Domaine Georges Roumier

Georges Roumier married Genevieve Quanquin in 1924 and settled in Chambolle-Musigny, in the heart of the Cote de Nuits. Her family entrusted him with the keys to several parcels of vines in noted appellations, including Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, Musigny Grand Cru, and the Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru "Les Amoureuses." Georges devoted himself to these vines and was a pioneer of estate bottling at a time when the Burgundy negoce still dominated sales; he began bottling under the domaine's own label in 1945. Georges Roumier died in 1965. His son Jean-Marie had already begun succeeding him during the 1950s and formally took over when Georges retired in 1961, then continued building the estate: Bonnes-Mares and two parcels of Clos de Vougeot were added in 1952, followed in 1953 by the roughly 2.5-hectare Clos de la Bussiere monopole in neighboring Morey-Saint-Denis, bought from the Bettenfeld family. Jean-Marie added about 0.2 hectares of Corton-Charlemagne in 1968, the domaine's only white-wine holding, followed by a metayage arrangement on the Grand Cru Ruchottes-Chambertin with the Bonnefond family in 1977 and, in 1978, the outright purchase of a 0.10-hectare Musigny parcel that converted a long-standing metayage into ownership. A metayage on a parcel of Mazoyeres-Chambertin with the Matthieu family, bottled as Charmes-Chambertin "Aux Mazoyeres," followed in 1984, with the domaine keeping half the crop. Twenty years after his own father's handover, Christophe Roumier, Jean-Marie's son, joined the domaine in 1981; the domaine bottled the entirety of its harvest under its own label from the 1983 vintage, and Christophe took full charge of the estate when Jean-Marie retired in 1990. Christophe's sister, Delphine Courtot, also works at the domaine. Two of the Clos de Vougeot parcels acquired in 1952 later passed out of Domaine Georges Roumier's hands to other branches of the extended Roumier family and are no longer part of the estate.

• Founded 1924 on Genevieve Quanquin's dowry vineyards in Chambolle-Musigny; Georges Roumier began domaine-bottling in 1945 and died in 1965
• Jean-Marie Roumier took over from his father in 1961 (transition begun in the 1950s); added Bonnes-Mares and two Clos de Vougeot parcels (1952) and the Clos de la Bussiere monopole in Morey-Saint-Denis, bought from the Bettenfeld family (1953)
• Later Jean-Marie acquisitions: Corton-Charlemagne (1968), Ruchottes-Chambertin metayage with the Bonnefond family (1977), outright Musigny purchase converting prior metayage (1978); a Mazoyeres/Charmes-Chambertin metayage with the Matthieu family followed in 1984
• Christophe Roumier joined 1981; full estate-bottling of the entire harvest reached from the 1983 vintage; Christophe took full charge in 1990 when Jean-Marie retired; sister Delphine Courtot also works at the domaine

The domaine's vineyard today extends across more than 12 hectares, spanning Chambolle-Musigny, the Clos de la Bussiere monopole in neighboring Morey-Saint-Denis, and the Corton-Charlemagne parcel in Pernand-Vergelesses. Old vines are prized: rather than replanting whole parcels, the domaine replaces vines individually, so established parcels keep their age; the Musigny and Chambolle-Musigny "Les Amoureuses" parcels carry vines that are close to a century old. The current lineup runs to eleven wines: a regional Bourgogne, a Chambolle-Musigny village wine, the Chambolle-Musigny Premier Crus "Les Amoureuses," "Les Cras," and "Les Combottes," the Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru monopole "Clos de La Bussiere," and the Grand Crus Bonnes-Mares, Musigny, Ruchottes-Chambertin, Charmes-Chambertin, and Corton-Charlemagne, the domaine's sole white wine. Two of the Premier Crus were split out from the village blend relatively recently: Chambolle-Musigny "Les Cras" has been bottled separately since 1993, and "Les Combottes" since 2005. Three of the smaller parcels measure 2.5925 hectares (the Clos de la Bussiere monopole), 1.7553 hectares (Les Cras), and 0.2747 hectares (Les Combottes), the last with vines averaging 23 years (about half planted in 1982 and half in 1999). Every bottle now carries an RFID chip readable by NFC-enabled smartphones through the WID app, part of the domaine's wine-authentication program with separate sections for private buyers and trade partners.

• Vineyard extends across more than 12 hectares in Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-Saint-Denis (Clos de la Bussiere), and Pernand-Vergelesses (Corton-Charlemagne)
• Eleven current wines: Bourgogne, Chambolle-Musigny village, Premier Crus Les Amoureuses/Les Cras/Les Combottes, Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru monopole Clos de La Bussiere, and Grand Crus Bonnes-Mares, Musigny, Ruchottes-Chambertin, Charmes-Chambertin, Corton-Charlemagne
• Les Cras bottled separately since 1993; Les Combottes since 2005; parcel sizes: Clos de la Bussiere 2.5925 ha, Les Cras 1.7553 ha, Les Combottes 0.2747 ha
• Old-vine preservation via individual vine replacement rather than whole-parcel replanting; every bottle RFID/NFC-tagged and readable through the WID app under the domaine's authentication program

Christophe Roumier practices viticulture raisonnee, a reasoned approach rather than a certified organic or biodynamic one. Chemical fertilizers were abandoned in 1988 and herbicides the following year, in 1989; since the early 1990s the domaine has used products that favor a balanced vineyard ecosystem without pursuing organic certification. Yields are kept low mainly through hard pruning. Old-vine preservation is a stated priority: individual vines are replaced rather than uprooting and replanting whole parcels, and the domaine has reinstated plowing; grapes are picked and sorted by hand. Christophe Roumier counts several Burgundy figures among the formative influences on his approach to terroir and viticulture: Henri Jayer, Jacques d'Angerville, Gerard Potel (the former director of Domaine de la Pousse d'Or), and Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac.

• Viticulture raisonnee (reasoned) rather than certified organic or biodynamic
• Chemical fertilizers abandoned 1988; herbicides abandoned 1989; eco-friendly, non-certified practices used since the early 1990s
• Low yields via hard pruning; old-vine preservation through individual vine replacement rather than whole-parcel replanting; hand-picked, hand-sorted fruit
• Christophe Roumier's named influences: Henri Jayer, Jacques d'Angerville, Gerard Potel of Domaine de la Pousse d'Or, and Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac

Winemaking here is built on restraint: partial destemming, fermentation with native yeasts only (no cultivated yeast is added), and limited use of new oak during aging. Technique is meant to defer to the fruit at the moment of tasting, so that only the origin of the grapes marks each cuvee's distinctiveness. As of 2009, the grapes were typically destemmed, with the exception of the tiny Musigny cuvee, for which Christophe Roumier retains some stems; fermentation ran with no cultivated yeast in a mix of stainless-steel and open-top concrete tanks, with aging in around one-third new barrels. As of 2021, three of the smaller wines followed cuvee-specific regimes, each hand-picked, hand-sorted, fermented with wild yeast only, punched down during fermentation, and bottled without filtration or fining: the Clos de la Bussiere runs 75 to 90 percent destemmed with 16 months of barrel aging and 15 to 25 percent new oak; Les Cras runs about 70 percent destemmed with 14 months of aging and about 25 percent new oak; and Les Combottes runs about 80 percent destemmed with 14 months of aging and about 25 percent new oak.

• Partial destemming and native-yeast-only fermentation across the range, with limited new oak during aging
• As of 2009: grapes typically destemmed except the Musigny cuvee, which retains some stems; fermentation in a mix of stainless-steel and open-top concrete tanks; aging in around one-third new barrels
• As of 2021: Clos de la Bussiere 75-90% destemmed, 16 months aging, 15-25% new oak
• As of 2021: Les Cras ~70% destemmed and Les Combottes ~80% destemmed, both 14 months aging and ~25% new oak; all three hand-picked, wild-yeast fermented, unfiltered and unfined

Christophe Roumier continues to run the domaine his grandfather founded, and his sister Delphine Courtot also works there and is responsible for the domaine's published content. The domaine is based on rue de Vergy in Chambolle-Musigny. Best of Wines' producer profile counts Domaine Georges Roumier's wines among Burgundy's most costly and sought-after.

• Christophe Roumier (third generation) runs the domaine; sister Delphine Courtot also works there and is responsible for the domaine's published content
• Domaine address: rue de Vergy, 21220 Chambolle-Musigny
• Counted among Burgundy's most costly and sought-after wines in Best of Wines' producer profile

Primary sources (the domaine's own site, roumier.com): homepage, "Le domaine" (estate/history page), "Les Vins" (wine lineup page), and "Mentions Legales" (legal notice, address and contact). Secondary sources: Burgundy-Report's 2009 producer profile (interview-based); TerroirSense's 2021 producer-insight tasting profile; bestofwines.com's producer profile. Last verified 2026-10-12. Where the domaine's own site and a secondary source disagree, the domaine's own site governs; see conflicts.json for the specific disagreements found and how each was resolved.