Home › Wine Notes › Domaine Robert Groffier Père & Fils
Robert Groffier Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 2014
RedFrance2014
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-05-28 · Published 2026-09-30 · Updated 2026-09-30
At a glance
In one line
3.5/5 — lower than Vivino's 4.4 average · world avg price US$572 · Bonnes-Mares from the Morey-Saint-Denis house known as the largest owner of Les Amoureuses.
Wine-Searcher aggregate of 6 critic reviews: 94. Vivino lists one critic score of (93–95), dated late 2015 (publication not named).
Market note: World average US$572 / 750ml (Wine-Searcher, ex-tax, Sep 2026). On the same basis the domaine's Les Amoureuses is US$793 (94), Chambertin-Clos de Bèze US$946 (96) and Les Sentiers US$258 (93). On Vivino, all vintages from 1998 to 2019 with 30+ ratings score 4.3–4.6; the 2014 scores 4.4.
Father's note — Daniel Min
Original author of the notes“아. 이걸 이렇게 아쉽게 먹을 줄이야. 앞에 좋은 화이트 와인들 달리고 한껏 기대하고 먹은 본마르. 아로마도 괜찮았고 첫 팔렛에서도 올라오는 과실들이 좋았는데. 기대했던 음지 숲의 느낌을 잠깐 보여주다 바로 사라졌다. 문제가 있는 빈티지인가?”
Show original
“Raspberry jam leather cherry syrup 아.. 이걸 이렇게 아쉽게 먹을줄이야... 앞에 좋은 화이트와인들 달리고 한껏 기대하고 먹은 본마르.. 아로마도 괜찮았고 첫 팔렛에서도 올라오는 과실들이 좋았는데.. 기대했던 음지 숲의 느낌을 잠깐 보여주다 바로 사라졌다.. 문제가 있는 빈티지인가??”
What I learned today: aromas have a speed at which they leave, too.
Sunday, the bar's day off. The leather glass case I wrote about last night kept nagging at me. At lunchtime I took down the box from the top of the wardrobe, and there it was. When I undid the buckle, the smell of old leather rose up. Inside, one glass wrapped in a soft cloth. Clean.
With the case open on the table, I spread some of the raspberry jam Mum had packed for me on a slice of bread. The moment I opened the jar, the tart smell of raspberry layered itself over the leather. I've eaten that jam countless times and I know the smell of leather, but when the two came at once, a different night opened.
That Thursday night at the very end of May when I was twenty-one — a little before the port. Home late, Dad unbuckled his case, took out his glass and set it in front of me. It hadn't been washed. A thin red film was left at the bottom. Without a word, Dad went to wash his hands. I lifted the glass to my nose. Raspberry jam, cherry syrup, and for just a moment something like a shaded wood after rain. When I tried to smell it again, it was already gone. Only a faint leathery note remained. I washed the glass at the sink and set it upside down to dry. I don't know the name of the bottle.
I opened the notebook to that date. One line above the port. The first word is "Ah." To think I'd drink this so regretfully, he wrote. He'd opened it with high hopes after some good whites. The aroma was fine and the fruit rising on the first sip was good, but "it showed the shaded-forest feel I'd hoped for, just for a moment, then it vanished." The last line asks whether it's a problem vintage. Three and a half stars. The bottle was Robert Groffier Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru. I stuck on the wine-name Post-it. Even at the bottom of the glass, the forest lasted only a moment. Dad probably wanted his daughter to confirm that forest for him one more time. And that may be why he opened the port that night.
I took a photo of the glass case and sent it to Master Seo. In the evening a short reply came.
I filled in the nineteenth page of the new notebook at the kitchen table at home. Under the name, in the aroma box, I wrote "bottom of the glass", and beside it, "left quickly". What I learned today: aromas have a speed at which they leave, too. Just as some arrive late, some go early.
What this wine is
The Groffier family began growing grapes in Morey-Saint-Denis in the 19th century. The man who assembled the vineyards was Jules Groffier — said to have once been a racing cyclist — who bought most of today's parcels in the 1930s. In the 1950s his son Robert began bottling at the domaine for the first time, and since 2005 his grandson Nicolas has run it. Nicolas has said he wanted not to change things drastically but 'to perpetuate what was in place'.
Two vineyards made the name. The domaine is the largest owner of the Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Amoureuses ('the lovers'), with about 1.1 hectares, and it holds about 0.98 hectares of the Grand Cru Bonnes-Mares on the Morey-Saint-Denis side.
There are two stories behind the name Bonnes-Mares. One legend says a farmer found a sculpture of three fertility goddesses here, the 'Bonnes Mères' (good mothers); the other derives 'mares' from an old French word for a tool used to dig the quarries that once stood on this land. Joseph Drouhin describes the vineyard as lying exactly halfway between Chambertin and Musigny.
What the world says
The six critic reviews gathered on Wine-Searcher aggregate to 94. Vivino lists a single score of (93–95), apparently given at barrel stage in late 2015.
The community doesn't waver. On Vivino this vintage averages 4.4 from 132 ratings, and the label as a whole 4.5 from 1,694. There are 93 fours, 27 fives, and only 12 at three or below. All twenty-two vintages from 1998 to 2019 with 30+ ratings sit between 4.3 and 4.6. There is no trace of a 'problem vintage' in the numbers.
The aroma keywords run earth, leather, smoke and forest floor (97 mentions), raspberry, strawberry and cherry (88), oak, vanilla and tobacco (53), black fruit (34), and perfume and violet (20). Structure: acidity 4.0/5, intensity 3.1, tannin 2.6. Light and taut.
"Still very young so decanted." — Vivino review, Jun 2020, 4.5
How I drank it
May 28, 2020, 3.5 stars. I wrote down raspberry, jam, leather, cherry and syrup.
It was a Bonnes-Mares opened with high hopes after some good whites. The aroma was fine, and the fruit rising on the first sip was good. But the shaded-forest feel I'd been hoping for showed itself for a moment and then vanished. So I added a question mark: is this a problem vintage?
The numbers say it isn't the vintage. The 2014 scores 4.4, like the vineyard's other years. If anything, a Vivino review from the same month says it was still so young they decanted it. The same day I gave Taylor's Vintage Port a 4 and Tussock Jumper Pinot Grigio a 3.5 — a day when a Grand Cru and an everyday white ended up on the same 3.5.
Vivino community data
2014 vintage rating distribution (132 ratings, average 4.4)
| 5★ | 27 (20%) | |
| 4★ | 93 (70%) | |
| 3★ | 11 (8%) | |
| 2★ | 1 (1%) | |
| 1★ | 0 (0%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Earth & leather | 97 | earthy 21 · leather 19 · smoke 18 · minerals 9 · forest floor 8 |
| Red fruit | 88 | raspberry 21 · strawberry 17 · cherry 16 · red cherry 8 · red fruit 7 |
| Oak | 53 | oak 16 · vanilla 9 · tobacco 5 · cedar 3 · cigar 3 |
| Black fruit | 34 | black fruit 8 · plum 7 · black cherry 6 · blueberry 5 · blackberry 2 |
| Floral | 20 | perfume 6 · violet 6 · lavender 3 · peony 2 · dried rose 1 |
Structure: Acidity 4.0/5 · Intensity 3.1/5 · Tannin 2.6/5 · Sweetness 2.1/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 1694 ratings, average 4.5)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 4.5 | 30 |
| 1999 | 4.4 | 48 |
| 2000 | 4.5 | 33 |
| 2001 | 4.3 | 43 |
| 2002 | 4.6 | 50 |
| 2003 | 4.6 | 47 |
| 2004 | 4.4 | 41 |
| 2005 | 4.6 | 61 |
| 2006 | 4.3 | 52 |
| 2007 | 4.6 | 120 |
| 2008 | 4.6 | 62 |
| 2009 | 4.4 | 76 |
| 2010 | 4.4 | 55 |
| 2011 | 4.4 | 81 |
| 2012 | 4.4 | 75 |
| 2013 | 4.4 | 114 |
| 2014 | 4.4 | 132 |
| 2015 | 4.4 | 72 |
| 2016 | 4.4 | 73 |
| 2017 | 4.5 | 80 |
| 2018 | 4.4 | 50 |
| 2019 | 4.5 | 36 |
Other wines Father scored 3.5 →
Read next
Swipe for more →
Tasted the same dayTaylor's Vintage Port 2017
Portugal★★★★☆
Tasted the same dayTussock Jumper Pinot Grigio
Italy · Veneto★★★½☆
Same producerSeña 2012
Chile★★★★½
Similar styleDomaine de la Pinte Trousseau Arbois 2018
France★★★★½
Similar styleChâteau La Nerthe Cuvée des Cadettes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1996
France · Rhône★★★★★
Similar styleChâteau La Lagune Haut-Médoc 1970
France · Bordeaux★★★★★
Similar styleDugat-Py Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 2005
France · Burgundy★★★★☆
Same grapeDomaine Leroy Bourgogne Aligoté 2014
France · Burgundy★★★★☆
Same grapeFar Niente Chardonnay 2019
United States · Napa★★★★☆
Same grapeLucien Le Moine Meursault-Charmes Premier Cru 2018
France · Burgundy★★★★☆
Same grapeMaison Leroy Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Le Charmois Blanc 2002
France · Burgundy★★★★★
Same grapeBenoît Ente Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Clos de la Truffière 2018
France · Burgundy★★★½☆More from Burgundy, France
Swipe for more →
BurgundyDomaine Leroy Bourgogne Aligoté 2014
★★★★☆BurgundyLucien Le Moine Meursault-Charmes Premier Cru 2018
★★★★☆BurgundyMaison Leroy Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Le Charmois Blanc 2002
★★★★★BurgundyBenoît Ente Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Clos de la Truffière 2018
★★★½☆
BurgundyArnaud Ente Bourgogne Chardonnay 2015
★★★★½BurgundyDugat-Py Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 2005
★★★★☆
BurgundyMichel Noëllat Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Suchots 2014
★★★★☆
BurgundyLucien Le Moine Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Hauts Doix 2016
★★★★★
BurgundyDomaine Coche-Dury Meursault 2013
★★★★★
BurgundyLucien Le Moine Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Suchots 2015
★★★★½Explore
Bottles Father gave five stars
Only the wines Father scored a perfect 5
→
Wines in manga, film and history
Bottles that show up in manga, film and history
→
Wines you can buy at the supermarket
Wines actually bought at the supermarket
→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Robert Groffier Bonnes-Mares?
A Pinot Noir from Domaine Robert Groffier of Morey-Saint-Denis, made from its roughly 0.98-hectare parcel on the Morey side of the Grand Cru Bonnes-Mares. The 2014 scores 4.4 on Vivino (132 ratings), with a Wine-Searcher critic aggregate of 94.
How much does it cost?
Wine-Searcher's world average is US$572 per 750ml (ex-tax, Sep 2026). Overseas it's listed at 21 retailers, from US$436.66 (France, tax incl.) to US$1,052.53 (Australia, tax incl.).
What food goes with it?
The Vivino community suggests beef, veal, poultry and game such as venison. With high acidity and light tannins it also suits roast duck or mushroom dishes.
Is 2014 a problem vintage?
Not by Vivino's numbers. The 2014 averages 4.4 from 132 ratings, the same range as this wine's 1998–2019 vintages with 30+ ratings (4.3–4.6). Some reviews found it closed when young and recommend decanting.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- Vins et Millésimes — Domaine Robert Groffier
- Benchmark Wine Group — Robert Groffier
- Joseph Drouhin — Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru
- Wine-Searcher — 2014 Domaine Robert Groffier Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru
Read next
Swipe for more →
Tasted the same dayTaylor's Vintage Port 2017
Portugal★★★★☆Tasted the same dayTussock Jumper Pinot Grigio
Italy · Veneto★★★½☆Same producerSeña 2012
Chile★★★★½Similar styleDomaine de la Pinte Trousseau Arbois 2018
France★★★★½Similar styleChâteau La Nerthe Cuvée des Cadettes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1996
France · Rhône★★★★★Same grape