View from the Top of Chambolle
2008 Roumier Chambolle 1er Cru Les Cras
In Stock - at the Lowest Price in the Nation
"In sum, this is one of Burgundy's greatest domaines and Christophe Roumier is one of its most intelligent and knowledgable wine-makers. The combination of the two produces magic." - Clive Coates
Going into my visit with Christophe Roumier this summer in Burgundy, I knew that his wines were, as Coates says, magical. This is indisputably one of the very best estates in all the Côte d'Or.
But I honestly wasn't prepared to be so blown away by the phenomenal quality of his 2008s. Or by the way all of them brought to mind the word "zen." Or by his incredible balancing of an "old soul" mindset and traditional winemaking values with a "new generation" kind of open-mindedness to wine, philosophy and the world in general. I was impressed.
And today I am very pleased to offer one of the most impressive wines from that visit at the lowest price in the nation: 2008 Roumier 1er Cru Les Cras at $139.95 a bottle. Consider that the pricing for Roumier's Bonnes-Mares starts around $400; his Musigny at well over $1500. Also note that this is a small offering only to those who have supported our Burgundy program, as finding these wines in any decent quantity is always exceedingly difficult.
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In a line-up of stand-outs at the estate, the Les Cras struck me as a beautiful bottle that, for such quality and from such a benchmark producer, today comes at an *exceptional* deal.
Roumier told Meadows that the 08 vintage was a "wonderful surprise," having sorted his grapes very carefully to bring in clean, ripe fruit that matured into wines flaunting impeccable balance with the characteristic Chambolle silken finesse... and yet there's also this surprising bit of concentration in line with the tension of acid, pulling the wines up a level from their designated Cru status. I love the 08 red Burgundies, and Roumier's are at the pinnacle of the vintage.
The Burghound's notes here are more coherent than my scrawled ones covered with stars and plus signs; he rightly says the 08 Les Cras is "at once seductive yet nervy with a silky mouth feel and really lovely focus." I'd add that I recall thinking this had everything I look for in the best red Burgundies: finely crushed minerals, bright and full red cherry and raspberry fruit, and an alluring line of game and smoke notes running through it all, each element very clearly delineated yet complementary to each other.
To get to Les Cras from Roumier's spot in the center of Chambolle, walk northeast towards Bonnes-Mares. The first vines you'll hit are those of Les Cras, sitting on a little south-facing sun-struck slope (the highest in the commune) cooled by the combe that runs along the back side of the village. The soil here has a good amount of clay, like Bonnes-Mares, which makes for wines of power and longevity, even with the commune's signature elegance. The 08 Les Cras is delightful right now, but with five to ten years, all of the elements will meld into even more harmony. And I wouldn't be remotely surprised to see this bottle rocking in even 20+ years.
Our parcel is in stock, and while it's certainly sizeable considering the tight allocations of Roumier, with today's pricing it's still likely to move very quickly. To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
Burghound: Here there is no reduction and the cool, airy and pure red pinot fruit and stone notes dissolve seamlessly into the equally mineral-driven, detailed and precise medium-bodied flavors that are at once seductive yet nervy with a silky mouth feel and really lovely focus on the tension-filled finish. Roumier seems to consistently succeed with this wine and the '08 version is no exception. I would give this 6 to 8 years in the cellar first.
Gilman: The 2008 Les Cras is another outstanding bottle in the making, as this wine exudes more the sappy purity of fruit at the core that is so typical of the best wines of this vintage. The deep and complex bouquet jumps from the glass in a blend of cherries, blood orange, cocoa, complex soil tones, woodsmoke and a gentle topnote of violets. On the palate the wine is fullish, deep and sappy in the mid-palate, with lovely, tangy acids, beautifully integrated tannins and excellent focus and grip on the very long and classy finish. This will be a velvety and very transparent wine at this apogee. Lovely juice.
Wine is in stock!
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