Wine Advisor
Domaine Roulot, Meursault 1er Cru Charmes 2010
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Roulot’s 2010 Meursault Charmes 1er Cru is off the charts. Fresh, taut and wonderfully vibrant, the 2010 has developed beautifully over the last few years. At nearly ten years of age, jt is just entering a plateau of maturity.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
In 2010, the Meursault Charmes is defined by precision and cut. A pure, crystalline wine, it shows fabulous balance and tons of pedigree. White stone fruits, pears, apples and jasmine all come to life as the wine virtually sparkles on the palate with its irrepressible energy. The finish is exceptionally beautiful, polished and vibrant. This is one of the most taut, tense Charmes readers will come across. Roulot is quite candid in explaining that his location in Charmes is not optimal. Instead he believes organic farming, practiced here since 2000, is the main reason the Charmes is gaining in minerality as the years pass. Incidentally, Roulot made the same comment on the Meix Chevaux. Regardless, this is an utterly magnificent wine.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Orange and lemon zest and pure crushed stone on the reticent nose. A real live wire in the mouth, with great verve to the flavors of lemon peel, white pepper and saline minerality. For such a bracing wine, this one boasts a magically silky, seamless texture. The outstanding, slow-mounting finish boasts pristine grapefruit, lemon and crushed stone elements and outstanding aromatic persistence. This wine finished its malo in June of 2011 and is still an infant today.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
In 2010, the Meursault Charmes is defined by precision and cut. A pure, crystalline wine, it shows fabulous balance and tons of pedigree. White stone fruits, pears, apples and jasmine all come to life as the wine virtually sparkles on the palate with its irrepressible energy. The finish is exceptionally beautiful, polished and vibrant. This is one of the most taut, tense Charmes readers will come across. Roulot is quite candid in explaining that his location in Charmes is not optimal. Instead he believes organic farming, practiced here since 2000, is the main reason the Charmes is gaining in minerality as the years pass. Incidentally, Roulot made the same comment on the Meix Chevaux. Regardless, this is an utterly magnificent wine. Anticipated maturity: 2015+. (Not yet released) Jean-Marc Roulot commented that 2010 was easy in the vineyard but not so simple in the cellar, mostly because of very long malolactic fermentations that did not finish until the following August! The harvest started on September 17 and the wines came in with 12.8 -13.5 natural alcohols, which is at the higher end of the range for the domaine. Because of the lengthy malos, the 2010s were bottled a little later than normal. The 2010s are quite representative of the year in that they have considerable richness and at the same time high acidities. They are remarkably vivid, expressive to site and flat-out gorgeous. Readers will notice a new wine in 2010, the Auxey-Duresses, and can look forward to a new Clos de la Baronne and Clos des Boucheres with the 2011 vintage. Roulot fans will also want to be on the look out for Jean-Marc Roulot’s new line of eau de vies, an old family tradition that goes back many generations. The Framboise is one of the most pure expressions of fruit I have ever tasted, while the Abricot, made from Gerard and Jean-Louis Chave’s organically grown apricots in St. Joseph, is a bit more honeyed and liqueur-like.Unfortunately, my bottle of the Poire eau de vie broke, but I hope to be able to taste it soon. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524
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
