Wine Advisor
Domaine Roulot, Meursault 1er Cru Charmes 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Meursault Charmes comes across as big and quite rich. Layers of fruit totally cover the palate in this textured, seamless Charmes. There is plenty of underlying minerality but the fruit is so huge it virtually covers all of the structural elements. The wine remains graceful and round through to the finish. This may need a number of years to show at its best, but it is stunningly beautiful. Anticipated maturity: 2017+. Jean-Marc Roulot is one of the most thoughtful, introspective growers in Burgundy, so it is hardly a surprise his 2009s are so sublime. The domaine has grown to 15 hectares as of the 2011 harvest. Roulot was among a group of investors including Dominique Lafon who purchased Domaine Rene Manuel from Laboure-Roi. Readers can look forward to two new wines from Roulot a Meursault Clos de la Baronne, Meursault Clos de Bouchere, plus a little more production of the Poruzots. Roulot was among the first to harvest, and started picking on September 1st. Accodring to Roulot, the optimal window for picking has become much narrower with today’s increasingly warmer growing seasons. Roulot told me he prefers 2009 to 2008 as the fruit was healthier, with no botrytis or other issues, which resulted in wines of greater focus. The 2009s spent 12 months in oak followed by 6 months in steel with very light and infrequent batonnage. The Bourgogne saw less than 10% new barrels, while the village wines saw 15-18% new barrels and the premier crus 25-30% new barrels. Unfortunately I was not able to taste the 2010s as they were in full malolactic fermentation. A Daniel Johnnes Selection, imported by Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300 and imported by: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
There is much more mineralite on the Charmes than the Luchets: superb delineation and scents of fresh limestone and granite. The palate is supremely well balanced with perfect acidity, a touch of lemongrass towards the finish that fills the mouth. Amazing persistency. Brilliant. Tasted January 2011.
About the Producer
Domaine Roulot, founded by Guillaume Roulot in 1830, is well respected Meursault-based domaine producing mainly Chardonnay wines from a range of premier cru and village-level sites across the appellation. The wines are held in high esteem by critics and are much sought-after. The domaine is currently run by actor-turned-winemaker Jean-Marc Roulot. Roulot has numerous holdings across Meursault premiers crus, including 0.28 hectares (0.69 acres) in Charmes, 0.26 hectares (0.64 acres) in Perrières and 0.16 hectares (0.39 acres) in Les Bouchères, as well as 0.2 hectares (0.5 acres) in neighboring Monthélie Premier Cru Les Champs Fulliots. A further four hectares (ten acres) cover village-level vineyards in Meusault such as Les Luchets and Les Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir – a wine strongly associated with the Roulot label. All are Chardonnay based wines, although the domaine also produces an Aligoté, a Bourgogne Blanc and Rouge, an Auxey-Duresses Premier Cru, and a village-level red. The red wines are made from Pinot Noir – Burgundy's key red grape variety. Domaine Roulot established itself in the upper echelon of white Burgundy producers under the late Guy Roulot. Guy was one of the first producers of the region to bottle single vineyards separately, including village lieux-dits. He died in 1982 and his son Jean-Marc took over in 1989, farming the vineyards organically. As well as winemaking, Jean-Marc Roulot is also known for his cinematographic appearances (he initially studied screen acting in Paris), including the Burgundy-based coming-of-age film Ce Qui Nous Lie (released as "Back to Burgundy" for anglophone audiences), parts of which were filmed at the domaine
