level compared to all of the prior wines and is definitely one of those "wow" wines. A great 2006 in every respect and a worthy successor to the magnificent 2005"
the wine
Domaine Georges Roumier, Musigny Grand Cru 2006 (ultra-rare magnum)
£27,500 per 150cl (under bond)
The Cepage
Pinot Noir (100%)
Winemaking (IN SHORT)
Circa 50% destemmed fruit, wild yeast fermentation, no filtration or fining, one-third new oak maturation for 16 months.
The Producer
Covered in greater depth in Hugo Rose MW’s producer focus, G Roumier remains one of the most admired Domaines throughout Burgundy, focused (although not entirely) on, and most notable for, expertly crafted Pinot Noir. With compelling wines from their entry level Bourgogne Rouge to their revered, ultra-premium Grand Cru of Musigny, Roumier owns plots in a handful of exceptional Côte-d’Or vineyards, additionally bottling crus from en fermage (tenant farming) and share cropping arrangements. Since 1992, Christophe Roumier has managed the Domaine.
The Vineyard
Name: (Les) Musigny
Classification: Grand Cru
Size: 10.85 hectares
Aspect: South/South-East
Soils: Limestone, clay and marl
Musigny is composed of two lieu-dits; Les Petits Musigny is the westerly portion of the vineyard, with Les Musigny to the east. Of the now-10 plot owners (recently adjusted from 11 after Domaine Tawse’s acquisition of Christian Confuron and Monthelie-Douhairet-Porchere’s plots), Comtes Georges de Vogüé is the largest propriétaire, and the sole farmer of Les Petits Musigny. All 10 growers have plots within the Les Musigny section. Across the vineyard entirety, the ownership is as follows:
- Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé – 2.9273 ha
- Domaine J.F. Mugnier – 1.1358 ha
- Maison Joseph Drouhin – 0.6720 ha
- Domaine Leroy – 0.2700 ha
- Domaine Vougeraie – 0.2104 ha
- Maison Louis Jadot – 0.1665 ha
- Domaine Faiveley – 0.1318 ha
- Domaine Drouhin-Laroze – 0.1193 ha
- Domaine Georges Roumier – 0.0996 ha
- Domaine Tawse – 0.0916 ha
NB, technically, there’s are four sections of the site, with Tawse’s two separate plots sited in two tiny, separate sections– one is only 156 square metres (that’s only around 50 bottles!) over the road from the main portion of Les Musigny.
Roumier’s Plot
Aspect: South-East
Average vine age: 70 years
Yield: Approx. 35 hectolitres/hectare
Bottles produced: 350-400 per year
The Vintage
2006 was not a plain-sailing Red Burgundy vintage, far from homogenous, but with some excellent wines produced. And often far more compelling than many believe. “Classism” is an easy descriptor, with lower fruit ripeness and marginally elevated acidity the resultant theme versus many of the solar vintages of recent years.
An extremely hot, sunny mid-summer followed a cool, wet spring, allowing fruit formation to more than catch up after delayed flowering and excessive vegetative growth. However, cooler, wet conditions returned in August, hindering ripening and increasing disease pressure (primarily botrytis). Warm, sunny and dry conditions prevailed in September, allowing most growers to harvest ripe fruit.
The Provenance
This exceptional, proof-tagged bottle was under the ownership of a Swiss, private collector, prior to our purchase via European trade in 2024.
What The Critics Say
The Wine Advocate
96/100 points “As in 2005, there are one and a half barriques' (but a whole lot of Euros!) worth of Roumier 2006 Musigny. Liqueur-like kirsch and framboise, white truffle, peony, iris, and rich, savory meat stock fill the nose and carry onto an almost velvety palate that for all of its unctuousness displays dynamic interaction of flavors and uncanny lift. White pepper pungency and saline, meaty savor add to the invigoration and saliva-inducing allure of a long finish. While this cannot boast the concentration and structure of the 2005, its virtues are otherwise similarly prodigious…”
Burghound
94/100 points “An exceptionally fresh and intensely floral and spicy black fruit aromas that are both ripe and strikingly elegant while complementing to perfection the extremely rich, full, sweet and serious yet seductive full-bodied flavors that also brim with dry extract, all wrapped in a deep, intense, long and seamlessly long finish that just seems to go on and on. This is simply at another level compared to all of the prior wines and is definitely one of those "wow" wines. A great 2006 in every respect and a worthy successor to the magnificent 2005."